Pathway to the Stars launches as a special drop mini-series on Remembrance Week 2022

(TORONTO, ON – November 7th, 2022) – Story Studio Network announces today the launch of Pathway to the Stars, a special podcast production celebrating Canadian aviation in partnership with the Royal Canadian Air Force Foundation. 

The four-part series will drop daily the week of Remembrance Day 2022, with the first episode hitting the podcast feeds on Monday, November 7th, 2022. 

“This project is giving us at SSN the opportunity to shed light on some remarkable stories of Canadian aviation and military history, that until now haven’t been celebrated nearly enough,” says Erin Trafford, Founder at Story Studio Network. 

“Stories like William Barker, best friend to Billy Bishop and the most decorated serviceman in Commonwealth history; stories like 23 year-old Brianna Ricketts, who currently holds the record as the youngest, woman solo pilot in Canadian history. These are just incredible stories that I know Canadians will be intrigued to hear,” says Trafford.

Pathway to the Stars launches as a mini-series in partnership with the Royal Canadian Air Force Foundation, an organization on a mission to showcase the depth of innovation and global impact Canadians have had on the air industry over the last century. 

“When the RCAF Foundation approached us with this project, producing stories of Canadian military and aviation, we knew it would fly,” says Dave Trafford, Managing Partner and Chief Executive Producer at SSN. 

“We specialize in creating content like this, telling stories the mainstream media can’t tell because of time constraints, budget constraints, or just lack of staffing. Podcasts are the perfect antidote to that. And this mini series proves that.” 

Each special episode is being dropped into Story Studio Network’s flagship show feed Monday, November 7th through Thursday, November 10th. The expectation is Pathway to the Stars will become a stand-alone, regular series in mid 2023.

Special Series episode summaries: 

Monday November 7th – William Barker and Billy Bishop

• We all know Billy Bishop, the Toronto Island airport is named after him! So why don’t we know about William Barker? Barker was Bishop’s best friend and colleague, the most decorated pilot in Commonwealth history and, to this date, his funeral was the largest ever to be held in Toronto. 

Tuesday November 8th – The Earhart Connection

• Amelia Earhart is one of the best known women in aviation in the world, but most have no idea she has deep roots in Toronto. In fact, some say a Toronto woman was the last person to ever hear Earhart over a shortwave radio. 

Wednesday November 9th – The Sky’s No Limit – Women in Aviation

• Brianna Ricketts holds Canada’s record for youngest solo flight by a female pilot. But did you know, 30% of Canada’s 2700 Air Cadets are women? We explore the contributions and continuing story of Canada’s young women pilots who are shaping the future of Canada’s aviation industry.

Thursday November 10th – The Avro Effect 

• The Cold War story that continues to fascinate Canadians. What if the Avro Arrow program hadn’t been cancelled? What did Avro contribute to innovation and the economy? Will Canada ever see anything like this again?

####

About Story Studio Network:

Founded in 2021 by father-daughter team Dave and Erin Trafford, SSN is Canada’s fastest growing podcast network, specializing in producing podcasts for brands and organizations. 

Find out more about Story Studio Network at www.storystudionetwork.com

To set up an interview about this release: Email Producer Becky Coles at becky@storystudionetwork.com or Dave Trafford at dave@davetrafford.com 

About the Royal Canadian Air Force Foundation 

Find out more about The RCAF Foundation https://rcaffoundation.ca/
For more from the RCAF Foundation contact Jennifer Blake at jennifer@rcaffoundation.ca