By chance I met Dan again today, and he said he now has 7, yes SEVEN, officies across Canada (2 in Calgary, 2 in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, and Halifax).

I am happy for Dan. Have a watch of my video interview with Dan Eisner in 2007.

Whats going on? This is the six season already, don’t we have more entrepreneurs in Canada that have serious businesses to fill the show? Of course, it is fun TV to have non-entrepreneurs to let TV viewers laugh at and critize but I would rather learn from some good and solid businesses and pitches.

I’ve watched Brett Wilson’s new show “Risky Business” and love it. Sure, Risky Business isn’t perfect but it is great for a series premiere. You can watch Risky Business online here. In contrast, Dragons’ Den is at its sixth season now, I honestly expect more.

Don’t get me wrong, my bet is Dragons’ Den Season Six will make CBC a ton load of money but I think CBC need to up their game and put less “non-entrepreneurs” on the show.

I’ve been a long time Dragons’ Den fan and I want to emphasize that in Oct 2006, I wrote a harsh article criticizing Globe and Mail’s John Doyle’s negative review of the brand new and not yet popular Dragons’ Den. I was fair about what I wrote then, and I am fair about what I write now.

Dragons’ Den fans know our beloved Brett Wilson left the show last season. Well, CBC’s lost and Slice TV‘s and our gain as Brett is back and he has his own great show!

Watch Brett Wilson’s new show Risky Business online now if you missed the show’s premiere last night (Monday 9pm ET/PT), I love it. Highly Recommended.

I’ve got the pleasure to get to know Brett for a few years now, he is really a nice and fair guy off TV and on TV. Go Brett Go !!!

Few days ago I had the great pleasure of chatting with Brett Wilson, Calgary entrepreneur, investor, former Dragon, and philanthropist. We chatted about a wide range of topics and I have posted the five video clips on YouTube with transcripts.

* Brett Wilson interview – 01/05 – Leaving CBC Dragons’ Den, TV offers, Uno bike, and Ben Gulak (with transcript)

* 02/05 – New TV show “Risky Business” (Info and chat about Brett’s new show “Risky Business”, coming this fall) (with transcript)

* 03/05 – Canoe Financial (Brett has a substantial investment in Canoe. We talked about his involvement) (with transcript)

* 04/05 – Social Media (Twitter, Facebook) (How Brett does his Twitter and Facebook magic?) (with transcript)

* 05/05 – Maya Wilson (Brett talks about the recent passing of Maya Wilson, his beloved chocolate brown flat-coated retriever) (with transcript)

4:43pm Update: Here is a great radio interview with Brett  by @phoenixonair. Highly recommended. I have fixed this article to correct my mistaken impressions about some elements of the show. Sorry for the mistakes.

***

I am excited to report a new high-stakes investing television series with Brett Wilson called Risky Business is being launched and premiering on Slice in Fall 2011. The show is holding casting calls for both investors and entrepreneurs.

After gaining better understanding from listening to Brett’s radio interview, the entrepreneurs are definitely not the kind I have originally been thinking of. This makes everything really interesting and non-traditional. According to Brett, Risky Business is based on the UK BBC format “Beat the Bank“. Interestingly, Duncan Bannatyne, presenter of Beat, is a Dragon on BBC.

Here is an excerpt from the press release (emphasis added),

“In each episode of Risky Business, Brett will give the daring couple a chance to risk big and win big. As host, he will guide the investors as they choose between pitches made by two different entrepreneurs, each looking for capital and offering a big return. The options will be unusual – such as investing in undervalued vintage wine labels or betting it all on a high stakes one-night-only event. The duo will stake their life savings on one investment, and Brett will invest in the other.  It isn’t until the end of the episode that it is revealed how each investment performed.  Will the risk-taking couple win big or lose it all?  Do they out perform Brett?  Or does Brett prove he can make money just about anywhere?

“We are thrilled to have iconic entrepreneur and philanthropist W. Brett Wilson onboard for this series,” says Barbara Williams, Senior Vice President of Content, Shaw Media. “With his star power and financial expertise, we think Risky Business will hit a chord with viewers who are looking for new ways to realize their financial dreams.”

