Words matter
Hi, I’m Andrew Wildes.
I’m a lawyer (Jamaica), journalist (Canada), and media consultant.
I’m all about words. Figuring out the science and art of communicating an effective message.
Welcome to my website…you can read more about me below…
My Journey
I live in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, but I’m from Jamaica.
While pursuing my BA in Media and Communication at the University of the West Indies, Jamaica, I wrote a letter to the editor of the Jamaica Gleaner newspaper lamenting the lack of a viable alternative to a narrow, winding mountain road, Mount Rosser.
'The Mount Rosser Conundrum' was published as the Letter of the Day.
It became the letter of the month and I was awarded The Gleaner Silver Pen Award.
That led to a job at the paper and from there I fell in love with journalism.
(The National Mall, reporting for the Jamaica Gleaner on the Inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States on the 20th of January 2009.)
I worked as a news reporter part-time while studying Media, and later while studying law.
The Jamaica Gleaner published more than a hundred of my articles. The highlight of my early career was covering the 2009 Inauguration of U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington D.C. for the Jamaica Gleaner (The Jamaica Star and Gleaner/Power106FM Radio News).
I stood in a single spot for hours on the parade route to snap a photo of Obama - still one of my best memories.
That same year I received the Prime Minister's Youth Award for Excellence in Journalism.
U.S. President Barack H. Obama travels in “The Beast” along the Inaugural Parade Route with his wife Michelle and daughters Malia, and Sasha, after being sworn as the 44th President of the United States on the 20th of January 2009. (Photo by Andrew Wildes)
In 2012, I had the opportunity to return to the United States during the run-up to the presidential election as part of a Washington Foreign Press Centre Reporting Tour, focused on "Youth in Politics." I interviewed government officials, politicians, and advocates in Washington, D.C., Houston and Austin, Texas (see the stories in my portfolio.)
The stories I think back on most, however, are those which allowed me to highlight ‘ordinary’ Jamaicans, like Kerry-Ann, an 18-year-old mom who lost her leg to cancer as a child but who somehow managed to push a handcart heavy with produce in the busiest market in Kingston.
I was also a regular personal blogger on lifestyle topics like faith, dating, health, and motivation. My blog, Maximizemylife.com (now defunct), won the 2012 Jamaica Blog Award for the best lifestyle blog.
The Law
In 2013, I was called to the bar in Jamaica. I stepped back from journalism to focus on being a lawyer, but I kept writing.
This is the 20th of November 2013, the day I was called to the Bar at the Supreme Court in Jamaica.)
Studying and practicing law has significantly improved my skills in investigative research, analytical thinking, fact-checking, and technical writing. It’s given me a voracious appetite to go beyond the accepted narrative.
I worked as a criminal defence attorney as a junior to Valerie Neita-Robertson, K.C. I then worked for three years at the Financial Investigations Division, advising law enforcement and litigating matters under the Proceeds of Crime Act. From 2018 to 2021, I was a military legal officer in the Jamaica Defence Force.
I am working on becoming a lawyer in Canada by completing exams set by the National Committee on Accreditation (NCA) for internationally trained lawyers.
CBC NEWS
Fast forward to 2021. I migrated to Canada.
That year, I joined the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada’s public broadcaster for radio and television. I worked as a News Reporter with the CBC until 2023.
I loved telling the stories of Canadians and seeing all sides of my province.
Working for the CBC allowed me to consistently write for three platforms (TV, radio, and online) (check out my portfolio).
My feature on the 75-year legal struggle between the Fox Lake Cree Nation and the government of Canada for land, entitled Fox Lake’s Promised Land, was a finalist for the 2023 RTDNA Awards Prairies Region Finalist for Enterprise Journalism in the category of Enterprise Journalism.
STUCK PODCAST
I am now a part-time student and a full-time online content creator.
My latest project is Stuck, a podcast exploring wrongful convictions in Jamaica.
Stuck combines storytelling and interviews. The topic demands that I draw on my knowledge as a lawyer and skills as a reporter to shed light on a disgracefully overlooked area of Jamaican law and life. It is one of the most engrossing and exciting projects I have ever worked on.