Rick Campanelli, affectionately known as “Rick the Temp,” is a prominent Canadian television and radio personality, celebrated for his charismatic presence and engaging style.
Born on January 5, 1970, in Hamilton, Ontario, Campanelli’s journey into the world of entertainment began with his passion for music and pop culture.
He attended Brock University, where he earned a degree in Physical Education. However, his career path took a significant turn when he won a MuchMusic contest in 1994 to be a “temp”, which catapulted him into the spotlight. This earned him a position as a VJ (video jockey) at MuchMusic, the leading Canadian music video television channel.
During his eleven year tenure at MuchMusic, Campanelli became a household name, known for his energetic and friendly demeanor. He hosted several popular shows, including MuchOnDemand and The MuchMusic Countdown, where he interviewed a wide array of celebrities and musicians. His ability to connect with audiences and guests alike made him a beloved figure in Canadian media.
After leaving MuchMusic in 2005, Campanelli transitioned to a new role as a co-host on ET Canada, an entertainment news show. He covered major entertainment events such as the Oscars, the Grammys, and the Toronto International Film Festival. His work on ET Canada further solidified his reputation as a versatile and reliable entertainment journalist.
In addition to his television career, Campanelli has also made contributions to radio. He co-hosted the morning show on Toronto’s 102.1 The Edge, where he brought his signature enthusiasm and wit to the airwaves. Afterwards he was host on Z103.
He has received several awards and nominations, including a Gemini Award nomination for Best Host in a Lifestyle/Practical Information or Performing Arts Program or Series.
He’s now the afternoon-drive host on CHFI, appears regularly on Breakfast Television as remote “live eyes”, and still a beloved media personality – as well as an influencer with 102K followers on Instagram, and 29K on Twitter.
Swagger caught up with Campanelli, and he explained his career trajectory as well as the secret sauce to his success.
Some remember you as Rick the Temp. What are your thoughts about that?
Rick the Temp is the handle that probably I won’t ever be able to shake in my lifetime, but there are worse handles out there. Oh yeah, it’s a term of endearment. I entered the temp contest in 1994 when I was 24, thirty years ago. And there were other temp winners, but I guess I parlayed my contest win-slash-name moniker into a career.
Tell me about the contest and how you won?
We had 25 words to explain to the judges, why we thought we would be the perfect temp for the summer. I was minoring in art at university, majoring in phys ed, so I had a little bit of creative in me. I always loved the fine arts, so I created my entry that was going to blow their minds. It was a huge banner that I created in my parents’ basement over two weeks, late March, early April, just before final exams at university, which I should have been studying for. But no, I was doing this project here, that changed my life. A 50-yard long banner. I stencilled out my letters. It looked like kind of airbrushed, and the statement incorporated some of the shows that were on MuchMusic at the time. They liked it. They didn’t see my face. It wasn’t a video that I sent in. It was just this banner. I got hired. No interview process. You get to work. You get to be there for the summer months of July and August of 1994.
And then what?
I didn’t want to leave after, you know. After you say goodbye on August 31, you go home. I went back to Hamilton. But I missed being at Much. I wanted to be there, because I lived music. It was always magical. So I was on the phone with them the next day: “Can I volunteer to come help out and do whatever you need?” And that’s what it took. I was really persistent and I hoped I wasn’t bugging them too much by calling them every day, but they finally gave in. I called once every other day just to see if there was anything that you know, a little punk kid from Hamilton could help out with.
That’s what you did. And if they wanted you to go away, they would have said that. I wasn’t, you know, obnoxious about anything. “If there’s anything, I really want to be there. I’ll work for free. I’ll do whatever you guys need.” So I never said no to anything that they wanted me to do.
I still have that drive.
Did the crew at Much help you when you were new?
I had mentors. VJs were already there doing their thing, and they sort of saw this kid coming along, and they were nice enough to help me out.
Like you would think it’s very competitive in that environment, and why would they help out some kid? But they were really, really nice to me. They helped me out. They showed me how things were done, along with the producers. I wasn’t a TV guy in the mid 90s. I was studying to become either a teacher or a physiotherapist. So to be put in front of this camera on nationwide television, I had no experience. I was terrible. I was lacking confidence, but the VJs that were there helped me.
Maybe they felt like I was like their younger brother.
You can’t treat anyone in a negative way, ever. You never know down the road where that’s going to come out. It’s just the simple basic rule of life. You want to treat people with respect, treat people the way you want to be treated yourself. Jesus said follow the Golden Rule.