“As someone who enjoys the art of investing, I’m looking forward to helping Canadians look at making money in unconventional ways,” says W.Brett Wilson, host of Risky Business. “This kind of high-stakes investing takes a lot of guts – but it makes the returns that much sweeter.“

Risky Business is produced by new global production company, 11 Television, in association with Slice™.

About the Casting Call
If you are a couple of novice investors, ranging from friends and family duos to married and unmarried couples, and have a REAL reason to want to ‘bet the farm’ to realize your dream, we want to meet you!   Be the one who W. Brett Wilson presents with two charismatic and colorful entrepreneurs and then guides and advises you on choosing the deal that suits you best!

Entrepreneurs, if you have a proven track record with a unique, innovative money making initiative that you would be willing to cut an investor in on – please contact us!  This is a great way to profile what you do to all of Canada and a great way to grow your venture by attracting more investors!   The catch?  You must be able to turn a profit within 30 days!“

All the best to Brett and the new show Risky Business in Canada!

Other media coverage:

The Hollywood Reporter, “W. Brett Wilson to Host Wannabe Bankroller Reality Show - 11 Entertainment gets behind Canadian reality series that sees novice investors stake their life savings on risky ventures” Here is an excerpt,

“Following his recent departure from Dragon’s Den on the CBC, Wilson said he received a dozen pitches from indie producers for new shows, before settling on Risky Business, well advanced in development and needing a host. [...]

“It’s showing people that taking a risk can have a return,” Wilson explained. [...]

Each episode will end with the audience learning which investment performed, and whether the risk-taking couple goes home with a big windfall or penniless. [Kempton: "penniless"?]

Wilson, an experienced investor, gets to spread his risk over 13 episodes and business ventures, while the novice investors now being cast for Risky Business will either win big or lose everything on just one venture. [Kempton: "lose everything"?]“

Toronto.com, “‘Dragon’s Den’ star Brett Wilson to launch ‘risky’ TV series“

An insightful article by G&M’s Marsha Lederman. For the record.

Taming the dragon: Should the CBC muzzle Kevin O’Leary?
MARSHA LEDERMAN
From Saturday’s Globe and Mail
Published Friday, Mar. 18, 2011 4:30PM EDT
Last updated Friday, Mar. 18, 2011 5:39PM EDT

From the beach at a posh Bahamas hotel, Kevin O’Leary is assuring Amanda Lang, via Skype, that the Japanese earthquake and subsequent nuclear disaster – though horrific, he takes pains to point out – may be just what Japan needs for an economic turnaround. “I’m very bullish on nuclear right now,” O’Leary pronounces in attire that is more beach than business. “It’s a buying opportunity.”

This Lang & O’Leary Exchange moment last Monday is classic O’Leary: he’s a dragon, he’s a shark; breathing fire, gobbling up prey. Japan is in crisis, but he sees a business opportunity. Greed is good.

“When I’m discussing a decision around an investment, I’m not trying to make friends,” O’Leary said during an interview this week (not specifically referencing Japan). “I don’t care if people can’t take the truth.”

O’Leary, who also stars on CBC TV’s popular Dragons’ Den and its U.S. cousin Shark Tank on ABC, likes to describe himself as “slightly right of Attila the Hun.” He’s proud of his modus operandi: no holds barred, make no apologies.

Well, usually.

After O’Leary was called out by CBC ombudsman Kirk LaPointe for his now infamous use of the term “Indian giver” on The Lang & O’Leary Exchange, he did ultimately apologize. It was a rare exception for the loudmouthed entrepreneur who has become an important part of the CBC brand.

“I’ve never made a mistake like that before and because it was a mistake, I did apologize. But I believe what I say. I don’t say things without thinking about them. You may not agree with me, but … as far as I’m concerned we need a lot more Kevin O’Learys in Canada.”

But what about on the CBC?

The once staid public broadcaster is putting a lot of eggs in this bombastic basket. Dragons’ Den, with O’Leary as one of its star attractions, consistently draws around 1.5 million viewers (the week of Feb. 28, it was the 11th most watched show in Canada, just ahead of Two And A Half Men). Over on CBC News Network, The Lang & O’Leary Exchange takes up the prime 7 p.m. weeknight slot.

And this spring, CBC will announce a new O’Leary property coming to the network next season.

With his right-wing ruthlessness and refusal to toe the political correctness line (this season alone he’s cracked one-liners referencing the beatings of baby seals and setting entrepreneurs who don’t nail their elevator pitches on fire), is this CBC’s answer to critics who claim a left-wing bias?

Sure, one commentator does not a Fox News Network make (okay, maybe two, if you want to count Don Cherry), but O’Leary sees his presence on the public broadcaster as essential.

“It’s funded by everybody in Canada. They’re the voice of Canada,” said O’Leary. “I’m proud to work for them and I’m proud that they’re willing to now, under new management, voice both sides of every situation.”

O’Leary’s infusion of capitalism-loving commentating at the CBC comes into the spotlight at a time of much discussion about political bias and the media. Next month, Sun News Network (often dubbed “Fox News North”) will launch with what promises to be a more O’Leary-like take on things. Meanwhile, south of the border, the House of Representatives voted this week to cease funding National Public Radio, which, like the CBC, is perceived as being left-of-centre.

CBC spokesperson Jeff Keay says it’s important for the CBC to present “a lot of different points of view,” and O’Leary is part of that. “I think he says things that flirt with the outrageous. I think that tends to attract people to him – those who agree with him and those who disagree with him.”

There’s no shortage of people who believe O’Leary has no place on the public broadcaster, that he represents a movement to the right (not in a good way) or even the dumbing down of the CBC.

But University of British Columbia journalism ethics professor Candis Callison says in the current media landscape, O’Leary’s presence on the CBC is neither surprising nor radical.

“It’s within their purview … to make a decision about how to move the network into this era,” said Callison.

O’Leary is not a journalist, he stresses, and as such has more freedom to tell it like it is, even if the language feels decidedly un-CBC (of old, anyway). “Do you think I’m going to let a little cockroach like you tell me what to do?” is just one O’Leary-ism.

O’Leary, 56, was born in Montreal. After graduating from the Ivey School of Business, he started a software company, which grew through various acquisitions and was ultimately sold to Mattel in 1999 for $3.7-billion. O’Leary now has a mutual fund company, O’Leary Funds, and homes in Toronto, Muskoka, Boston and West Palm Beach.

O’Leary’s TV career started with an appearance on BNN; the producer was so impressed, he asked him to be a regular. Now, his caustic one-liners have made him the guy many viewers love to hate.

“One of my favourite viewer e-mails of all time was, ‘Do you just keep Kevin O’Leary around so you look smart and sane?’” said Lang, O’Leary’s longtime co-host.

For all that mail, the recent complaint to the CBC ombudsman was the first the office has received about O’Leary.

It was lodged by Alex Jamieson, a 52-year-old who is Haudenosaunee. He was channel-surfing at his Mississauga, Ont., home last October when he heard O’Leary use the term “Indian giver” during a heated exchange with Lang. Weeks later, he complained to the show’s producer and then the ombudsman.

This month, LaPointe issued a report calling O’Leary’s remarks “unambiguously offensive.”

O’Leary did not apologize immediately. He says he was unaware the term was a racial slur and when he did learn the ugly truth, he was so horrified, he not only apologized, but asked his producers to draw up a list of other offensive terms he should avoid.

“If you know him, you can believe that to be true,” says Lang. “Not that that’s an acceptable excuse. You can’t say, ‘Oh I didn’t know what the n-word meant and therefore it’s acceptable for me to say it,’ but he didn’t. He was just being a dufus.”

Lang, the Ron MacLean to O’Leary’s Cherry, was commended by LaPointe for voicing her disapproval immediately during the show, but the ombudsman expresses disappointment with both CBC management’s and O’Leary’s handling of the situation.

Jamieson isn’t satisfied either.

“He should have been fired on the spot.”

Over at Dragons’ Den, Brett Wilson, O’Leary’s departing co-star (his last show airs March 30), says their good-guy/bad-guy depiction is pumped up somewhat. “I get the sense that the editing makes Kevin nastier than he really is.”

Wilson, who complained to CBC a few seasons back about show promotion that featured O’Leary more prominently than the others (“it looked like Kevin O’Leary and Friends”) rejects any suggestion of ego-driven animosity between the two. “If we saw each other at a social event, we’d certainly take time to spend together.”

