ccecewenaneod Ba teem ene eee ee timeless timepiece Timex has updated an okt classic. It's the timepiece of choice fer Sharon Stone. who was quoted in di Sryle maga- zine saying she can’t live without her Timex Mercury watch, First: manufactured in the' “SOs, it was updated in the “70s when its movement. was changed from mechanical! to} quartz. The °90s model fea- tures Indiglo night-light and a date window option. Sylvia Vermeer of Timex’ Canada says demand is soar- ing for this watch that is so well suited to a back-to-basics fashion trend. “It's easy to understand why it’s such a hot commodi- from casual jeans to business jackets,” she says. A classic round face, Arabic numerals and chrome expandable wrist band are its distinguishing characteristics. There's. a . men’s. and wornen’s. version. but many, chunkier wrist band. It’s afford-| - able, too, ‘Find it at department " stores for just $44.99. colorful talk A few seasons back, Chanel put its designer stamp on a cel- .. lular-phone holder, complete with chain shoulder strap and quilted leather pouch., Now _Cantel is upping the fashion, ante by’ adding a shot of color to its Nokia 646 series cell phone. Customers tired off bright yellow, red, blue or green instead. Their price is - $320 but. Cantel is offering: thei free to new customers of select service plans. An anony- Sports Walkman. “When we sell them we have to tell peo- ple that they’re not water- proof,” said the salesperson. sweet charity Emily Murphy House, a North Shore women’s shelter, picked up a cheque for $10,000 from A-Wear last week. The amount was part proceeds of the Howe Street ciothier’s year-long A- Wear-Ness . campaign. The campaign continues this yeur| with three new beneficiaries: Canadian Cancer Society. Children’s Foundation and Children’s Wish Fund. Over the next 12 months, the store will donate 25 cents from the sale of each’ clothing item to the charitable fund. : "ae Layne Christensen -BY ANDREW MCCREDIE Community Editor - MIMI Northcott is living proof that you don’t need to be musical- ly inclined to be a player in the music industry. “Whenever I give a studio tour | Stop at the piano and play the first few bars of The Entertainer,” the 27-year- old cracks of her musical prowess. Where the North Vancouver resi- dent’s skill lies however, is as integral “making records” as hitting those high notes and writing those ditties. Namely, the business side of that well-worn rock and roll platter. The Christina Lake- native came to the big city to pursue music business dreams, and nine years later has fashioned a respectable career out of managing ftigh- profile producers and studios, including North Vancouver’s Crosstown Recording Studius. Producers she repre- sents include Colin Nairne debut (Barney ‘ental, The Paperboys, Mae Moore), Paul Dean (Loverboy. Dama the Diva) and Al Rodger (The Odds, Moist, Farmer's Daughter). “{ never thought I could actually get in the music business since. ] wasn’t musical — other than’ loving music,” Cameron's _ self-titled Obviously. Sunday, June 23, 1996 — North Shore News — 13 ry NEWS photo Miks Wakeneid MiMi ON THE PHONE — As a teenager in Christina Lake, Mimi Northcott dreamed of working in the music business. Today, the 27-year-old lives the dream every day from her Lynn Valley " home. Mimi Northcoit hears business in the music Northcott says of the days as a teenag- — er back: in Christina Lake when she wondered what she was going to do with her life. One thing back then was for certain: “My mum worked in a bank and I vowed I'd never, ever work in a bank.” Move ahead a few years and the smailtown girl is now working in East Vancouver, In a bank. “I knew 1 would never stay on with the bank when I started," she says of her days at the CIBC branch on Fraser Street in Vancouver. Then with a ‘sly grin, she offers: “I was never robbed person- ally but, we counted 17 rob- beries while | was there. After Christina Lake, boy, | thought it was BOBBYkind of fun.” the life of rock and roll beckoned. Actually, Northcott. came to Vancouver in search of work in the film - industry, but a classified ad changed . her life. “One of my friends told me about an ad in the paper from a music com- pany that was looking for a reception- cD. ” Northcott says. " She got the job and with it a three-year crash course on how the »»: music business operates. She also, learned to work on the phone — a skill put to work daily in her cur- rent management career. And she met stars. “The most embarrassing time - came when I called Salt ‘n Pepa ‘Salt and Pepper’,” Northcott | offers. when usked about brushes with greatness (or at least, brushes with celebrity). “They didn’t let me - forget that one. Every time they + came in the office they gave mea <; hard time. “Some people have serious star - power: k.d. lang is one,” Northcott says of what makes a star. “They just have a vibe, a charisma that just makes them stand out in a room full of people. ” But she also saw the work involved in putting a record togeth- er. The 18-hour days musicians spend in the studio. The countless hours engineers and producers ; y work on bits of music just seconds long. And it was with the latter Northcott found her niche. - “The beauty about being in the music industry is that you learn it’s not Billy Ray Cyrus making all the. ¥ money — it’s the songwriters and producers,” she says, more the businesswoman than the fan. ‘ Her next twist of fate came not > 2 =) J sounding 4% VITAE ar Name: Mimi Northcott sl Born: 1969 in Christina Lake, B Cc. Family: Married a month ago i in Christina Lake.) Lives in: North Vancouver Current occupation:, Mimi ‘Northcott Management owner.” ” . Past occupations: Dickie Dee Ice” Cream seller, legal assistant, bank | teller, recording studio receptionist. Why she lives on the North Shore: “{t’s got that small town vibe. I lived in East Vancouver and not once did my neighbors wave to’ me.” : . Favorite artists: Tyle Lovett, Sarah ; McLachlan, 10, 000.Maniacs. ©.” from ‘a newspaper but from meeting producer Al Rodger, . who was inthe midst of opening Crosstown Studios on East Ist in North Vancouver... Rodger . took: a- liking: ° ‘to Northcott's sense of humor and hard “overnight sensation,” Northcott found herseif on the. managing and. marketing side of things: . “I manage producers and record ing. studios, and have just recently ventured in three cr four other areas, she says of her current career. Those other areas include record tracking \ and » publishing country music, “Which means phoning Reba McIntyre’ 's. record company and try- ing to flog a sang down there,” ‘she says. pointing south. “She's also taken on her first-ever artist’ management deal, . and . he: choice of client — Nova Scotia-bom guitar whiz Bobby Cameron could be a shrewd one. Viewers MuchMusic will remember Cameron: ‘as the winner.of the video station's . National Guitar Warz competition He’s also a decent songwriter —: combination that could prove suc-.. cessful in the North American mar- ket. , _. But Northiott knows the umbers ~~ 1,500 records are released each week in the U.S. alone. The odds of cracking .that market: may~ seem: : impossible. But to Mimi Northcott’ way of thinking, hard work has : way of Peating the * odds. ‘ . « : Wi work ethic, und before you:can say: