Yolanda Thornton, Founder and CEO
Yolanda Thornton founded Moongate Inc., a custom content, branding and strategic communications company in 2009. Her experience spans over 30 years in the communications industry, and roles with national consumer lifestyle magazines and broadcast sales including 14 years as the Director of Advertising Sales and Marketing at Harrowsmith Country Life Magazine. Yolanda has a deep understanding of how organizations, business sectors and Canadians get their information, entertainment and engage socially. She’s well versed in developing traditional and online communications strategies, magazines and content to create audience engagement, community involvement and loyalty.
Kali Pearsont, Interim Editor-in-Chief
With over 25 years experience working with some of Canada’s leading publications and broadcasters, including Chatelaine, Landscape Trades, Discovery Channel and Today’s Parent — as well as over a decade working as a marketing and communications leader for brands including Landscape Ontario and Cossette — Kali is committed first and foremost to sharing great stories.
Through compelling editorial, robust digital strategies and meaningful brand partnerships, Kali loves nothing more than connecting readers with content that informs and inspires.
An endlessly curious country girl with a passion for gardening, great food and sustainable living, Kali looks forward to seeing each edition of Harrowsmith Magazine on newsstands almost as much as our readers do.
Meredith MacKinlay, Creative Director
Meredith has designed and consulted for some of Canada’s most recognized corporations and not-for-profit organizations. Following her tenure with top branding firms in Toronto and Vancouver, she founded Egg Design in 1998. Meredith’s collaborative approach to the creative process and reputation for refreshing solutions has earned her accolades, including several national and international awards.
Teresa Martin, Executive Assistant
Teresa brings more than 30 years of administration, media and client service experience working with entrepreneurs, small businesses like Harrowsmith Magazine, and Bowen College. Her attention to detail, makes her ideal for executing tasks that have several moving parts accurately and on time. Teresa also serves as project manager and coordinator for Harrowsmith’s website, the magazine and newsletter. This includes communicating with clients regarding creative material for upcoming issues and processing insertion orders and advertising contracts. She is well versed in all Microsoft Suites and works with the Moongate sales team to effectively deliver professional PowerPoint presentations and documents. Clients find her organized, efficient and super‐friendly.
Heidi Welker, Strategy Specialist
Heidi is a marketing, sales and business strategist with ability to execute the plan-measure, monitor-able to achieve quantifiable results. Particularly skilled at mentoring aspiring marketing, sales and business development strategists.
People oriented and results driven professional with over 35 years of experience in the meetings and events industry. Experience in driving organizational growth through various integrated marketing and lead generation activities. Extensive background in operations, sales, business development and industry partnerships. A long standing and active member of industry associations (Meeting Professionals International, Meetings Mean Business Canada and Professional Convention Management Association) and dedicated to giving back to the community.
Nick Wattson, Account Manager
Nicholas Wattson has had a long and varied career in advertising sales in both magazines and newspapers. Nick spent 13 years at Time Inc. representing such titles as Time, People, Sports Illustrated and This Old House, leading the Time Canada Special sections division, including Olympic Sponsor Special sections and New Business development. Previously he also spent time in advertising sales at the Toronto Star in various advertising sales capacities and at CanWest Media Sales newspaper division calling on major chain retail accounts for all their major market newspaper across Canada. Most recently Nick represented This Old House again helping Canadian companies showcase their products in renovated homes in the PBS network TV Show in tandem with supporting print and online media plans.
Louise Aird, Account Manager
Louise brings to Moongate many years of experience in journalism and publishing—as a newspaper columnist, magazine editor and magazine publisher. She also has deep experience in advertising, public relations, hospitality marketing, luxury retail management and event management. When she has time, she writes fiction, edits other writers’ work and acts as a script doctor. She has earned a reputation for her versatility, and for going the extra mile to achieve superior results for her clients.
Cheryl Carter, Editor, Marketing, Promotions
Cheryl is an award-winning copywriter who has spent more than 20 years helping some of Canada’s most well-known brands communicate their messages effectively. A versatile content specialist who writes for virtually every medium and format, her specialty is distilling complex information into communications that are reader-friendly and actionable. Cheryl’s early career in publishing was followed by several years as an Account Director at a Toronto marketing agency. When she’s not busy writing or reading, she can often be found dockside in Muskoka or slope-side in Whistler.