And if you’re O’Leary – chairman of a $1.5-billion fund, trying to find time for your kids (aged 14 and 18), why bother with television? With all that grief? He certainly doesn’t need the money.

“I look at it as a yin and yang,” says O’Leary about his dual career. “It’s a left and right side of the brain. I need them both in my life; that’s balance for me.”

Plus, he says, the TV show makes him a better investor. “Can you imagine the information I get just sitting in that green room every single day? … I’m never going to quit that show.”

Check out “TRANSLOGIC 47: BPG Motors UNO (video interview + demo)“.

“We all know motorcycles are awesome, but in our view most are missing two key ingredients: a zero-emission electric drivetrain and the ability to transform. That is, until 17-year-old Benjamin Gulak created the UNO as a high school senior. Now on their third iteration, BPG Motors is perfecting this unique EV cycle and TRANSLOGIC is the first to take it for a spin.”

Check out this great Maclean’s article “In conversation: Brett Wilson “. I’ve excerpted three questions and answers that I found very insightful. [emphasis added]

“Q: You’ve challenged the CBC to dole out what you’ve called “constructive criticism as opposed to abuse” on the show. What prompted you to make that challenge?

A: I want it to respect the intelligence of the viewing community—you know, there isn’t a business school in the country that isn’t paying attention to this show. I was the lead deal-making dragon. I don’t know how many deals the other dragons have actually done or closed, but I managed to get 60 done on the show, and we’ve papered 30, and 31 should be done in the next couple weeks. That’s where my own fan base says, “Thank you for showing us how to do deals.” It’s easy to say, “No,” it takes no courage, no brains and no wallet to criticize. Criticism comes free. Action comes at some cost, and I’ve been pretty active. Will the 30 investments I’ve made all work out? Absolutely not. I suspect I’ll write off four or five in the next year because they’re stumbling. But there’s four or five that could become iconic brands in Canada because of the power of the entrepreneur. Any one of those top-five investments will pay for all 30. So I take a portfolio approach.

Q: Listening to you outline your approach—that a handful of your investments will likely pay for those that fail—is “dragon with a heart” less about generosity or emotion than it is a sound approach to investing?

A: I invest in people. I get value from helping people, and I get value on my money. So both of those make sense. I choose partners based on the people I want to do business with because business plans evolve—we stumble, we trip, we jump, we leap, we go to different plateaus—but the people in whom we’ve invested are still the people. My partners are a core of my success. That’s been my success over the years. In the investing world I do get value for helping people, but I don’t give up financial return to get that.
[...]
Q: I also watched as you listened to 18-year-old Ben Gulak pitch his motorized unicycle, the Uno, and you were clearly enchanted.

A: Here was a kid who I looked at and thought—you know what? Even if Uno doesn’t work exactly as it’s been invented, I want to be this guy’s go-to, his brain trust, I want to be his wallet for the next idea. Because coming out of a kid who’s 18, who’s built this Uno literally out of scrap parts in his family garage, who’s been accepted to MIT, that’s a kid I wouldn’t mind investing in. You know, the evaluations that were applied to the original round of financing for Google and Yahoo and eBay and Amazon and Facebook probably made no sense either.“

“The CBC’s ombudsman has blasted businessman and commentator Kevin O’Leary for using the term ”Indian giver” on his CBC News Network show, denouncing the term as “unambiguously offensive.”

The executive producer for The Lang & O’Leary Exchange has apologized directly to Alex Jamieson, an aboriginal man who complained, but O’Leary is a contract commentator and cannot be forced to express regret, ombudsman Kirk LaPointe writes in the report, published last week.

O’Leary, known for his brash, provocative commentary, heads up global investment firm O’Leary Funds.

He cancelled an interview with the National Post because, according to his assistant, he was ”advised” not to speak publicly about the issue.

The CBC is looking at making an on-air apology for the comment and as of Monday had yet to speak with O’Leary about potentially doing the same, according to spokesman Jeff Keay.“

Reports (see below) in Ottawa Citizen, National Post, Canadian Press, NewsTalk980 all added a little something and worth a read. And then there are reports in Toronto Star and Calgary Herald.

Here is an excerpt from Calgary Sun ”Wilson opens up regarding ‘Den” (I added the emphasis anyway even I ended up putting emphasis on everything! :) ),

“[ Q ] – Did your reason for leaving just come down to a contract negotiation breakdown?

