Alexandre Turcotte, The Man, The Editor, The Workaholic & Everything In Between

If you’ve ever wondered what would Batman look like if he was a blogger, I would ultimately guide you to Alexandre Turcotte. Same as Bruce Wayne but using the internet as his own Gotham City, Alex saves the day one blog post at a time

Read More: Lamz Prank Might Be The Biggest Montreal Youtuber Here’s Why

Alex doesn’t wear a cape nor fight crime but he understands that with great powers comes great responsibilities (wrong superhero I know but I had toooo)!

What I mean by that is that anyone who uses his or her platform to showcase and promote Montreal’s culture and talents is a hero to me.

When you do it on a daily basis to a million people like Alexandre Turcotte does;

It testifies how powerful your voice is and also how one can still remain humble since the young editor doesn’t scream at the top of his lungs to get his credit.

Low-key and behind the scenes are the codes he lives by.

A cup of coffee in one hand, a never-heard-of-that imported beer in another or inside a restaurant that has not opened yet;

Alexandre Turcotte lives and breathes content and made it a career.

Editor in chief at both Ton Barbier & Nightlife, the creator juggles with two very influential platforms and his personal projects.

Since we like to get to the bottom of things, we’ve asked Alex to open up about his journey and how he became a dominant figure in the blogging space and he genuinely gave us the gems.

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Who are you? 

Alexandre Turcotte, 28, Writer, administrator and web editor.

Before becoming the editor in chief at Ton Barbier & NIGHTLIFE.CA, what were you doing?

I worked in communications and administration for a cultural organization called La Danse Sur Les Routes Du Québec.

This organization aims to promote contemporary dance in Quebec by offering grants and assistance to theaters in the province.

I was also a freelancer and contributor to several other magazines, as well as managing the Quebec office of the French magazine Longueurs d’Ondes.

I was also working on the development of my own cultural blog: Le Draveur.

I was talking about Quebec music and culture.

I gave up everything to focus 110% on my new job that combined all my passions.

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What is the secret for a publisher/blogger to be successful ?

There is no secret. You have to work hard and be constant.

You have to keep publishing something and be active, even if its just to share a video.

You have to be curious.

AND you MUST have the ability to build relationships, discover new stories, new projects and new art to talk about.

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What does a typical day look like for you?

It’s not really glamour.

I get up at 6. Every other day, I go to the gym, or else I answer my emails, read long articles with a cup of coffee and check the news.

I work at 8:30 am and I spend the day writing articles, editing and answering e-mails.

I have meetings with the sales team, I pitch projects, coordinate my team of freelancers, and so on.

I usually finish at 5 pm. Often I go to a 5 to 7, try a new restaurant or attend a show in the evening.

In winter, I listen Netflix.

Often times people think bloggers and online publishers are not as business savvy. Can you talk to us about your journey as an entrepreneur?

I think it’s a constant quest to be better. When you’re an entrepreneur, you make a lot of mistakes and you have to learn from them and keep going.

When I’ve first started, I wanted to please everyone and I was working fucking hard for nothing.

I stopped doing that when I realized that my work was valuable and that some people or companies were willing to invest in me.

That’s how I started to write for other blogs, medias and companies.

Fast forward today, I get to work with big brands like H&M. We recently organized a contest and a big shoot with other bloggers and influencers.

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How does it feel to run such impactful platforms as Ton Barbier & Nightlife?

You never realize it until somebody recognizes you in the street, in a bar or at an event.

It’s a strange feeling because I am not a television or radio host.

What I’m most proud of is when an artist or a project I’m writing about grows because I gave my honest opinion about it.

For example, last summer a big festival organized an event with a lot of new and upcoming designers based on one of my articles.

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Ton Barbier has celebrated its 5th year anniversary at Festival De Mode Et Design last summer.

Describe how it felt to have your own runway show at the biggest fashion festival in the city?

We’ve crushed the stage with a big party. Its was a « once in a lifetime » moment.

Since we don’t have a clothing brand of our own, I wanted to celebrate 7 local designers and brands who do menswear.

We had no classic attire brands, it was mostly streetwear and funktop inspos from big brands or small artisans.

For the show, we even invited a local Hip-Hop group called Ragers to walk the runway & perform.

I wanted to show what Montreal does best.

In the mist of two polish and traditional runways; they couldn’t understand the multi-artistic circus that we offered.

I felt a little punk, a rebel and creative; it was beautiful.

I never thought it would be possible to have a show of this magnitude at one of the most important festivals for Canadian fashion.

Additionally, having this idea coming out of a simple blog for men is just CRAZY.

What drives you?

Art and people who make art.

I want to share every art pieces I like and that’s why I’ve started blogging.

Since you like to stay behind the scenes, we don’t see what you do besides running Ton Barbier & Nightlife.

What other projects do you work on?

It’s true that it takes up all my time. Every time I go out, it’s for the job.

Whether at the theater, restaurant, festival, bar, networking event or an opening- I’m on WORK mode.

Otherwise, I sometimes write for other publications or companies.

I also try to get involved in many organizations. I help friends to create events and pop-ups.

I always have projects on the side.

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Would you consider yourself an influencer? Why?

Yes.! I think I am an influencer.

The term “influencer” is a label that is applied to many different people. But they all have one thing in common: they have a platform and a public.

It could be radio, TV, Instagram, Youtube, or a blog on the web. Everyone can be an influencer.

It all depends on what you do with that influence: helping people show off their projects or advertising for McDonald’s; name it.

Or it could be about making a video on Youtube that explains how you came out of the closet at age 15.

All these things come down to being an “Influencer“.

It all depends on the message you share with your community, which I think determines your value.

What’s next for you?

I am preparing the launch of a clothing capsule in tribute to my hometown #Longueuil.

I work on the re-branding of my website, my image and the services I want to offer (consultation in branding and marketing).

I also plan to write a book (or more) and I would also like to launch a paper magazine.

Follow Alexandre Turcotte

Website

Instagram