Since starting her broadcast journey over thirty years ago, Patti Berardi has been dedicated to helping people share their stories through community television.
Berardi, who was born and raised in Branford, explained the key reasons that drew her to television.
“As a kid I loved TV [and I also] loved to read, and write. I was naturally inquisitive…and I just really became interested in stories of any kind, whether it was someone’s story or reading a story. I was raised in an environment where my parents were aware of what was going on in our world, but also the world around us. And I think it just became something that I thought could be a career path for me. From there, I became tunnel-visioned…I wanted to make TV [and] make content at a very young age, and was lucky to connect with the right people to push me into going into television,” she said.
She would then get the opportunity to learn more about media at school, eventually earning a co-op placement with Rogers TV.
“I started having an interest in television when I was in elementary school. I did a one-week enrichment in video production when I was in grade seven…I connected with a teacher from Pauline Johnson High School who taught English media; that’s what it was called back then…and told me I should take his class when I was in high school…which I did and loved it,” recalled Berardi. “He suggested I apply for a co-op at Rogers, which I did, and started my placement in 1993. I was fortunate to get hired part-time shortly after my co-op ended as I was starting grade 12, and I’ve been there ever since.”
However, Berardi quickly adapted to the broadcast environment, learning the ins and outs not only at the Brantford Rogers studio but across locations in Ontario.
“I started in master control, and then I changed positions a few times…doing closed captioning, which was my first full-time gig with Rogers. And then I moved into traffic services for a few years in Kitchener…I came back to Brantford as a producer in about 2002, and I did that for about 18 years, and then I switched over to a role as a community engagement specialist, which was managing our volunteer program,” she described. “Then for the past year and a half, I’ve been the station manager for our region, so I’m not a producer anymore. Sometimes I sub in and help. But now as a station manager, my role is more to plan for the whole channel and deal with our resources.”
Being in local media has also given Berardi a deeper insight into some challenges facing the community.
“I think one of my first realizations about the struggles in our city especially with poverty was when I produced a news magazine show called First Local…we did a feature on the Brantford Food Bank going back 20 years now, and I met with some of their clients…so seeing many people that you wouldn’t imagine needing that kind of assistance showing up at the Food Bank,” Berardi recalled. “It hit home because I realized then that there was a significant population in our region that was at or below the poverty line, and they were struggling to make ends meet. I grew up in a middle-class home…and I had never realized that there were starting to be middle-class families out in our community that were now in need of this assistance.”
There have also been guests and people that Berardi has met throughout the years that have stuck with her.
“I’ve had the opportunity to do interviews with the Gretzky family who have been incredible supporters and ambassadors of Brantford. Walter Gretzky was probably one of my favorite people to talk to…and I had the opportunity to see him quite regularly and have conversations with him. But over my 30 years at Rogers, I’ve talked to a lot of great people…[and] another one that sticks out with me that I didn’t actually interview, but produced a show around, is Owen Paquette, who’s gone on to do amazing things in boxing,” explained Berardi. “I met him when he was around seven and I have followed his journey a little bit. And we did a show with him called ‘In the Ring’, which focused on boxing. At the time he was around 12 years old, and I just remember talking with the host and saying that we were going to see this kid in the Olympics or boxing at a high level one day. It’s kind of neat to meet people locally when they’re younger and watch them go on to do amazing things.”
While she has produced many programs throughout the years, one of the most important has been Kickback.
“Kickback is one of the biggest things that I’ve been a part of. It started around nine years ago, when Ben [Strasser] came to me and asked if we could do a 12-hour marathon on mental health, and I agreed! We’ve since brought it down to six hours, as live TV is difficult to produce [for long stretches.] It’s been great because we’ve been able to cover many stories, including personal ones on somebody’s battle with mental health. We’ve also helped connect people with services, outreach, and resources that can help them get through those tougher times, and that’s always important in what we do,” Berardi said. “Kickback was very important, especially during COVID, [as] people’s mental health declined, and we’ve been seeing the effects now in terms of youth and what they’re facing because they didn’t have those opportunities in school for different types of socialization and development…It’s a project that Ben and I put a lot of hours into, because we knew that a lot of people were silently suffering and needed help.”
As a veteran of community media, Berardi also has a chance to train and mentor many people, including volunteers and interns.
“I had producers, managers, and staff who mentored me through the years. They coached me and believed in me and gave me a chance…so, I take it very seriously when working with co-ops interns and volunteers…also, one of the most exciting things for Brantford has been the return or the addition of the Brantford Bulldogs [which] given us a big boost to our volunteer program within the city, as well as giving opportunities to high school co-ops and college and university interns too,” she explained. “What we do is try to provide them with the experience that they need to get into a school, or sometimes it’s just somebody’s interest in doing TV production as a hobby. We try to tailor their experience…so, if someone is interested in production [and] we coach, we train, we do workshops, [and] we provide regular feedback for them in that area. We’re also always available to help them by looking over their resumes and giving some tips on applying for a job. I certainly have had the privilege of working with hundreds of co-ops and interns that have come through the doors between my work here in Brantford and Kitchener.”
Nevertheless, local media is very important, as Berardi stresses, especially in sharing community news and stories that are important to the people of Brantford.
“Brantford needs local media… many organizations need that boost to tell their story, to share it…non-profits, don’t always have a marketing team or the budget to be able to do advertising… And then it also provides opportunities for the community to come in and share their message, whether it’s to solicit donations for their charity, promote an event or a show, or whatever it is that the community needs to get out there is done through us,” she noted. “I also think our station as a community hub…when you come into our building and you see people sitting in the green room waiting to on the show…they are connecting with each other [and] you’ll see guests have a chance to talk to each other about what they’re doing in the community that sometimes leads into them connecting outside of Rogers to work on something together. It’s a great feeling when I walk in the door and have the community there. And the ability for them to connect with each other and for us to share their stories…is an incredible feeling to be part of it.”