Well, it started in December.

They gave me three weeks to sign the contract, take it or leave it.

There were some issues with the contract. First of all, they tried to cut the compensation. We negotiated that and got that solved. And they wanted to stop me from going on any other networks, so we negotiated that and got that solved.

Where we got stuck was on schedule. When I told them I had a family vacation and I wasn’t prepared to vary, they told me that wouldn’t work.

So, I politely advised that I would have to be out of the show because I wasn’t prepared to walk away from the vacation. It’s the first time I’ve had all three kids in one place in two years so I wasn’t going to walk away from that. It meant more to me than another season of the show.

Then CBC moved heaven and earth, and I really give them credit for it.

They managed to get another Dragon to do one week and me to do two weeks.

But where we got stuck was using the words Dragons’ Den and CBC.

The first contract they sent me prevented me from even uttering the words CBC or Dragons’ Den.

They claimed it was because of their contract with Sony. Sony is the licensee of the format.

I never for once believed I could never use the words Dragons’ Den or CBC. We kept pushing back. After about a month we started making progress. They started making exceptions about what I could do.

At the same time, I was submitting advertisements to them trying to get clarity before I signed the contract. I wanted to know what would be allowed and what wouldn’t be allowed. I thought they were being relatively inconsistent in terms of how they were applying these new rules.

But I think they ran into a deadline. Because they had chosen to pick up another Dragon, my guess is that if they couldn’t cut a deal with me they would have to find another Dragon to do the whole season.

There was a deadline of when we had to have this solved by, and we didn’t have it solved. It’s as simple as that.

[ Q ] -Would you go back to Dragons’ Den if you were asked?

Nobody’s asked me that question yet. I think the honest answer is, I would consider it. It’s a lot of fun. I enjoy it. It’s demanding, it’s tiring, it’s exhausting. I’ve offered to do follow up and film any footage that revolves around the deals I’ve done. So, I’m certainly open to that.

My intention here isn’t to burn any bridges because there are no bridges that need to be burned.“

From Ottawa Citizen [via The StarPhoenix] “No hard feelings over departure from Dragons’ Den, says W. Brett Wilson”,

“Wilson said he left because his new contract would have restricted how he associated himself with the show.

“They were objecting to me using the words ‘Come see Brett Wilson from Dragons’ Den.’ Their interpretation of their contract with Sony said that wouldn’t be allowed and we weren’t convinced that was correct.”

The two sides were working on the snag but ran up against the deadline, Wilson added.

“I think two more hours of meetings with people pulling in the same direction we could have got there, but we just ran out of time,” he said.

“It’s difficult to not say the fact that I was on Dragons’ Den and that Dragons’ Den was a CBC show.”“

From National Post “W. Brett Wilson leaves Dragons’ Den with a challenge”,

“W. Brett Wilson, the so-called “dragon with a heart,” is leaving CBC’s Dragons’ Den with a challenge. He called upon the Gemini-award winning show to offer budding businesspeople “constructive criticism as opposed to abuse.”

“There’s an entrepreneur hiding under the skin of most people. The show can foster that … rather than getting into Simon Cowell-type commentary,” the Calgary entrepreneur and philanthropist told the Post in an interview.

“If they just play that game [at the carnival] called whack-a-mole where they beat everyone down, I don’t think it helps anybody.”

[...] “Dragonsʼ Den fans tell me constantly that they are craving true follow-up shows — not superficial snippets of information,” he said. Wilson said that his contract re-negotiations for the sixth season were “complicated.” “I had committed to a family vacation with my three kids in April,” he said. His children live in Vancouver, Toronto and the British Virgin Islands. “That was a week that was very precious to me.”

He said CBC agreed to bring in another Dragon for one week but the other unresolved issue was “the use of the show branding to promote Dragons’ Den deals.” “We were very, very close to a resolution.””

From NewsTalk980 “Saskatchewan entrepreneur Brett Wilson leaving CBC’s “Dragon’s Den”" (emphasis added),

“”CBC licenses Dragon’s Den from Sony in Japan, and we ran in to problems sorting out what the licensing agreement really allowed, and I wasn’t comfortable signing a contract that didn’t have clarity,” said Wilson.

