Sam and Katrina host a weekly radio show in English on Radio Kanal Barcelona. You can catch the show from 9am-10am, every Friday at 106.9 fm.
Alternatively, you can hear them at www.radiokanalbarcelona.com
Sam
I am originally from Toronto Canada. I studied journalism before heading off to Argentina to teach skiing. I love skiing, I’m a ski instructor and I’d never been to South America—I figured our summer, their winter, so why not. That’s where I first learned Spanish.
Radio really started for me in Vancouver with childhood hero, radio producer Jessie Dylan. He had a show called The Good Life Show, all about healthy living, just so off-the-cuff and politically incorrect. When I got back from Argentina, I tracked him down and basically told him he had to give me a job. He did.
I fell in love with the Spanish language whilst living in Argentina and knew I’d have to come to Europe. I eventually took the plunge in 2007. After getting here I landed some very random jobs. One was commenting on football games and I’ve never even played: I worked at a company where I had to go to the game and give a play-by-play. I work now as a life and executive coach (www.blueprintcoaching.ca).
One of my favourite bars would have to be Ginger. It holds a special place for me because it was the first bar I was taken to here and it took me a couple of months to find it again. Also La Rambla at 7am—it’s so surreal, people are running on it, it’s quiet. I also love anywhere near the water, a good chiringuito with a glass of wine.
When I came here, I’d moved around a lot and I had it in my head that if I liked it I would stay. Very early on I made a conscious decision not to call Toronto home, but it takes expats a long time to exit that limbo space. However, if you can, and are able to think outside the box here, you can be very successful. Other places like Toronto or London are extremely competitive. It’s a different mentality here.
Katrina
I was born in Cirencester, Gloucestershire but grew up in London, working mainly in event organisation, project management, start-up companies and management consultancy.
Having lived in London for most of my life, I needed a change, a smaller city. London’s great, but it’s stressful. I’d always liked Spain and spent a lot of time visiting my grandmother—a colourful artist living in Altea, southern Spain. Menorca was also our holiday hotspot, so I guess there’s always been that connection.
A group of us started the shows after being approached by the owner of the radio station Barcelona Kanal in December last year. The English sections are Monday to Friday, 9am-10am. We host a variety of shows from politics to business and also focus on local organisations that do charity work, like Ronald McDonald’s work for terminally ill children.
Our show comprises two segments, one is focused on small business and start-ups and the other, lifestyle, health and wellness. The audience is a mixture of Catalans that want to listen in English and expats who want to learn about other people doing business in Barcelona. This can be a great city if you have a little entrepreneurial spirit. We also talk about local events going on around the city.
My favourite thing about living here is that it’s a small enough to move around in, yet retains a great synergy with its international and Catalan cultures. Also the outdoor lifestyle, meeting people from different backgrounds, and being able to walk everywhere. Oh, and don’t forget the food and wine.
We are always on the lookout for sponsorship or businesses coming on the show who might want to reach an English-speaking audience. Even Spanish companies looking to drive their company outside of Spain.