Wikipedia

Salah Bachir

Salah Bachir, CM OOnt (born October 3, 1955) is a Canadian business executive, entrepreneur, publisher, art collector, fundraiser, and philanthropist. He created Phamous Characters, a media, production, publishing and sponsorship entity, which he still runs. From 2005 to 2021, Bachir was the president of Cineplex Media, where he was publisher of Cineplex Magazine, negotiated theatre naming rights with Scotiabank, and co-founded the Scene loyalty card program.[1]

Salah Bachir
CM OOnt
Bachir as Chancellor of OCAD University
Born (1955-10-03) October 3, 1955 (age 69)
Lebanon
NationalityCanadian
Occupation(s)Business executive, publisher, art collector, author, and philanthropist

In June 2017, he was appointed the fourth Chancellor of Toronto's OCAD University, one of Canada's pre-eminent schools of art, design and digital media.[2] He has been profiled by numerous publications, including The Globe and Mail,[3] Playback Magazine,[4] Dolce,[5] Toronto Life,[6] and others. He has received five honorary doctorates from the University of Alberta, Ryerson University, York University, OCAD University and Wilfrid Laurier University in recognition of his business acumen and philanthropy. His philanthropic efforts have made him a founder of St. Joseph’s Health Centre in Toronto.

On October 17th, 2023, Bachir's memoir First to Leave the Party: My Life with Ordinary People ...Who Happen to Be Famous was published by Penguin Random House Canada.[7]

Beginnings

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Bachir was born in Lebanon. In 1965, his family immigrated to Canada where they resided in Rexdale, a district of Toronto. Salah played numerous sports when he was growing up, including hockey, football and lacrosse. When he was 15 years old, he picketed outside a Dominion store to support Cesar Chavez and the farm workers during the grape boycott, raising $150 for the cause.[8]

Professional life

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Bachir began his career in publishing in 1980 with the first consumer video magazine in Canada, Videomania, and in 1984, started the trade publication, Premiere, to serve the needs of the burgeoning video distribution and retail sectors.[9] He also co-produced an annual trade show, Focus on Video, celebrating the Canadian film industry, which he ran for 15 years.[10] During this period, he helped launch several home video labels, including Disney, Universal, Vestron and Thorn EMI, as well as two creative agencies, Imaginus Graphics and New Image Complete Print Services.[11]

In 1999, Bachir moved on to become the founding president and chair of Famous Players Media, a new in-cinema advertising and marketing partnership with Famous Players Theatres and Viacom. Bachir also personally launched the in-house magazines Famous, Famous Quebec and Famous Kids, which became some of Canada’s successful magazines in terms of readership.[12]

In 2005 Cineplex acquired Famous Players, which included Bachir’s 49 percent ownership of Famous Players Media.[13] Cineplex engaged Bachir’s company Phamous Characters to set up and run the media company and subsequently Bachir became president of Cineplex Media. Cineplex also purchased Famous magazines from Bachir, which he rebranded as Cineplex magazines and which in turn became the most-read magazine in Canada, with over 4.3 million readers per issue at its peak.

Bachir became president of the newly created Cineplex Media division. He grew the business, making it Canada’s largest cinema and digital place-based media network, with thousands of screens across the country located in high-traffic business areas, premium shopping centres, and state-of-the-art cinemas, for both Cineplex and other chains. Cineplex Media became a leader in the digital space and was perennially one of Cineplex’s most profitable divisions, contributing significantly to its EBITDA.

Scene loyalty program

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Salah Bachir revolutionized the Canadian movie theatre business when he brought Cineplex Media into a multi-year, multi-pronged partnership with Scotiabank that included the Scene Loyalty Program, a multi-million-dollar exclusive advertising deal. Working closely with Rick White, Scotiabank’s VP of Marketing and Branding, Bachir achieved tremendous success with innovative, customer-related programmes. Scotiabank, which had never done a naming rights program previously, branded five additional theatres and all of the Cineplex VIP Cinemas.[14][15]

Today, the Scene+ program has over 10 million members, has expanded to include Sobeys and Home Hardware and is currently valued at over $1.5 billion.[16] Both Cineplex and Scotiabank attribute a huge increase in brand equity, loyalty and inroads to a younger demographic audience to the success of these programs.[17]

On June 1, 2017 Bachir became Chancellor of OCAD University. He succeeded Catherine Delaney, the Honourable James K. Bartleman and Rosalie Sharp in that role.