“Where it started was they said you can’t even utter the words “CBC” or “Dragon’s Den,” it took a month to solve that problem, but at the end of the day we just ran out of time.”“

From Winnipeg Free Press [via Canadian Press]“Brett Wilson says he hopes ‘Dragons’ Den gets a little nicer in his absence”,

“”Some would argue they built the show on the backs of some of that kind of commentary and the ‘Kevin vs Brett’ kind of interplay, but I think the show has the opportunity to take the whole game to another level,” Wilson said, referring to his fiery exchanges with brash co-panellist Kevin O’Leary.

“I think we can dial down the entertainment value and dial up the education and that will become the entertainment — that’s my view.”

[...] One of the biggest sticking points in negotiations was establishing Wilson’s rights to use the “Dragons’ Den” name.

“There was a bit of confusion coming out of their rights group as to what could be said or couldn’t be said. Initially they suggested I couldn’t use the words ‘CBC’ or ‘”Dragons’ Den”‘ without their approval. Period. And obviously that’s impractical and illogical,” he said.”

I wish Brett the best of luck (for him and for us fans) in finding a national broadcaster to partner and create “television programming focused on celebrating philanthropy in Canada“. I am curious if Brett will consider creating a TV program that showcase and encourage entrepreneurship in his Dragon with a heart way?

On a personal note, I have seen Brett in the last two years attending Banff World TV Festival (a few days in June in Banff where show creators, TV producers, broadcast executives from around the world attend to conduct businesses), it will be fun to see those business contacts help makes Brett’s show comes true.

For the record, here is Brett’s press release posted on his site this morning. (emphasis added) Update: Press release also available on MarketWire.

“NEWS RELEASE

DRAGON WITH A HEART LEAVES THE DEN
W. Brett Wilson leaves Dragons’ Den with challenge to CBC to evolve the show; continues his support for 30 Den deals and charity work for Canadians in need.

February 28th, 2011 – After three years on CBC’s Dragons’ Den, doing 60 plus deals in the Den and personally committing over $4.5 million in final deals with 30 Canadian entrepreneurs, W. Brett Wilson, the lead deal making Dragon, confirmed today that he will not return for the show’s next season. With his departure, Wilson is challenging both CBC and the Dragons to take encouraging Canadian entrepreneurship to another level and to constructively criticize, guide and sometimes finance the pitchers venturing into the Den.

Wilson also hinted at starting his own show to celebrate Canadian generosity through philanthropy and indicated he will continue to step-up his own work to raise money for Canadians in need.

“The contract re-negotiations were complicated. The key issues were my availability and the use of show branding to promote Dragons’ Den deals. We were very, very close to a resolution. But we fell short for several reasons, but mostly we just ran out of time, for which I’m obviously disappointed. I would have loved to have done at least one more season’s worth of helping Canadian entrepreneurs’ dreams come alive,” said Wilson. “I remain very much committed to the concept of Dragons’ Den, to the amazing Canadians that show up in the Den to be tested and challenged, and to the many deals I’ve done through the show. Every deal has been for an interesting product, but more importantly, all came from great entrepreneurs in the making, many of whom I continue to personally coach and actively promote.” Selected highlights of Wilson’s Dragons’ Den deals and his ongoing work to support them, as well a high level summary of imminent public appearances are in the Backgrounder below.

“When I joined Dragons’ Den, I told the producers I would continue – as I always have – to do deals with a social conscience and always with a tendency to invest in people over businesses, knowing that every business has speed bumps, and, that in the end, it’s ones’ key partners that are the primary determinants of the success or failure of an idea or a business,” Wilson said.

“I’m proud of the deals I have done from the show – but even more proud of the journey these determined Canadians are on as entrepreneurs. I challenge CBC and the Dragons to ensure that the show’s momentum in celebrating, encouraging and fostering a spirit of entrepreneurship across Canada doesn’t get lost in faux-business conversations with theatrical rudeness and irrelevant commentary and advice when the real opportunity is to encourage, participate and share in the entrepreneurs’ journeys,” Wilson confirmed.

“The future is bright for entrepreneurship in Canada. Dragons’ Den fans tell me constantly that they are craving true follow-up shows – not superficial snippets of information. They want to share the true roller coaster of the business and deals done in the Den along with the updates on how people fared who got offers and turned them down – and of course those who were sent away,” Wilson said.

