If you live in Montreal, you’re probably already familiar with Jessica Laventure. We caught up with Global Montreal’s weather specialist to find out what inspired her career and where she sees herself in 5, 10 and 20 years…
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WORK
1. Describe what you do in less than 140 characters. Go.
I’m a weather specialist, an interviewer, a reporter, and a producer all rolled into one. But my colleagues will tell you I’m the station clown, a professional blooper machine, and the morning team daredevil.
2. What was the inspiration for your career route?
When I was younger, I used to walk around with my head buried in a book. It used to annoy my parents because they couldn’t take me anywhere without me insisting I bring a book, even if we were just going shopping or running errands. But through those hundreds of books I read, and re-read, I developed a wild imagination and a love for telling stories. I got excited for oral presentations in school, I wrote “books” for family members as Christmas gifts, I forced my sister and friends into costumes and put on elaborate sing-and-dance shows for my parents. And today, I feel like I get to do adult versions of all of that. You know you’ve found the perfect job when the line gets blurry between work and play on most days.
3. What is the most memorable milestone in your career so far?
A while back, before I had any kind of on-air experience, my boss at the time (a TV producer) told me I would never be on television. I don’t think he meant it in a mean way, he just didn’t want me to get my hopes up. In his words, I didn’t have “it” – the on-air presence. That night I remember feeling so down and thought I had to start getting used to the idea that I would never work in front of a camera. But I have to thank my Dad on this one. When I called him and told him what happened, he told me to take the information, turn it around, use it to get better, and prove my boss wrong. I worked on my confidence, decided to change tactics and really let my true personality shine through during screen tests.
A year later, I was being hired as a weather presenter for MétéoMedia, the French Weather Network. I have no hard feelings for this former boss because he really helped pinpoint what I was doing wrong, and thanks to him I’ve developed my own on-air presence with my own personality. I maybe wouldn’t be here today with the confidence to do this type of job if I hadn’t had that discussion years ago. (For the record, he apologized later and admitted he’d been wrong).
4. Where do you see yourself in 5 years, 10 years, 20 years?
I hope to be doing what I love, and to continue to work in an environment where I have the opportunity to provide my input and creativity.
5. Do you have any advice for other young professionals?
Focus on what you want and go for it. Don’t let anyone tell you it isn’t possible. It sounds cliché, but it’s true. Yes, you’ll hear things like, ‘timing is important’, ‘it’s who you know, not what you know’, etc., and while that’s sometimes true, the truth is you can put yourself in a position to be ready to welcome the opportunities you’re looking for. Get the extra training, go for internships, talk to people who are doing what interests you, and make yourself 100% available. One more thing: Be kind. Being nice to people goes a long way.
6. Do you support any charities? If so, which one(s) and why is it (or they) important to you?
Through my work at Global, I’m very involved with organizations like the SPCA, Generations Foundation, and Starlight Foundation.
7. What is one major challenge that you’ve had to overcome in your career? How did you overcome it?
Becoming a morning person! Hey, waking up at 3am is still a daily challenge for me. But seriously, I guess it would have to be the fear of being unemployed. You spend a lot of time freelancing when you work in this industry, and not knowing how much, where or even what time you’ll be working the following week can get to you. You can’t make plans for fear that you’ll miss a possible shift. And you live in the fear that you’ll get a call in the middle of the night to come in the next morning to cover for someone who’s sick. And when you do get a permanent job, you can’t know how long it’ll last. Nothing is certain in this industry. You have to learn to deal with things as they come, and not worry about it too much.
8. What does the word notable mean to you?
Unique, accountable, successful. Someone who stands out in a genuine way.
PLAY
1. Where is your favourite place to wine/ dine in your city and why?
There’s an artisanal bakery close to my home in Saint-Hubert, on the South Shore of Montreal. It’s called Pains & Saveurs, and you can find all kinds of delicious breads and sweet treats. Their sandwiches are amazing, but they also have this walnut and blue cheese bread that makes me go insane. It’s the most delicious bread I’ve ever had!
2. What’s the most visited website on your Internet browser? The most played song on your phone?
It’s a tie between Facebook and Pinterest. I can waste massive amounts of time and/or be super productive on both of them. As for songs, I love to dance so the songs I listen to are usually party songs, like Don Omar’s Danza Kudoro. But if I’m feeling more mellow, Billy Joel’s Piano Man is a classic.
3. Who’s one person you think everyone should be following on social media?
@global_montreal.
4. What’s your favourite country to visit and why? And what’s the next one you plan on travelling to?
I have a special place in my heart for Italy. My mother’s family is Italian, and I spent a few summers travelling there to visit and learn the language. Some of my favourite travelling memories are from the month I spent living in Florence studying Italian after university.
But in terms of all-inclusive-type vacations, my all-time favourite is the Club Med in Turks and Caicos. I go there to party, have fun on their flying trapeze, visit the beautiful beaches, and disconnect from reality. I go every year to get my fix!
5. What gives you the greatest FOMO?
I constantly battle with FOMO. I never want to miss anything, even if it means overbooking my week and tiring myself out. It’s a daily challenge, especially with my early morning schedule which requires more discipline with the early bedtimes. Dinner invitations from friends are the hardest to turn down. When I do take them up on the offer, I end up staying way later then I promised myself I would just because I can’t stand to know there’s a party happening and I’m not there.
My friends once pranked me by making up a girl they all supposedly “knew.” They got her a name, a made-up background, fake anecdotes from a past that never was; they all filled each other in and proceeded to talk about her in front of me all night, saying things like, “remember when she fell down at that party…?” It made me crazy to think that they had done so many things without me with someone I had never been introduced to at events where I hadn’t been invited. And they knew it. To this day, they still tease me about that prank…
6. What’s your guiltiest pleasure?
TV and dessert. Not necessarily in that order. And ideally together.
7. What’s something you wish you didn’t spend so much money on? What’s something you wish you spent more on?
Online shopping. It’s too easy; I have to stay away from it. But I wish I’d spend more on home decor. I bought my place over a year ago, and I’ve been putting off decorating it. I’d love to have a nice home, but I have zero indoor decorating abilities.
8. And finally, what does success look like to you? Work, play, or otherwise…
Success is being happy with your life, your job, your home, your friends and family. It’s about being able to appreciate what you have, always finding the positive in what’s happening, and having the self-awareness to improve yourself over time.
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