so.da Welcomes Over 20 New Canadian Creators to its Dynamic Roster of Lifestyle Experts, Launches New Slate of Digital Originals

Creators Boost Canada's Leading Lifestyle Platforms Including Food Network Canada, HGTV Canada, Slice, and Complex Canada Through Editorial and New Short-Form Originals

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TORONTO, March 23, 2021 /CNW/ - so.da, Corus Entertainment's award-winning social and digital agency, unveiled today their latest development in content innovation, introducing a roster of 21 Canadian creators and numerous short-form series spanning across Canada's leading lifestyle brands. Developing trend-setting original editorial content for HGTV Canada, Food Network Canada, Slice and Complex Canada, so.da continues to expand its efforts in generating massive organic reach and expanding brand awareness to wider audiences. In the last year, so.da's content was seen 5 billion times and over 1500 pieces of social content is created each week.*

"Establishing a new roster of young, diverse and expert creators for our lifestyle brands has allowed us to reinvent our editorial strategy and develop dynamic original short-form content that focuses on the trends of today while further growing our highly engaged communities," said Dervla Kelly, Senior Vice President, Marketing & so.da. "Not only do the creators bring authenticity and influence to the content, our brands themselves bring tremendous authority and influence, along with providing a contextually relevant and brand-safe environment for advertisers to integrate into."

Seeing an opportunity to extend each brand's reach across social and digital platforms, so.da has enlisted a diverse roster of content creators that uniquely tap into trends through short-form content on a weekly and monthly cadence. Developed and produced in tandem with the so.da originals team, the content series range from healthy eating, baking therapy, home improvements and DIYs to beauty,fashion, sex and relationships, providing another opportunity for advertisers to reach these highly engaged audiences.

On @HGTVCanada, four content creators are introduced showcasing a wide range of home improvement tips and tricks. Since launching this past spring, creator content has garnered an engagement rate of 72% on @HGTVCanada's Instagram stories and at hgtv.ca. It has also amassed to over 1.6 million impression in the last 10 months.**

@HGTVCanada's Creators:

• Maca Atencio @hey.maca) – The craftiest of the bunch, whose creativity knows no bounds. Watch as she inspires whimsical creations.
• Denise Dias (@denisediasto) – Resident DIYer who tackles everything from converted nurseries and outdoor playhouses to festive doormats and holiday crackers.
• Becky Freeman (@the.property.stylist) – Leveraging 10 years of experience from her former custom interior design practice, she knows her way around any home. From staging and styling to décor, Becky has it covered.
• Amanda Roberts (@yow.plantmom) – Plant mom extraordinaire – shows every step of the way to keep things green and hydrated – from selection, propagation and care. This spring/summer, so.da is set to launch Plant Mama, a short-form series with Amanda on how to nurture the basics, cultivate challenges, and ultimately help seedling audiences grow outside of their comfort zones.

Taking a multi-platform approach with creator content for @FoodNetworkCA, the brand awakens audience's taste buds with creators ranging from recipe developers, home cooks and nutritionists. Each providing a wide range of custom content that centres on sweet, savory, indulgent and healthy eats. The brand has seen creator content generate over 7.3 million impressions and 82% engagement rate in less than a year** sparking development for a collection short-form series in the wake of the pandemic. With the trend of quarantine cooking at an all-time high, so.da has created three series that speak to the at-home foodie looking for inspiration whether it be dining in with takeout, baking at home or mastering a meal in 10 minutes.

@FoodNetworkCA Creators: 

• Amina Al-Saigh (@hungrypaprikas) – Focusing on helping moms get creative and cook in the kitchen with inspired recipes from the Middle East.
• Valérie Azinge (@mydigitalkitchen) – Creating healthy, delicious and easy recipes that cater to all dietary preferences.
• Abhishek Dekate (@abhishekdekate) – Digital creator focusing on food and entertaining, Abhishek brings mixology to the forefront, offering up boozy and alcohol-free cocktails that push creative limits.
• Marcella DiLonardo (@modestmarce) – Author, recipe developer, food stylist and photographer, Marcella combines her passion for food and photography with both sweet and savory dishes.
• Tamara Green and Sarah Grossman (@livingkitchenco) – Holistic Nutritionists who met in school, and now recipe developers and hosts of We Know You Have 10 Minutes. This duo creates fulsome meals to elevate people's health and inspire powerful changes through food.
• Eden Hagos (@edenthefoodie) – An East African foodie with a passion for exploring the diaspora, Eden is a host and food writer focused on changing the global conversation around Black food culture.
• Philip Lago and Mystique Mattai (@chef.souschef) – Husband and wife team and hosts of Dining In, together they take a mindful approach to cooking and eating together.
• Sabrina Stavenjord (@sabrinastavenjord) – Food Network Canada's resident baker and host of Baking Therapy. Sabrina's passion for baking goes on nearly 10 years, specializing in desserts that are simple yet impressive.
• Sonia Wong (@saltnpepperhere) – Home cook, focused on making wholesome, homemade meals for the whole family to enjoy.