You’re also an Influencer – can you elaborate?
My wife Angie teaches social media marketing and advertising at Mohawk College in Hamilton, so she’s the brains behind the operation when it comes to social media and my platforms. She she knows what she’s doing, but I like doing that too. I like creating content. I have always loved creating content, whether it was through MuchMusic back in the day, because it was all off the cuff type content that we were creating on a daily basis with bands, with videos, with people on Queen Street. People know and trust my work and they come to me when they want to talk about promoting something.
What advice would you give somebody who wants to do something similar to you in terms of influencing?
Well, millions of people around the world are doing it, right? First of all, I want everybody out there to follow their dreams and passions. If it’s being an influencer or talking about a product you know, on Instagram or Facebook or whatever. If that’s what makes you happy inside, in your heart and in your mind, do it until you can’t do it anymore.
You got to be passionate; you can’t just go through the motions of doing something like this, because people see right through it. You got to be genuine. You got to be real. I think that’s what the difference is between failure and succeeding in this world, as an Instagram influencer. Don’t be like “I’m gonna make quick money,” because people will see you’re doing it all for the wrong reasons.
What do you do when you hit a wall when you want to reach a goal?
I know exactly you’re talking about. I get deflated quite a bit. I go for things that other people get, that I want, but they get it, and that’s fine. I just don’t give up. I just know that my time is going to come.
If I show them how willing and capable I am of doing that job that that person just got, well, when the next gig comes up, I’m going to go for it again. I’m going to never give up.
I just continue to grow, and show my bosses that, “listen, I’m here, I’m capable. Sure you can take that person over there if you want. But why don’t you give me a shot see how I do it?” It’s been thirty years and I do have a history. I’m working on Breakfast Television these days, because the director of the show and the supervising producer of the show, and executives of the show, knew me from back in the 90s, and they liked my work. I’m still that same guy doing it to this day, the same thing.
I talk for a living, I socialize, I bring the best out of people, I just have the passion. That’s what I try to do.
You must have one or two really wacky favorite celebrity stories?
I went to Donald Trump’s place in Manhattan. He was on The Apprentice, hosting that show. So I went there to interview him regarding that show. He invited me up to his penthouse, the Trump Towers. I remember this gaudy golden staircase, with marble whatever. But that was him. He gave me maybe six minutes.
That was interesting, meeting him. He calls the shots, with how the interview is going to go. Like if he doesn’t like a question that you’re asking him, it’s like, “why did you just ask me that? Let’s move on.”
Rod Stewart was kind of cool. When I was at ET, he invited me down to his place in the Hollywood Hills to interview him. Great interview. He’s a people person. He likes soccer like I do, so we had a nice chat about soccer off-camera. And you may or may not know, but he’s part owner of the Celtic Glasgow in Scotland, and he’s got a mini-replica soccer pitch in his backyard.
At the very end he says, “Rick, I know you’re a big fan. We’ve been talking. I’m gonna be right back. I’ve got something for you.” He comes back with a jersey.
Such a sweet man. He’s still performing to this day. He’s got a residency in Las Vegas. Still, amazing.
I remember interviewing Eminem, the first time Eminem came into much music. Gosh, I think he just had his first album out. Maybe the first single. Maybe the album wasn’t out yet. But we were doing this weekend called Combat Zone, where one video takes on another video, and the viewers get to call in and vote Yeah, and then the video that they vote on the most wins, and then they go take on the next one.
So he just happened to come by this weekend. He was playing that night at the Opera House, and he came into the studio because he was just supposed to do a taped interview with Master T out in the parking lot. But then the record rep said, “Well, they’re doing live stuff inside. Let’s get you inside. Get you more exposure.”
So I remember getting in the ring with him and boxing with Eminem. We were fake boxing, having fun. I remember picking Eminem up and swinging him around like a wrestling match. You could never do that to Eminem these days; like he’s untouchable in a way, like he’s that big of an artist.
I got I had so many good moments with artists and actors. When Jay Z came in, it was one of my last big interviews at MuchMusic. He brought in not just himself for the live, but he brought Kanye West and Rihanna in with him. So I’m interviewing all three of these superstars. Rihanna wasn’t a superstar yet. Kanye was on his way there.
I met George Clooney, Tom Hanks, Henry Winkler. These are three of my favorite actors of all time. I was a fan when I was a kid. And these are the three of the most humble actors.
They are like kajillionaires, who have won every award in the world. They’re still grounded and nice and genuine, and that’s why I bring up their names a lot. See again, this is a lesson in the Golden Rule.
