The confidence to pursue opportunities and the stamina to stay the course. Those are the enduring gifts from Queen’s that Meredith Shaw credits for her dynamic career.
The Artsci’04 singer-songwriter, broadcaster, style expert, and inclusivity advocate was named co-host of Canada’s number one morning show, Citytv’s Breakfast Television, or BT for short, in September. Being part of a fast-paced morning television program has been a “joy” for the enthusiastic Ms. Shaw, who honed her skills at Queen’s through music and drama classes and extracurriculars such as the Queen’s Players, where she cemented lasting friendships.
“The Queen’s performance experience was a swirl of creativity giving me a network of people that have burst through, not necessarily in their original direction. I still meet up with many of those folks to this day – including on BT when they come on to promote a project.”
In addition to theatre work, Ms. Shaw regularly sang at Clark Hall and Alfie’s Pub and even inked her first record deal as a Queen’s student; she remembers waiting for the contract to come through on a fax machine in the John Deutsch University Centre.
She credits her opera and vocal training at Queen’s for much of that initial recording success – and for lingering benefits, too.
“Being a broadcaster and learning how to best use my voice, I learned 100 per cent through the music program.”
Ms. Shaw made three albums after graduating, earning accolades for her singing and songwriting talent from the likes of Willie Nelson, Joel Plaskett, and Geordie Johnson. It was on a tour stop in Winnipeg that she says she had a moment of reflection on where she wanted her career to go next.
Ms. Shaw credits the improv skills she developed at Queen’s for the foundation needed to adapt to the rapidly changing nature of a live TV broadcast – and ultimately for much more.
“I always wanted to follow in the footsteps of Jann Arden or Sarah McLachlan, but I also looked up to [former Canadian TV broadcaster and current radio personality] Marilyn Denis, so one day I just googled how to host a radio show and found some opportunities.”
One of those opportunities was an on-air role at boom 97.3 in Toronto, which she immediately landed. From there, she rose to the top of the Toronto radio market at CHUM-FM, where she would spend nine years. It was during this time that Ms. Shaw found herself exploring the world of TV, doing style segments on The Marilyn Denis Show and co-hosting on another national lifestyle show, The Social.
When Breakfast Television came calling, Ms. Shaw hung up her radio headphones, albeit temporarily. She did not, however, move away from her commitment to advocating for inclusivity in fashion and style.
“I passionately believe in inclusivity and I hope that by being on TV it makes a difference,” says Ms. Shaw, who spotlights size-inclusive options in her on-air and personal style choices. “People aren’t necessarily used to seeing people like me on their screens, and if I saw me as a little girl, it would have made such an impact.”
She recently returned to the radio airwaves with a nationally syndicated brunch show airing Sunday mornings, but her weekdays are dedicated to the live four-hour TV program where she pivots from hosting cooking or fashion segments to interviewing politicians, discussing trending news topics, or covering pop-culture moments.
Ms. Shaw credits the improv skills she developed at Queen’s for the foundation needed to adapt to the rapidly changing nature of a live TV broadcast – and ultimately for much more.
“I was always focused on doing what I loved and I’ve learned the importance of showing up and being authentic. Queen’s really was the jumping-off point for where I am today.”