Doug O'Neill

Communications, Marketing & Editorial Writer

Canada

I'm an accomplished editorial and marketing copywriter with a proven track record in producing feature articles (lifestyle, health, travel, small business), web content, press releases, B2B and B2C marketing emails, newsletters, webinars, annual reports, profiles, promo sheets, sponsored content, blogs, short video scripts and ghost-writing. I've held numerous staff writer/editor positions on some of Canada's leading magazines. I'm currently a marketing brand copywriter for a leading polar expedition company.

See below for:

•Press Releases
•Webinars
•Editorial Print Features
•Health and Prevention content
•B2B marketing emails
•B2C promotional emails
•Issues-based: LGBTQ, Ageism
•Travel content
•Landing pages
•Sponsored Content
•Nature / Outdoors
•Tech and Start-up Profiles
•Video scripts
•Community-focused content
•Ghost-writing
•French-to-English Adaptation

Portfolio

HEALTH & PREVENTION ARTICLES

YouAreUNLTD
03/04/2020
Men Also Suffer From The Devastating Effects Of Osteoporosis, Says Top Expert

"Osteoporosis is the silent disease," says Dr. Aliya Khan, professor of Clinical Medicine, Endocrinology, Metabolism and Geriatrics at McMaster University. "We also call osteoporosis the 'silent thief' because it can destroy a person's bone structure - wreaking havoc on their overall health and vitality - with little warning.

YouAreUNLTD
04/07/2020
Cranky? Irritable? Fatigued? Forgetful? It Might Be Male Menopause

"We've always been kitchen-klatch people," says 55-year-old Daniel Kenney about himself and his four older siblings, the eldest of whom is 65. "The kitchen is where we have the best conversations as grownups, just my brothers, our respective partners sans kids, nieces or nephews. Our monthly get-togethers typically involve a huge potluck, which means lots [...]

YouAreUNLTD
04/23/2020
How To Better Support And Love A Spouse With A Disability

Relationships are challenging. Any relationship. The challenges increase when one partner is suddenly, or gradually over time due to a debilitating illness, living with a physical disability. "The worse thing a couple can do when one of them has a disability is not talk about it," says Leah MacInnes, a registered marriage and family therapist with [...]

YouAreUNLTD
08/02/2019
Don't Put Up With Arthritis Pain! Find Out More About Newer Management Options

Choosing "Tragically Hips" as the name for her team in the annual Walk For Arthritis was a no-brainer for Brantford, ON-resident Jane Grant-Henderson. "Not only was The Tragically Hip my favourite band, but I liked the idea of having a punchy reference to my knee and hip replacement - which turned my life around."

YouAreUNLTD
06/07/2019
Improve Longevity And Tackle Pain With These Nutrition Tips From Top Expert

Respected Canadian nutritionist Julie Daniluk, whose books include Meals that Heal Inflammation, has devoted years of study and research into healthy eating after a lifetime of dealing with her own food allergies and sensitivities. Daniluk has learned firsthand the link between nutrition (or rather, poor nutrition) and pain and inflammation.

PRESS RELEASES

Quarkexpeditions
10/22/2020
Quark Expeditions Appoints Laurie Di Vincenzo as the First Expedition Leader to Guide its New...

Quark Expeditions, the Leader in Polar Adventures, has chosen seasoned expedition team member Laurie Di Vincenzo as the very first expedition leader on its game-changing polar vessel, Ultramarine. "The Expedition Leader plays a key role on a technologically-advanced ship such as Ultramarine," said Malcolm Ellis, Senior Vice-President of Operations for Quark Expeditions.

Fogo Island Inn
10/26/2018
PRESS RELEASE: Short Films Announced for Devour! at Fogo Island Inn

Lia Rinaldo, Managing Director of Devour! The Food Film Fest , the largest food film festival in the world, and founding Chef Michael Howell announced today the list of six short films coming to Fogo Island next month as part of the satellite Devour!

Quarkexpeditions
12/01/2020
Quark Expeditions Launches Industry's Most Rigorous and Guest-Empowered COVID Travel Policy

Quark Expeditions, the recognized leader in Polar Adventures, has unveiled the most comprehensive, traveler-focused COVID policy in the travel industry. Quark Expeditions® S.A.F.E. COVID Policy is an industry-leading program designed to bring much needed peace of mind and reassurance to potential explorers as they once again start planning expedition travel in the coming months.