Patron of the arts

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Bachir is an avid art collector and enthusiastic patron of mostly Canadian art. His diverse collection of more than 3,000 pieces features many works by Canadian artists such as Betty Goodwin, Stephen Andrews and Attila Richard Lukacs.

In 2014, an extensive show of Bachir's pieces titled "Over the Rainbow" was mounted at the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art (MOCCA) in Toronto. The exhibition featured such well-known artists as Stephen Andrews, Atilla Richard Lukacs, Betty Goodwin, Andy Warhol, Keith Haring and Herb Ritts, and examined themes of seduction and identity.[18]

In a 2013 Toronto Star article, writer Rita Zekas lists many of the artists, Canadian and international, whose works hang in Bachir's Toronto home. "There are more Warhols here than you can shake a tin of Campbell’s soup at. Walls and walls of Warhol Polaroids and lithographs, purchased at auctions and from galleries," she writes. "There’s Ingrid Bergman by Warhol; Mick Jagger by Warhol. Plus Mandela by Herb Ritts; Einstein by Yousuf Karsh; and assorted photography by Henri Cartier-Bresson, Helmut Newton, Bruce Weber, Robert Mapplethorpe and Man Ray."[19]

Compared to Cosimo de' Medici by The Globe and Mail for his role in forging now-famous talent, Bachir has sponsored four shows of Lukacs’ work and a joint exhibition of works by Lukacs and Andrews at the University of Toronto's Hart House.[20][21]

In 2006, 60 pieces from his Andy Warhol collection were displayed at the Oakville Galleries; the same gallery hosted an acclaimed show of Bachir's Betty Goodwin collection in the spring of 2010.[22][23] In 2014, an extensive show of Bachir's pieces was mounted at the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art in Toronto.[18]

Bachir has donated art and money to major collections, including:

Fundraising and philanthropy

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In 2013, The Globe and Mail dubbed Bachir “Gala Salah” in reference to the more than 100 fundraising luncheons and galas he has hosted, including the annual 519 Gala in support of The 519; the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards Gala; the annual Salah Bachir Show in support of St. Joseph's Health Centre Foundation; the Wild Bird Ball, in conjunction with author Margaret Atwood, in support of the Pelee Island Bird Observatory; Camp Ooch's Imagine the Magic gala; and the Art Gallery of Ontario’s Chagall and Picasso Galas.[24][25][26][27][28][29]

Awards, Honours and Recognition

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Salah Bachir has received many honours, awards, and plaudits for his philanthropy. He is a member of the Order of Ontario and the Order of Canada for "his leadership as an entrepreneur and for his commitment to the arts and social justice, notably through Toronto's the 519 community centre.” He has twice been Grand Marshal of Toronto's Pride Parade, in 2005 and 2016.

Among Bachir’s other awards are:

  • The June Callwood Outstanding Volunteer Award, from the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport – 2021[30]
  • The Legacy Award, from Canada’s LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce – 2021[31]
  • Man of the Year Award and Daring to Be Great Award, from Famous People Players – 2008, 2018[32]
  • The MOCCA Award in Contemporary Art, from MOCA Toronto (formerly MOCCA) – 2015[33]
  • Lifetime Achievement Award, from Pride Toronto – 2009[34]
  • International Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser, from the Association of Fundraising Professionals – 2017[35]
  • The Human Relations Award from The Canadian Centre for Diversity – 2012[32]
  • Playback Magazine Hall of Fame — 2017[10]

There are numerous public spaces named after Bachir in artistic, health and non-profit venues, including a wing of The 519, the New Media Wall at The Image Centre at Toronto Metropolitan University, rooms at the Art Gallery of Ontario and the Oakville Galleries, and the Bachir-Yerex Family Dialysis Clinic at St. Joseph’s Health Centre.[36][37][38]

Bachir holds honorary Doctorates from York University (2015), Toronto Metropolitan University (2015), the University of Alberta (2016), OCAD University (2017) and Wilfrid Laurier University (2022).[39][40][41][9]

Personal life

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Salah Bachir is openly gay. He lives with his husband, the artist Jacob Yerex.[42]

