You can be forgiven for not yet knowing the name Douglas Smith. As the new executive director of the Hyack Festival Association, Smith is one of those people who works primarily behind the scenes, making tough decisions about things that many in the community hold dear.
In other words, if he screwed up, his head would be on the chopping block faster than you could say "Royal City tradition."
When we first profiled him back in January, he used words like "restructuring" and "complete overhaul,",and in the intervening months he's no doubt ruffled a few feathers (easy to do in a place where many of the annual festivals have been around long enough to become family traditions over multiple generations.)
But his efforts are paying off: at events like Hyack Festival, RiverFest (formerly FraserFest) and Uptown Live!, we've seen growth, renewed interest and, frankly, some much-needed updates that have been long overdue.
Smith was quoted this year in our paper as saying: "I'm a pretty aggressive guy when it comes to visioning."
With nearly 12 months to back up that statement, he's certainly proven it's true - and we look forward to seeing what else he brings to the table in the next 12 months.