Wilson is considering television programming focused on celebrating philanthropy in Canada. “I’ve been fortunate in my life to be able to give back, and in doing so I’ve met thousands of great Canadians who are giving their time, their money, and their hearts to great causes. I want to celebrate them and hopefully inspire others to give something back. I hope a national broadcaster will see merit in participating in such productions,” he said.

In the short term, Wilson will finance, help produce and co-host a major fund-raising event for Canadian military families on March 2nd, 2011 in Vancouver and support other Dragons’ Den related initiatives across Canada.
Details follow in the backgrounder below.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

1) History on Dragons’ Den
2) Dragon with a Heart

1) History on Dragons’ Den:

- Wilson joined Dragons’ Den in January 2008 by invitation, as a replacement Dragon, winning a tryout among a rumored 50 plus other potential Dragons. Initially advised the only “strike” against him was that he wasn’t mean enough, he soon came to be seen as adding some “warmer blood” to the Dragon casting.

- Wilson appeared in 55 of the 75 episodes of the Gemini award winning Dragons’ Den.

- In three seasons as a Dragon, Wilson completed just over 60 deals on air. After the required due diligence period required on any deal, he successfully papered and financed 30 of those deals, personally committing just over $4.5 million.

- Taking a portfolio approach to investing in early stage businesses, Wilson accepted that while some of the Den investments will under-perform, many will vastly out-perform over time given the quality of partners and businesses he supported through the show.

- Wilson will continue to support his Dragons’ Den deals with his merchant banking team at Prairie Merchant Corporation.

His larger Dragons’ Den investments include:

3twenty Solutions Converting shipping containers into camps. www.3twenty.ca
Dr. Mist All natural body spray. www.drmist.ca
EcoTraction Ice and road salt substitute. www.ecotraction.com
FROGBOX A brilliantly simple reusable moving box. www.frogbox.com
Hillberg & Berk World-class fashion jewelry. www.hillbergandberk.com
Kelvin23 A classic home focused multi-tool. www.kelvintools.com
Modrobes Eco-friendly fashion clothing. www.modrobes.com
Moxie Trades Empowering women’s workwear. www.moxietrades.com
QuickSnap Amazing shoelace “knot” replacement. www.quicksnap.ca
The 7 Virtues Perfume with vision and purpose. www.the7virtues.com
TrackItBack The only way to get it back! www.trackitback.com
UNO World’s coolest motorcycle/unicycle. www.bpg-werks.com

Other investments range from ultra organic “soap nuts” to Elvis impersonator costumes and kids socks that snap together for washing.

www.wbrettwilson.ca – Wilson’s personal website – will be re-launched shortly featuring updates on all of his investments via Dragons’ Den.

2) Dragon with a Heart:

A) Operation: Western Front, March 2nd, Vancouver, BC

www.OperationWesternFront.ca

True to his ongoing commitment to philanthropy, Wilson is co-hosting, helping produce and financing a Vancouver based major fund-raising event for Canada’s military families on March 2nd. Operation: Western Front will raise funds needed to fill gaps in government funding, and as deliver a thank you to those that have served and do serve. Seven of Wilson’s Dragons’ Den investments — as well as one that is still in negotiation — will be there to showcase their products.

B) Across Canada Appearances at The Bay with The 7 Virtues

www.The7Virtues.com

Wilson and entrepreneur Barb Stegmann, Wilson’s partner in The 7 Virtues perfume line made from legal, sustainable flower crops grown in war-torn countries, will appear at The Bay Vancouver on March 2nd, Toronto on March 10th and Ottawa on March 11th as part of a national roll out of The 7 Virtues perfume lines (the first perfume – Afghanistan Orange Blossom – appeared on Dragons’ Den in early Feb 2011).

C). Appearance at Enterprise Toronto / CBC Event, March 22, 2011

http://tinyurl.com/EnterpriseTorontoDD

Wilson will participate in a public Enterprise Toronto event on March 22nd in downtown Toronto with Dragon Den’s panelist Jim Treliving to provide new entrepreneurs with advice on raising start up and growth capital from investors.
- 30 –   ”