In 2003, Mark Ceolin took a leave from his teaching position at Ryerson University to follow his wife, an architect, to Shanghai for her work assignment. He planned to spend his time there turning his PhD thesis, on 18th-century theatre reform in Europe, into a book, but he changed his mind. Instead, he began working on a pilot episode of a reality TV show about home renovation. Ceolin (MA ’91 English) had thought he would stay a year, but one year has turned into 14.
Two years after arriving in Shanghai, he founded Red Gate International, a media and public relations company. Since then, he has expanded operations in China and into Singapore and southeast Asia. The company has made a name for itself creating TV shows and films watched by millions, including Four Dreams, an eight-part documentary series on China’s participation in the Olympics since the 1920s, and producing crowd-pleasing public events and exclusive meetings for businesses and governments, including for the Canadian and Ontario governments.
Ceolin joined the board of directors of the Canada China Business Council in 2005 and become chair in 2006. In 2008, he helped found the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, for which he was awarded a Governor General’s Medallion.
Mark Ceolin met Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in September 2016 on a boat cruise on the Huangpu River in Shanghai. The event was organized by the Canadian Consul General to introduce Trudeau to a group of prominent Canadians living in Shanghai. Trudeau was passing through Shanghai on his way to the G20 Summit in Hangzhou.
How have you worked to strengthen ties between Canada and China?
Canada as a brand was not very strong in China. People didn’t recognize the value of Canadian products, or of Canada itself, so I got involved. As chair of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, I created opportunities for Canadian businesses like Manulife, Bombardier, CN Rail, Bank of Montreal, Scotiabank, CIBC, Air Canada and even the University of Waterloo itself, to maximize their presence in China and meet with potential investors, partners and clients.
In 2008, Red Gate and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce worked together to create a street festival called Hello Canada, which attracted about 400,000 in downtown Shanghai.
Red Gate often works with the Ontario government. We arranged a hockey game for (former premier) Dalton McGuinty. We had youth teams come in and the premier and the Canadian Ambassador to China dropped the puck. When Kathleen Wynne first came to China, we arranged a Run for Fun. We rented a stadium and we created a 3K Run for Fun with her and about 70 Canadian schoolchildren in Shanghai.
I also lobbied and helped bring former prime minister Stephen Harper to China. His first official visit was in December 2009 and I was his host at a big dinner with the business community and governments of China and Canada.
How did UWaterloo help to get you where you are today?
I met some incredible professors who helped me make decisions that maybe a lot of people wouldn’t make. I wrote a paper about how the English language was expanded through English Renaissance playwrights. I was invited to the University of Hong Kong for a conference in 1989 and a couple of professors suggested I take a year and live in Japan. And that’s where I actually finished my MA. I faxed my MA back and forth from Tokyo to Waterloo. One year turned into three and a half years. That’s what started me out on the whole Asia thing. That comes from Waterloo. That comes from guidance by very unique professors. They encouraged me to see the world and experience things. That was a defining moment in my life.
What advice would you give to new graduates?
I’m an employer now. One of the things I find valuable is people who can think critically and write well. Those two things are much more valuable than people give credit for. If you have those skills and a big imagination, there are a lot of opportunities in the world. Taking chances, especially when you’re young, sometimes opens up a road you didn’t even know existed. You can end up on the other side of the world doing all kinds of things.
We want your nominations!
The Faculty of Arts welcomes nominations for the Arts Alumni Achievement Award and the Arts Young Alumni Award. The nomination deadline is April 30 each year. Visit the Arts alumni awards web page for details.