References

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  1. ^ "Salah Bachir leaves Cineplex Media". Media of Canada.
  2. ^ OCAD University Press Release, March 22, 2017. Accessed June 18, 2013.
  3. ^ Dawn Calleja, "How Cineplex Media president Salah Bachir made it to the top of Canada's cinema scene", January 25, 2019. Archived 2019-01-31 at the Wayback Machine, Accessed January 31, 2019.
  4. ^ Glassman, Marc (October 3, 2017). "Playback's 2017 Hall of Fame: Salah Bachir". Archived from the original on 2019-02-09. Retrieved 2019-02-08.
  5. ^ "Salah Bachir – If You Don't make it to Paris". Dolce Luxury Magazine. 2016-03-16. Archived from the original on 2019-02-09. Retrieved 2019-02-08.
  6. ^ Leydon, Erin (2018-10-22). "Toronto's Most Stylish: Salah Bachir". Toronto Life. Archived from the original on 2019-02-01. Retrieved 2019-02-08.
  7. ^ Bachir, Salah. "First to Leave the Party: My Life with Ordinary People Who Happen to be Famous". Penguin Random House Canada. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  8. ^ "What We Can Learn From Philanthropist Salah Bachir". HuffPost Canada. 2013-05-22. Archived from the original on 2019-02-09. Retrieved 2019-02-08.
  9. ^ a b "Honorary degree citation: Salah Bachir | Wilfrid Laurier University".
  10. ^ a b "Playback's 2017 Hall of Fame: Salah Bachir".
  11. ^ Calleja, Dawn (25 January 2019). "How Cineplex Media president Salah Bachir made it to the top of Canada's cinema scene". The Globe and Mail.
  12. ^ "The Salah Effect: How Salah Bachir Harnessed a Passion for Social Justice and Became a Master of the Fundraiser".
  13. ^ "Cineplex Entertainment creates new cinema media division" (PDF). cineplex.com. November 1, 2005. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  14. ^ "Scotiabank name in lights via Cineplex". The Hollywood Reporter. 25 January 2007.
  15. ^ "Cineplex and Scotiabank Announce Expanded Sponsorship Extending the Entertainment Experience for Moviegoers".
  16. ^ "Home Hardware to Join Scene+ Loyalty Program in Summer 2023".
  17. ^ "Movie Mogul".
  18. ^ a b "Show and Tell: Cineplex president Salah Bachir's art collection". Toronto Life. Archived from the original on 2014-07-05. Retrieved 2014-09-25., September 25, 2014"
  19. ^ Rita Zekas, "The Toronto Star", February 1, 2013, "[1] Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine", February 1, 2013
  20. ^ Alexandra Gill, "The Globe and Mail", December 11, 2002, "[2]", June 3, 2011
  21. ^ Mariam Nader, "Canadian Art" November 10, 2011, "[3] Archived 2011-08-03 at the Wayback Machine", December 14, 2012
  22. ^ Oakville Galleries Newsletter, 2006, "[4] Archived 2012-03-16 at the Wayback Machine", June 3, 2011
  23. ^ Oakville Galleries Press Release, March 8, 2010, ""Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-07-14. Retrieved 2011-06-06.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)", June 6, 2011
  24. ^ "Congratulating Salah Bachr". 7 March 2020.
  25. ^ Bryant, Nolan (17 July 2017). "Red, white and proud: Culture supporters gather in Ottawa". The Globe and Mail.
  26. ^ "The Salah Bachir Show raises $500,000 to support emergency care at St. Joe's". 19 April 2016.
  27. ^ Bryant, Nolan (3 June 2020). "As fundraising galas move online, donors adapt and respond". The Globe and Mail.
  28. ^ Maddeaux, Sabrina (January 12, 2019). "City Life". National Post – via PressReader.com.
  29. ^ "Shinan: Justin Timberlake & Jessica Biel back together?".
  30. ^ "Salah Bachir honoured with June Callwood Outstanding Volunteer Award". 3 February 2022.
  31. ^ "Business Leadership Wall of Fame - CGLCC".
  32. ^ a b "Canadian Centre for Diversity Celebrates 65th Anniversary by Awarding Salah Bachir with Human Relations Award".
  33. ^ "Salah Bachir Named Recipient of the MOCCA Award 2015". October 2014.
  34. ^ "Sponsored | Work, play and give hard". Toronto Star. 18 June 2009.
  35. ^ "Toronto Philanthropist Salah Bachir Named International Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser". 5 October 2018.
  36. ^ "Ten great things that happened this week". 8 October 2020.
  37. ^ "New public gallery to open in the heart of Toronto's downtown core".
  38. ^ "ACO Toronto - the 519".
  39. ^ "Past Honorary Doctorates".
  40. ^ "Honorary degree recipients announced for spring convocation".
  41. ^ "Honorary Degree Recipients".
  42. ^ "Entertainment Mogul Salah Bachir on the Collection He Built With Partner Jacob Yerex, Now Live on Artnet Auctions". Artnet News. June 23, 2022. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
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