Steve Maxwell, Editor, Home & Property
Steve Maxwell and his wife Mary live on a 90-acre modern homestead on Manitoulin Island, Ontario in a stone house they built with local materials beginning in 1985. Steve is Canada’s longest-running home improvement and how-to columnist. He divides his time working on the land, building things large and small, and creating articles and how-to videos that teach sustainable, self-reliant, hands-on living skills. Steve’s BaileyLineRoad.com website is named after the rural road where he and Mary live with their five kids.
Wayne MacPhail, Podcast Specialist
Wayne is a digital strategist with extensive experience in traditional, online and communication strategy development. He has assisted clients like Random House (where he helped establish digital outreach programs), the Association of Science and Technology Centers, McMaster Family Medicine, rabble.ca, University of Toronto, Engineering reimagine their communications strategies for an emerging media landscape and new audiences. Wayne brings three decades of rich media content creation, a background in journalism and the ability to creatively understand brand and messaging and create new platforms and opportunities for Moongate’s clients. He has taught and developed online content creation and communications for a variety of colleges and universities in Ontario.
Mark & Ben Cullen, Gardening Editors
Canada’s best known gardener, connecting with over one million Canadians weekly through various media outlets. Whether it is through his many online posting, numerous books or as our very own gardening editor, his personable style and great tips have captivated audiences and continue to garner his fans across Canada. He is also an Order of Canada recipient. Mark lives in his environmentally friendly dream home, where he enjoys his 10-acre garden and spending time with his wife and four children.
Chef Ilona Daniel
Chef Ilona Daniel is the founder of Tribe Fresh Events and Consulting, a purpose-driven insights consultancy accelerated by modern approaches to the hospitality industry, immersive experiences, community and culture development, and game-changing deliverables. With 15 years of experience, she is a thought leader and an established business-builder with projects spanning the globe including Europe, North America, Africa, and Asia. Her strong background in consumer products and services includes a specialized focus on the interconnected producer and consumer in the food service sector. Ilona is also on the Board of Directors for the Tourism Association of PEI & The PEI Writers Guild. Chef Ilona is a published writer for numerous publications, is a media personality, and a dedicated Culinary Instructor at the Culinary Institute of Canada. The episode, “PEI Lobster” of the series, “Untamed Gourmet”, which Chef Ilona hosted was nominated for a Canadian Screen Award.
Mark Sirois, Meteorologist
Mark’s passion for meteorology started at the age of 15, and for the past 27 years he has fine-tuned his multi-faceted approach to long-range forecasting. Since 2007 he has covered severe and long-range forecasts through the Severe Weather Network. Mark’s forecast predictions have won him respect in many circles including hobby gardeners, farmers and outdoor enthusiasts.
Robert Dick, Astronomy Editor
One of Canada’s foremost writers and educators on astronomical topics, the Almanac has benefitted from Robert’s expertise since its inception. Robert was recently invited by the Canadian Space Agency to be the astronomy instructor to our astronauts, and he ensures that our section on the tides, sunrise and sunset, stargazing, and celestial events is so detailed and extensive it is almost like its own almanac.
David Burman, WCAG Standards Specialist for Electronic Accessibility
David Berman’s accolades run as long as the mighty Mackenzie River. Armoured with over 30 years of experience in design and communications, he is a career shapeshifter. His professional work has brought him to over 50 countries as an expert, speaker, designer and communications strategist. He has been a High Level Advisor to the United Nations and provided training in AODA Pac 2.0 tagging and accessibility to various federal government departments as well as governing bodies in Australia, Bahrain, British Columbia, India, Ireland, Malaysia, Manitoba, Mexico, Norway, and Oman.
He served as the first elected president of the Association of Registered Graphic Designers of Ontario. In November 2005, David was elected to the board of Icograda (now ico-D), the world body for graphic design and visual communications, and was re-elected twice. Since 2011 he serves as Sustainability Chair. David is also an Invited Expert to the W3C, the publishers of the WCAG standard for e-accessibility.
His clients include BMO, IBM, Honda, the International Space Station, the Canadian Human Rights Commission, the World Bank, Sierra Club and the Aga Khan Foundation. David’s work includes award-winning projects in the application of plain language, typeface design, and the development of a system to republish the laws of Canada in plain writing and design.
Scott Bullock, Newsstand and Retail Sales Consultant
Scott is a veteran circulation expert with experience in both Canada and the United States. He has worked on trade titles such as Publisher’s Weekly and Library Journal, and has been the circulation director for Toronto Life, Fashion, and Canadian Art among others. Scott has a deep understanding of the unique pressures on publishers transitioning to online platforms, and has been instrumental in bringing all of our titles online.