Kim Clarke Champniss
Kim Clarke Champniss is a Canadian television personality and musician, best known as a VJ for MuchMusic during the 1980s.{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FA8EAAAAMBAJ&dq=Kim+Clarke+Champniss&pg=PA78|title=U.S. Radio/Video Begin to Embrace Electronic Music|date=February 15, 1997|magazine=Billboard|page=78|accessdate=19 June 2011}}
Background
Kim was born in Bahrain and raised in London, England."Music puts glow in his eye now". Windsor Star, February 25, 1989. He was a child actor in his youth, including appearances in the 1960 film Village of the Damned and a television commercial for Quaker Oats. He moved to Canada at age 19, briefly taking a job with the Hudson's Bay Company in Arviat before moving to Vancouver to study at the University of British Columbia. He became a DJ at the city's new wave club Luvafair in 1980, before becoming manager for local band Images in Vogue.{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Pop_Encyclopedia/I/Images_In_Vogue.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120722113046/http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Pop_Encyclopedia/I/Images_In_Vogue.html|url-status=usurped|archive-date=July 22, 2012|title=Images In Vogue|encyclopedia=Canadian Pop Encyclopedia|publisher=canoe.ca|accessdate=6 September 2011}}
Broadcasting career
He later joined MuchMusic as the host of a daily entertainment news show Rockflash and the alternative rock program City Limits."Catching up with old VJs: Much Music alumni create new careers". Ottawa Citizen, December 24, 2002. In addition, he produced music documentaries for the channel, including a tribute special to mark the tenth anniversary of Bob Marley's death,"The 'ambassador' of reggae subject of tribute". Windsor Star, May 8, 1991. and became a cohost of The New Music in 1993."CITY's New Music to be seen nationally". The Globe and Mail, January 26, 1993. In this role, Marianne Faithfull, John Lydon and The Bee Gees all walked out of interviews with Champniss because they objected to his interview questions."Looking back on 18 years of alternative music on TV". Victoria Times-Colonist, October 16, 1997.
After leaving The New Music in 1996, Champniss moved into production roles with MuchMusic and its sister stations within the CHUM Limited media conglomerate, including as a contributing producer for Bravo! and as head of programming for MuchUSA."treble charger: MuchMusic won't hit play button in Canada on group's latest video". Windsor Star, January 22, 1998.
In 1997, he released the album A Sound Mind, which was credited to KCC & Dancespeak."The host with the most pops a CD". The Globe and Mail, July 4, 1997. His collaborators on the album included Joe Vizvary of Images in Vogue and Dave Rout of Rational Youth and Digital Poodle.
Post-Much career
He left CHUM in 2000 to form his own company, Invisible Republic,"Life at the great crossroads". National Post, June 19, 2004. which provided music management for artists including Serial Joe and the revived The Grapes of Wrath.
In 2005, Champniss returned to an on-air role, hosting the series The Word This Week on BookTelevision and A-Channel."Canada Reads". Victoria Times-Colonist, October 2, 2005. He has also appeared as a radio host on Toronto radio stations Edge 102 and Boom 97.3."Plan your week with our picks". Vancouver Province, September 9, 2012.
In 2013, he published the book The Republic of Rock ānā Roll: The Roaring ā80s from Curtis to Cobain.[http://www.timescolonist.com/entertainment/television/former-muchmusic-host-kim-clarke-champniss-revisits-80s-in-new-book-1.99840 "Former MuchMusic host Kim Clarke Champniss revisits '80s in new book"]. Victoria Times-Colonist, March 28, 2013.
In 2018, he received a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Writing in a Lifestyle or Reality Show for his work on the Juno Awards of 2017.
References
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Category:Year of birth missing (living people)
Category:English emigrants to Canada
Category:English male child actors
Category:Canadian dance musicians
Category:Much (TV channel) personalities
Category:Canadian music journalists