Fogo Island Inn
11/28/2017
Chef Jonathan Gushue Joins Fogo Island Inn | Fogo Island Inn

In Culinary | By Fogo Island Inn | November 28, 2017 Fogo Island Inn looks forward to welcoming Jonathan Gushue as Executive Chef. He will be joining the Inn's culinary team as of February 1, 2018. This will mark Chef Gushue's return not only to his hotel roots, but also to his home province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

SHORT VIDEO SCRIPTS

SEO-DRIVEN BLOGS

Culture Trip
11/05/2020
SEO BLOG: The Best Places to Eat Brunch in Halifax, Nova Scotia

Victor and Sybil Fineberg have created a welcoming, laid-back eatery that rivals any traditional deli you'd find in New York. The all-day breakfast menu means you can treat yourself at brunch to Victor's Big Breakfast, an assembly of three eggs, smoked meat, corned beef, salami with challah or rye toast, potato latke or hash browns for $10.99.

HuffPost Canada
05/16/2020
How To Heed Nature's Call If Park Washrooms Are Closed

With washroom facilities currently closed in Ontario Parks and conservation reserves, on account of COVID-19 safety measures, you really don't want to be caught with your pants down. Nor should you let fears of a full bladder or the after-effects of a full-on fibre breakfast discourage you from heading into the great outdoors.

Culture Trip
10/09/2020
The Best Clubs and Happy Hours in Whistler That Are Worth Checking Out

No one really dresses up when heading out to the Crystal Lounge. It's a laid-back, easy-on-your-wallet kind of place offering live music, stand-up comedy, open-mic nights, trivia games and big screens for game nights. Traditional pub grub food and nightly drink specials are crowd-pleasers.

Culture Trip
09/29/2020
The Best Places for Bike Rentals in Whistler, British Columbia

Bike rentals have been part of FanatykCo's core business since ski and cycling enthusiasts S cott Humby, Kevan Kobayashi and Bruce Pegram established the venture in 1996. All rentals are equipped with top-of-the-line Shimano Zee/Saint or Shimano XT/XTR components, which are popular with advanced cyclists.

Quarkexpeditions
12/17/2020
SEO BLOG: How to see Penguins in Antarctica

Emperor penguins breed and nest on the sea ice in extremely cold environments, such as the remote, ice-covered Snow Hill Island in the Antarctic. Photo: Dave Merron Penguins! Few winged species are as captivating as the cute, wobbly-on-land, graceful-in-water, torpedo-shaped, tuxedo-wearing flightless birds that lure travelers to the Antarctic.

Quarkexpeditions
12/17/2020
SEO BLOG: The Best Place to See Polar Bears and Northern Lights

The majestic polar bear. The breathtakingly beautiful Northern Lights. Imagine for a moment what it would be like to observe polar bears and the Northern Lights on the same journey. The Northern Lights witnessed by guests on a Quark Expeditions voyage in East Greenland.

EDITORIAL FEATURES: Print & Digital

Explore Magazine
A Spirit Trek on Manitoulin Island

The spirit of Manitoulin Island can be found in sacred First Nation heritage sites, along the shores of a 6,000-year-old lake, lurking behind mystical waterfalls and sometimes sitting atop steep, boulder-strewn nature trails. Our writer strapped on his hiking boots in order to tap into the mystery of what the Ojibway call "Spirit Island."

YouAreUNLTD
07/23/2020
Media Personality Valerie Pringle Finds A New Passion For Nature Post-Retirement

Valerie Pringle is serious about hiking. When she is asked about her longtime commitment to The Great Trail, a network of 24,000 kilometres of recreational trails (formerly known as the Trans Canada Trail) that links all 13 provinces and territories, she becomes poetic, quoting philosophers Friedrich Nietzsche ("All truly great thoughts are conceived by walking") and [...]

YouAreUNLTD
11/13/2018
Technology's Stand On Fall Prevention

When it comes to falls, especially those that irreparably sideline people's lives, Canadians needn't take it lying down. Innovators across Canada are developing wearable sensors, technological devices that incorporate artificial intelligence, and re-engineered footwear to disrupt the crisis of falling. When Dr. Alex Mihailidis spoke at the Falls Prevention Conference in June 2018 in St.

B2B and B2C EMAILS

CISION-PR News Wire
11/19/2020
Quark Expeditions Announces its 2-for-1 Black Friday Sale on Arctic and Antarctic Voyages

"This incredible discount means a guest and their companion can enjoy a polar expedition for the price of one-with their money 100% protected," said Thomas Lennartz, Vice-president of Sales for Quark Expeditions. "This limited time offer is ideal for those who've dreamt about immersing themselves in the rugged beauty of the remote Polar Regions."

