Tyler Carr
Radio, Television and Broadcast News '15, School for Advanced Digital Technology
Morning Show Host, Energy 106 (Winnipeg, MB)
While hosting his popular radio program one Wednesday last June, Tyler Carr was talking on-air with Scott, a caller who had lost his 21-year-old son in a car crash. Scott wanted the community to know about a fundraising walk for a scholarship in his son's name.
"People were listening, and connecting with Scott’s story, and deciding they were going to walk for his son — I know I did," says Carr. All told, more than 500 participants turned up.
It’s just one example of the social impact Carr creates every day. "When we turn on our mics, we don't necessarily know where the conversation is going. It's imperfectly perfect and that authenticity is the foundation for the community that radio creates," he says.
The importance of community became clear to Carr during his first year at SAIT, when he lost his best friend, Matt, to cancer.
"I went home to Manitoba for the funeral and decided I wasn't going back to Calgary," Carr says. "But then I looked at the messages I'd sent Matt and remembered how proud he was of what I was doing at SAIT — and I changed my mind."
When Carr returned, each of his SAIT classmates were wearing bracelets recognizing the loss of his friend. They also presented him with a website with photos and stories Carr had shared about Matt.
"I was able to finish my program because there were people who listened and cared," says Carr. "It's a life thing, and it's a radio thing. You need to be listening, present and in the moment with the people around you."
Today, Carr combines his radio reach with a powerful social media presence — in 2023, his TikTok account had more than 7.7 million views.
Carr is a dedicated volunteer with countless charitable organizations, supporting people with cancer and children facing barriers of all kinds. An advocate for youth mental health and small Winnipeg businesses, he also uses his social influence to fundraise for various charities by partnering with local ice cream shops to create his "Sassy Summer Sundae.”
"This year's is called Galactica — it’s loaded with pop rocks and it’s dedicated to Dreams Take Flight," explains Carr. "I got to take deserving children to Disney last year who might not otherwise have had the chance, and that experience changed my life. I'm living my own dream right now, and it's only possible because of radio and community."
Learn more about Tyler Carr
Trailblazers
Self-discovery, resilience, kindness and a drive to give back are common threads woven throughout the stories of SAIT’s five 2024 Alumni Awards recipients.
Oki, Âba wathtech, Danit'ada, Tawnshi, Hello.
SAIT is located on the traditional territories of the Niitsitapi (Blackfoot) and the people of Treaty 7 which includes the Siksika, the Piikani, the Kainai, the Tsuut’ina and the Îyârhe Nakoda of Bearspaw, Chiniki and Goodstoney.
We are situated in an area the Blackfoot tribes traditionally called Moh’kinsstis, where the Bow River meets the Elbow River. We now call it the city of Calgary, which is also home to the Métis Nation of Alberta.