@FoodNetworkCA Original Series:

Baking Therapy (Published Weekly on Instagram Stories, Facebook, Pinterest, FoodNetwork.ca)
On Baking Therapy, Sabrina Stavenjord walks audiences through the step-by-step process of a baking tutorial, ultimately inspiring viewers to get in the kitchen to try out her simple and delicious desserts.

Dining In (Published Monthly on IGTV, Facebook, YouTube, FoodNetwork.ca)
In this series, Toronto husband and wife team Philip Lago and Mystique Mattai bring the dining out experience in. They'll rate and review the takeout meals, and then attempt to replicate their favourite recipes in the comfort of their own home.

We Know You Have 10 Minutes (Published Monthly on IGTV, Facebook, YouTube, FoodNetwork.ca)
Most of us have days where we cook out of necessity and don't have time to whip up a culinary masterpiece. Without sacrificing quality or flavour, all of the recipes in this series can be made in 10 minutes or less. Busy weeks, we're ready for you. Creators featured are Tamara Green and Sarah Grossman.

The award-winning*** Slice.ca continues its mandate to inspire, empower and entertain with the addition of five content creators across beauty, fashion, sex and relationships. Across platforms, creator content has reached over 4.2 million impressions and continues to grow.** Currently in production, so.da is set to launch its latest short-form series Sex Sessions which dials deep into sex education like never before.

@Slicedotca's Creators:

• Samantha Bitty (@samantha_bitty) – Samantha is a sexual health and consent educator, speaker and social change entrepreneur. Having laughter, empathy and liberation as central pillars of her work, she aims to facilitate creative educational spaces that can fill the gaps often left by traditional models of learning.
• Christos Darlasis (Pythia) (she/her) (@pythia.queen) – Pythia is an artist, costume designer, makeup artist and drag performer based in Montreal, Canada.
• Tracey Moore (@_traceymoore) –Slice's lifestyle digital producer and Made You Look host, Tracy is Slice's resident fashion expert and thrifting aficionado.
• Senita Rodriguez (@tropbelle_makeup) – Senita Rodrigues is a skilled, self-taught makeup artist with 10 years of industry experience. Driven by her tenacious passion for makeup, Senita was guided to move from Guyana to Toronto to take her career to the next level. She was awarded Best Makeup Artist in Canada in 2017.
• Jasmin Winnie Stephen (@jasminws) – Toronto makeup artist offering her pro-tips on the world of beauty.

@Slicedotca Original Series:

Sex Sessions (In Production)
Samantha Bitty takes sex education to another, realer, level in Sex Sessions. The 10 episode series, takes viewers through the ABC's of sex – literally – talking about everything they definitely did not teach us in school. This is a sex-positive series with an intersectional lens. We know sex is not just about sex. It evokes questions around all aspects of identity and society: gender, race, politics, and law. Samantha is here to have an open and honest conversation.

Made You Look (Published on IGTV, Facebook, YouTube, Slice.ca)
Tracey Moore explores the latest trends, tests the newest products and offers tips and tricks in Made You Look. Our style expert reveals how to actually wear current trends in fashion and beauty through real talk — with authenticity and inclusion at the core of the conversation.

On @ComplexCanada, so.da is set to launch Northern Soles. Debuting with eight episodes this spring, the series see lifestyle KIN creator Andy Dang (@certified) highlight his top sneaker picks of the month, and best places to shop for them across Canada. Andy will discuss his top sleeper selects, hype shoes and why his picks are your next must haves.

Sources:
*Minterio - Facebook Insights, Twitter Analytics
**Minterio - April 1, 2020 – January 10, 2021
*** Slice.ca is the Gold recipient at the Canadian Online Publishing Awards 2020 for Best Media Website Design in the consumer division.

About Corus Entertainment Inc. 
Corus Entertainment Inc. (TSX: CJR.B) is a leading media and content company that develops and delivers high quality brands and content across platforms for audiences around the world.  Engaging audiences since 1999, the company's portfolio of multimedia offerings encompass 33 specialty television services, 39 radio stations, 15 conventional television stations, a suite of digital and streaming assets, animation software, technology and media services. Corus is an internationally-renowned content creator and distributor through Nelvana, a world class animation studio expert in all formats and Corus Studios, a globally recognized producer of hit scripted and unscripted content. The company also owns innovative full-service social digital agency so.da, lifestyle entertainment company Kin Canada, leading 2D animation software supplier Toon Boom and children's book publishing house, Kids Can Press. Corus' roster of premium brands includes Global Television, W Network, HGTV Canada, Food Network Canada, HISTORY®, Showcase, Adult Swim, National Geographic, Disney Channel Canada, YTV, Global News, Globalnews.ca, Q107, Country 105, and CFOX, along with broadly distributed Canadian streaming platforms STACKTV, Nick+, the Global TV App and Curiouscast. For more information visit www.corusent.com.  

SOURCE Corus Entertainment Inc.

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