Mike Bullard has had a long career in the entertainment business, working as a comic, MC, radio host and podcaster and, of course, as the host of Open Mike with Mike Bullard and The Mike Bullard Show. Bullard had the first successful Canadian attempt at a late-night talk show and, at its peak, his show regularly beat The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Late Show with David Letterman in the ratings in Canada. We had a great conversation about the comedy business, some of his biggest influences, some of his more memorable guests and some behind-the-scenes stories from his career.

If you live anywhere in the Greater Toronto Area, you’ll know my guest today. And if you haven’t heard of him before, you’ll enjoy getting to know him. Brad Ross is the Chief Communications Officer for the City of Toronto. It’s a new and very cool role that he talks about in our conversation. But before that, for about 10 years, he was the face of the Toronto Transit Commission. That’s how I first heard of Brad. Anytime there was a problem any part of the system that impacted riders, Brad was right there, communicating effectively in the media and, more recently, on social media. When it comes to communications best practices, Brad is an exceptional practitioner. There’s lots to be learned about his approach to communicating…