ISSUES: LGBTQ & QUEER CULTURE, AGEISM

Agewell-NCE
10/01/2018
COVER STORY: BOOMERS DEFY AGEISM

RIDING THE WAVE - Prejudice or discrimination on the basis of age of a widespread and insidious global issue with far-reaching ramifications. But the tide is turning.

YouAreUNLTD
06/28/2019
Olympian Mark Tewksbury Talks About Life As An Openly Gay Man As He Hits A Milestone

Twenty years to the day he made history as Canada's first openly gay Olympian, Mark Tewksbury returned to the Toronto theatre for his one-man show, Mark Tewksbury - 50 & Counting, where, on December 15, 1998, the athlete went public about his sexuality. The Calgary native's coming-out announcement 20 years ago created a media storm, [...]

YouAreUNLTD
09/09/2019
10 Common Myths About Aging Busted, Courtesy of Activist Ashton Applewhite

Sassy. Smart. No-nonsense. Empowering. Bold. Smart (we said that already?). That string of adjectives describes Ashton Applewhite, the U.S.-born writer-activist who originated This Chair Rocks, the hugely popular anti-ageism project, and wrote the bestseller, This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism. She regularly engages, shocks, informs and delights on her blog, "Yo, Is This Ageist?"

Canadian Living
01/02/2010
Growing up lesbian or gay in Canada | Canadian Living

This story was originally titled "Life on the Outside" in the November 2007 issue. Subscribe to Canadian Living today and never miss an issue! Mark Tewksbury recalls the June afternoon in the early 1980s that he sauntered down the hallway to his locker at St.

YouAreUNLTD
09/26/2019
Stopping The Spread Of Ageism In the Workplace Needs To Be A Priority

As authors Warren Bennis and Robert J. Thomas report in their book, Geeks and Geezers: How Era, Values, and Defining Moments Shape Leaders, each generation within today's workforce is defined and influenced differently. That can create discord. Older workers may feel ignored. Millennials are targeted (unjustly at times) as "the privileged generation."

locallove
06/17/2019
"We're queer and we're everywhere"

Recently, however, skyrocketing rents in the area prompted longstanding queer establishments to close their doors (RIP Slack Alice, The Barn, Byzantium). "But soaring rents aren't the only reason for the migration of gaybourhoods in Toronto," says Findlay, who is also president of the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives (soon to be rebranded The Arquives).

YouAreUNLTD
03/19/2020
Discrimination Continues To Impact LGBTQ Residents In Long-Term Care Communities

It's a poignant memory for Brian Hobbs - one that captures some of the challenges facing older members of the LGBTQ community in Canada. Two of Hobbs' close friends, a gay couple in their 80s, had to make tough decisions when one of them was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and placed in a long-term care facility [...]

TECH, ENTREPRENEUR & START-UPS

StartUp HERE Toronto
04/24/2019
StoryBilder Helps Budding Authors Write Books Right from Scratch - StartUp HERE Toronto

Plot lines and programming. Story arcs and software. Character development and computer applications. While not unheard-of, it's not every day you encounter an entrepreneur who's adept in all of these areas. But that apparent study in contrasts pretty much describes Tanya Gough, whose career path has traversed education, content management and technology.

StartUp HERE Toronto
11/13/2018
Ground News App Tackles Fake News Around the World

Harleen Kaur and Sukh Singh co-founded the anti-fake news app Ground, which uses artificial intelligence, traditional media and citizen journalism around the globe to provide authentic, genuine news.

IT Business
FOOi: the tipping point in cashless transactions in Canada

"Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro together was easier in some respects than launching this app," says David Morrison. "We've certainly experienced a steep learning curve - and a highly educational one at that." The app Morrison is referring to is FOOi , a mobile application that facilitates peer-to-peer and peer-to-business financial transactions.

NATURE & THE OUTDOORS

The Globe and Mail
11/27/2018
The joys of hiking at night

I wasn't always a fan of hiking at night. In fact, for most of my childhood and early adult years, I'd grow skittish when I found myself in the outdoors after dark, whether I was by a campfire or sitting on the back porch listening to Supertramp on my Walkman.

Canadian Geographic
10/18/2018
My relationship with nature: It's complicated

Relationships have their ups and downs. Sometimes they get stale, especially when one party begins to take the other for granted. If respect isn't reciprocal, the relationship runs the risk of morphing into a marriage of convenience, which doesn't bode well for the long haul. So, how do we define our relationship with nature?

Explore Magazine
25 of the Best Hikes in Canada's North

Trail suggestions made by David Webb It might possibly have been easier for our writer Doug O'Neill to complete the Cirque of the Unclimbables than assemble 25 of the Best Hikes in Canada's North. After all, these trails crisscross some of our nation's most remote places, and up-to-date details can be infrequent and incomplete.

