Year after acquittal, Ghomeshi launches podcast
About a year after being acquitted of sexual assault charges that destroyed a celebrated broadcasting career, former CBC personality Jian Ghomeshi resurfaced online Monday with a new music and podcast series.
The one-time media star announced a venture called “The Ideation Project” on Twitter with the message: “Hi. For those interested, here is something I’ve been working on...”
The project is described on the website as “a creative adventure with the aim of taking a bigger picture view on newsworthy issues and culture.” Future content will cover “a variety of topics from politics to philosophy to pop culture and the human condition.”
Reminiscent of the short essays that would kick off Ghomeshi’s hosting gig on CBC Radio’s “Q,” the debut post features musings on immigration, globalization and race. The six-minute monologue called “Exiles” asks: “What does it mean to feel like you have no homeland?”
The site credits all words, original music, recording and production to Ghomeshi.
A request for comment from Ghomeshi was not immediately returned.
The social media reaction was largely negative within hours of the debut, and branding expert Martin Waxman said Ghomeshi would be wise to move slowly as he returns to the spotlight.
“I think he’s probably smart to do this in a low-key way, to sort of test the waters and see what the reaction is,” said Waxman of the Toronto firm Martin Waxman Communications.
“Because if he came out with a big promotion plan, I don’t know if people are ready for it. The other thing is if this is a creative endeavour of his own, which it seems to be, it takes a while to build it. One episode does not a sustained podcast make.”