It's like no business I know ...

RORY RICHARDS

This week, we continue our occasional column profiling business leaders in our community. With each instalment, Rory Richards asks our movers and shakers to spill the beans about what makes them tick and what makes them proud to be Jewish.

Darren Boidman is a true Canadian success story. He has the trademark showbiz swagger down pat. And he should, considering he is the managing partner of the successful local talent house Carrier Talent. Managing a roster of more than 85 ambitious thespians is no small feat. The agency was established in 1989. Darren moved out west seven years ago to work here and quickly took to the business.

After earning his bachelor's degree at McGill, Darren completed his MBA at Daniels College in Denver, Colo. I noticed Darren had mastered the art of "the name drop" when he mentioned that he counts Condoleezza Rice as a fellow Daniels College alumni. Post-master's, Darren was recruited to work as a financial analyst at Nortel Networks and quickly found that crunching numbers for a living was not in the stars for this people-loving chap.

Here's what Darren had to say about life, death, Judaism and, of course, the business.

Name: Darren Boidman.

Hebrew Name: Um, Darren?

My mother was born in: Montreal.

My father was born in: Montreal.

Ethnic background: I don't know, Russian?

Age: 33.

Kinder? No, not that I know of.

Marital status? Cohabiting – with the love of my life.

With a nice Jewish girl? She is.

How important was it for you to find a Jewish girl? It was very important to me, and for my family. She is also a doctor.

Good, so you finally have a Jewish doctor in the family. How did you meet? We met on JDate.

Occupation: Talent agent, managing partner, Carrier Talent.

What do you do there? Carrier Talent is a full-service talent agency representing stars for the U.S. and Canadian markets.

Any notable clients? Jason Gray Stansford, series regular for Monk.

You know when this is published, you will be inundated by Jewish mothers pushing to break their children into the biz? I think it's great. Bring 'em on!

Pen and paper or Blackberry? All of the above.

How many voicemails a day do you get? 30.

How many e-mails a day do you get? 200.

What book are you reading right now? Good question. I'm not, actually.

What new business initiatives are you working on? Expanding divisions. Exploring opening a dance division.

Describe the theory you use in business in a sentence: If it make sense to a three-year-old, it makes sense to me.

Who would you want to have dinner with (dead or alive/Jewish or not)? Bill Clinton, my father, my brother, Donald Trump, Tiger Woods.

Do you do any volunteer work? No ... I'd like to. I should, but I haven't. I'm guilty. I'd like to, but I don't know how.

Ever been to Israel? Once, when I was teenager.

Is it time to go back? I would like to go back.

What do you think about the situation there? I think the efforts trying to broker peace are right, but it's hard to deal with irrational souls.

Favorite charity? Canadian Cancer Society.

Why is that? My brother was recently diagnosed.

Last time you were in shul? High Holy Days.

Where did you go? Beth Hamidrash.

What do you think of the rabbi? Oh, I don't know. I like all rabbis. Rabbis that are smart, [with a] nice smile, warm. Rabbis that keep people in tune and can captivate people's attentions – those are good rabbis.

What role does Judaism play in your life? Not so significant now, but in the future I expect it will become more of a part of my life.

Why is that? You think you are invincible when you're my age. As I get close to the end, Judaism will become more important.

So you associate embracing Judaism with your death? Well, I associate it with coming to an end. It's not a necessity for my everyday living.

Really? So when you attend High Holy Days, Shabbat dinners, etc., you think you are banking mitzvah points with God that you can use towards an easy death? No, I do it for community and for friendship, but there is no religious meaning for me.

What makes you most proud to be Jewish? We are the smartest people on the planet. We truly are.

What was your first job? Toy salesman.

Your favorite toy? Lego.

What profession other than your own would like to attempt? Medicine.

My Hebrew is: Crap.

Favorite place in Vancouver: Downtown.

As a 33-year-old Jewish man living in Vancouver, what do you think is the biggest problem facing the Jewish community? Mobilization. We are fragmented. We are not connected. People come to Vancouver and say, "Where are the Jews?" CJA [Combined Jewish Appeal] out east is huge! They have everyone in their web. When they do the CJA campaign, they find you. There is nowhere to hide. Here, it seems different organizations compete with each other. It doesn't seem cohesive.

So what's your solution, smart guy? I have no solution, I just cause problems. Truthfully, I'm as guilty as anyone because I'm not as involved as much as I should be.

Rory Richards is a partner in Richards and Chan, a Vancouver PR and event planning company, www.richardsandchan.com.

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