YouAreUNLTD
02/07/2020
Green Exercise Elevates Your Workout, Researchers Find - YouAreUNLTD

Christine Andersson calls it her Isaac Newton moment - you know, the guy who allegedly discovered the law of gravity while sitting under a tree. "Except in my case, it was more of a self-discovery, but I really was sitting under a tree." Upon taking early retirement, the 55-year-old lost one of the best perks [...]

Seetorontonow
05/15/2020
Top Cycling Routes in Toronto

You can tour Toronto by bus, car, public transit or on foot. Hopping on a bike is another great way to enjoy the best of Toronto. These routes are ideal during spring, summer and fall.

CORPORATE WRITING & GHOST-WRITING

Vale News
04/12/2017
Let's send kids to school hungry for knowledge - not hungry for food

The numbers are hard to digest first thing in the morning. In fact, hearing them (or reading them) any time of day is downright worrisome: one in five Canadian children goes to school hungry - without a nutritious breakfast to start their day. Now consider that 60 per cent of the school curriculum is taught before lunch.

Payments Business Magazine
Cashless payments: there's an app for that

By David Morrison Faithful churchgoers in the Jarna-Vardinge parish in Sweden no longer toss coins and bills into the collection basket. Rather than reach into their pockets for money, church attendees are apt to pull out their iPhones to make donations. Sweden, whose citizens have difficulty obtaining cash from institutions ...

Vale News
11/09/2016
Mine the gap: two young women at the start of their engineering careers

Meet Stephanie Saliba and Sabrina Hiefer. They're young, they're driven, and they're both at the threshold of their mining careers. In addition, both share a passion for supporting women in the engineering profession. Saliba, an engineering student at McGill University, produces a blog called Mining Diaries: The Journey of a Female Miner.

Vale News
07/20/2016
My Port Colborne: Where life's a beach

Welcome to the third instalment of My Town, a new series "hosted" by Vale employees who are passionate about where they live. Come along now with Mark Ottaviano, who will guide you through the picturesque town of Port Colborne, ON. "I'm a water person.

Vale News
04/12/2017
And then there were fish

As an environmental supervisor at our Long Harbour Processing Plant, Dr. Jared Saunders closely monitors our impact on the region's marine, freshwater and terrestrial habitats, and oversees revegetation efforts to mitigate any negative impact. Saunders heads up the Long Harbour environmental team which includes environmental coordinators Amie Chaytor and Ryan Mulrooney.

Quark Expeditions
04/02/2019
Polar Promise: Sustainability Report 2019

In our first sustainability report, we've summarized our progress in launching our Polar Promise sustainability strategy and reflect on successes and challenges in 2019. For more information, please write to us at [email protected]

CANADIAN FRANCHISE ASSOCIATION
03/13/2019
The Duality of Franchise Marketing

By Tracy Woods | Originally published in the Winter 2019 issue of The Franchise Voice Picture for a moment, the variety of students who enroll for one of Oxford Learning Centres' small-group programs. We know, based on years of experience and scientific research, that all students learn differently.

SPONSORED CONTENT

The Globe and Mail
03/21/2018
SPONSORED CONTENT (no byline): Outstanding in their field

"It looks like a barn, sounds like a music hall." That's how conductor Daniel Warren describes the barn-cum-concert venue at the Westben Centre for Connection and Creativity through Music, located near the village of Campbellford in the heart of Northumberland County, about halfway between Toronto and Ottawa.

The Globe and Mail
09/22/2017
SPONSORED CONTENT (no byline): Remote possibilities

What if your window treatments, lighting fixtures and thermostat could behave as if they were reading your mind and adjust on their own? What if these functions could be programmed while you're away from home? Those were the "what if" questions that homeowner Steven Louganis pondered when he unexpectedly found splitting his time between two homes earlier this year.

TRAVEL ARTICLES

BOLD Magazine
05/01/2019
King of the Castle

Hever Castle, the onetime home of Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII

Luxe Magazine
01/04/2021
Rocky Mountain Highs

A snow-obsessed writer reignites his love affair with the Rocky Mountains in winter.

BOLD Magazine
08/01/2019
A Walk Above The Clouds

Why waste your breath getting to the best parts of British Columbia's Cariboo Mountains when you can zip straight to the highlights with a heli-hiking excursion? Doug O'Neill couldn't refuse a chance to jump the queue.

BOLD MAGAZINE
12/01/2019
Fortuna, Firenze!

