RaDeana Montgomery knew at 13 that she wanted to work in journalism. In grade 8, her teacher has told her mother that she really needed to follow her writing and that she had a flair for storytelling. From that point on she did her grade 12 co-op and spent her college summers working at a newspaper, and went on to graduate from Humber College with a diploma in Print and Broadcast Journalism. However, having kids put her passion on hold for a few years.
She found herself working as a bank teller loading money into a bank machine, wondering what she was doing with her life, and thinking about how much she missed being creative. At that moment, she realized what she needed to be doing. RaDeana then got a job as a freelance writer for a local newspaper after an article she submitted completely blew up.
She began working as a part-time content producer for Rogers Television, Dufferin-Peel, but this soon became a full-time job. There she was able to learn more about the writing side of video, editing, lighting, and sound. These skills have helped her create video strategies for her clients. Around this time, RaDeana decided she wanted to go back to school for PR and through hard work and perseverance, graduated with an Honours Post Graduate Certificate from Seneca College in Corporate Communications.
RaDeana had always been a harder worker, always working a couple of jobs at the same time, 7 days a week. She has been the Host and Producer of a myriad of television shows, both live and live-to- tape. She is the entrepreneur and founder of The Perfectly Pampered Prince and Princess, a successful children’s party service that she ran for 12 years. Through these jobs, she developed a specialty in event management, press releases, relationship building, and social media. Not only does she have impressive training and qualifications, but the extensive, diverse experience.
Every time she thought she was leaving this field of work behind, somehow she was always pulled back into journalism. Almost as if this is where she’s meant to be. This company allows her to work with businesses she truly believes in and to help them grow their awareness and passion. RaDeana takes pride in the emotion and stories she can capture through her lens. Her passion has always been learning about people’s stories, but most importantly sharing people’s stories and crafting them into something creative
Written by Sara Giroux grade 11 co-op Student from the Toronto District School Board.