Carleton’s Cody Dobie is vying to be a Much Music VJ (Photo: Dylan Albon)
He has been a banquet server, a cashier, a magazine intern, a movie-ticket seller and a busboy. And soon you may see him on a TV screen near you — as the newest Much Music VJ. Meet Cody Dobie, a third-year communications major and Carleton’s very own contender in the latest edition of the Much Music VJ Search. It was recently announced that he is a finalist in the top 16 — no small feat considering the wave of nearly 4,000 applications the contest received.
The Much Music VJ Search is a nationwide contest, with the ultimate champion winning the coveted job of video jockey on the popular Canadian channel. All contestants submitted an audition video, and must now garner as much support as possible via social networking sites, while also taking part in challenges Much assigns them to help whittle the top 16 hopefuls down to eight.
On Oct. 7, Dobie awoke to the sound of a phone at 10:30 a.m. Still groggy, he thought the call was just another job interview. It turned out to be much more: a representative from Much Music calling to tell him he was on the shortlist for the top 16.
“I was just pretending I wasn’t half asleep. . . . When he said ‘This is Much Music,’ I shot right up,” Dobie said.
But that was just the beginning. On Oct. 13, he was told over webcam he was officially in the top 16. If he is looking a bit tired these days it’s because he is forever on the go. With school, a seemingly endless string of midterms, two jobs, building a fan-base and the challenges Much Music is constantly giving the competitors, there is just no time for such luxuries as sleep.
“[The] VJ search is all I want to focus on, but I have so much of real life creeping in right now,” he said. “But of course, life doesn’t stop.”
This “real life” he speaks of, the midterms and assignments —would he give it all up if he won the VJing gig?
Yes, he said seriously. He would at least be willing to put university on hold temporarily. “[Carleton] has been a great experience, and I really do want to finish my degree . . . but I think that just as much as book learning is important, experience is a great way to learn.”
Dobie has been gaining skill from a young age. From acting in school plays in his native White Rock, B.C., to creating movies for YouTube, his range of talent extends to both sides of the camera. For the 20-year-old aspiring for a career in the film industry, VJing would be the perfect new challenge, and an impressive addition to the 14 jobs he’s previously held.
“I’m always looking to try something new; a new experience,” Dobie said.
To see Cody’s Much Music profile, go to http://vj.muchmusic.com/cody