In the birthplace of the Renaissance, Doug O'Neill discovers a people who take the idea of good fortune as seriously as they take food, art and architecture.

The Globe and Mail
01/17/2019
Dark sky preserves: The bright side of Jasperʼs dark side

Dark Sky Preserve The bright side of Jasperʼs dark side Peter McMahon has a mantra: "Defend the night from urban light." As the manager and senior presenter at the Jasper Planetarium in Jasper, Alta., McMahon is someone who appreciates the importance of dark-sky preserves - areas typically surrounding parks or observatories that severely restrict artificial-light pollution.

COMMUNITY

locallove
09/10/2018
Why your next theatre outing might be in a stranger's home

It's early on a warm Saturday night in 2018 as my partner and I amble along Ellis Park Road in High Park, our eyes scanning the brass house numbers for the address saved on my iPhone. Our host-whom I've never met before-sent it to me 24 hours earlier.

Thompson Citizen
Get your motor running: small engines repair class being offered in Nelson House

It's months away but youth and educators of the Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation in Nelson House are already getting revved up for the September start of the school year. What's got people stoked is a new course offered at Nisichawayasihk Neyo Ohtinwak Collegiate in Nelson House that's more tech than text - and which will appeal to youth who have an interest in motor boats, lawnmowers, snowmobiles and motorcycles.

locallove
07/13/2018
Summer staycation: a taste of Hong Kong in downtown Markham

For everything from congee to karaoke, the GTA's "mini Hong Kong" is just a short trip away Peter Mak, who was born in Hong Kong and moved to Markham with his family when he was 10, remembers the first time Toronto filmmaker Cheuk Kwan referred to Markham as "a mini Hong Kong" in the national press.

WEBINARS

Quark Expeditions Webinar
01/27/2021
[WEBINAR] Wildlife Capital of the Arctic: Spitsbergen

This webinar will teach you why Spitsbergen, the Wildlife Capital of the Arctic, is one of the prime destinations in the world for polar bear viewing, plus other wildlife such as whales, seals, reindeer and walruses— all against a dramatic backdrop of snow-capped mountains, expansive glaciers and towering cliffs inhabited by thousands of Arctic birds.

Quarkexpeditions
The Leader in Polar-Based Adventure Options | Quark Expeditions

Quark Expeditions' robust portfolio of adventure options immerses travelers in the polar wilderness, enabling them to connect viscerally with the natural wonders of their polar surroundings. From enjoying a bird's-eye view of the polar landscape through the window of a twin-engine helicopter to eye-level observations of an iceberg while seated in a kayak, Quark Expeditions' adventure options offer guests a truly immersive polar experience no one else can offer.

PRODUCT & WEB SITE LANDING PAGES

Quark Expeditions
09/01/2020
Log in | Quark Expeditions

Welcome to our portal for the Travel Adviser community! The Partner Resource Center features a wealth of information and resources to help you sell the Polar Regions with Quark Expeditions, the leader in polar adventures. Register today to meet our global sales team, access dates and rates, download our latest brochures, and more!

Quark Expeditions Contest Entry Page
08/29/2020
Win a Trip to The Canadian High Arctic!

Rules & Regulations "WIN A TRIP TO THE CANADIAN HIGH ARCTIC" ("CONTEST") Official Rules THIS CONTEST IS ONLY OPEN TO CANADIAN RESIDENTS (EXCLUDING QUEBEC) AND IS GOVERNED BY CANADIAN LAW. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. SEE BELOW FOR FULL CONTEST DETAILS.

FRENCH TO ENGLISH ADAPTATION

Pawsie
08/02/2019
Jess and Sabrina: A love story

[ADAPTING FROM FRENCH TO ENGLISH] That moment turns out to be life-changing. Sabrina starts to look after a retired horse and learns step-by-step the basics of equine care and how to communicate with the big, sensitive animals. She also befriends Martine, who will become an inspiration for Sabrina. "I suddenly had complete access to horses.

Pawsie
09/11/2019
They're miniature pigs but they scream loudly!

[ADAPTING FROM FRENCH TO ENGLISH] When animal photographer Catherin Arsenault was asked to undertake a photo shoot with miniature pigs, she realized the task would have a few surprises in store for her. "You have to know that the pig, by nature, is a defenseless prey," says Catherin. "All he can do when he senses danger is to save himself.

Pawsie
04/25/2019
Are homeless companion dogs unhappy?

[ADAPTING FROM FRENCH TO ENGLISH] It's a sad sight and one that's not infrequent in North American cities: a homeless person huddled in the bitter cold, sharing a piece of cardboard and a blanket with their dog.