Sheldon Wiseman wears multiple hats: Vice President of KBI’s Board of Directors, member of the Personnel Committee, former lawyer, TV producer, retail store owner, food lover, music aficionado, world traveller and art collector. In short, he’s a Renaissance man who lives by the mantra: “perception becomes reality if properly managed.”
Recently, Kate McGregor, Chair of the Communications & Marketing Committee, met Sheldon for coffee.
1. What brought you to our congregation?
Family. I grew up in Smiths Falls, and we attended high holidays at a tiny shul in Perth. Eventually, my parents wanted to be part of a larger community, so they decided to drive to Ottawa for services at Agudath Israel. When Trudy and I got married in 1969, we also started going there.
2. What do you love most about being part of this community?
I feel a strong sense of connection with the congregation. Engaging in conversations with a diverse group of people, some of whom share my views and some who do not, is intellectually stimulating. It doesn’t matter that our views and politics aren’t the same.
3. Can you tell me about growing up in Smiths Falls and about leaving for school and your career?
My father was in the retail business in Smiths Falls. He owned Wiseman’s Men’s Wear, a business my grandfather started. My father took it over when he came back from the war.
I worked at the store from age 14, and I have to say, I loved retail. I enjoyed the tactile experience of handling inventory and talking to customers and helping them find what they were looking for. At the same age, I told my father that I wanted to do the show windows, and he let me.
By grade 9, I already knew that I wanted to go to law school. I did my undergraduate degree at Queen’s University in Kingston, then went to the University of Toronto for law. I was the first in my extended family to go to a post-secondary institution. My parents used to say to me, “Invest in your brain; don’t invest in inventory.”
While in law school, I heard about a guy in the men’s retail-wear business who I wanted to meet. I took a subway to his little shop on Richmond Street, introduced myself, and we talked about his retail philosophy. He was a fascinating person. His name was Harry Rosen.
I met my future wife, Trudy, in Toronto, where she was studying to become a teacher. She came from a prominent Jewish family in Kirkland Lake, Ontario – the Kaplans – who owned a string of theatres. We got engaged and moved to Ottawa in 1969, where I started a job at Soloway Wright LLP.
My law practice took an interesting turn when I took on a new client who got me involved with The Christmas Raccoons, a Canadian animated television series. I sold it to CBC, and it became a phenomenal success over five years and 65 episodes.
Eventually, I left my law practice to become a full-time producer in the entertainment business.
4. Is it accurate to say that you are passionate about the arts?
Yes. Remember the Canadian comedy duo, Wayne and Shuster? I got to know Johnny Wayne and his wife, who were big art collectors. Johnny once told me, “If you’re going to collect art, pick a geographic area, choose living artists because they’re affordable, and buy what you like.” That was good advice. Trudy and I became avid collectors.
When Trudy died seven years ago, I sold our home, moved to a condo, gave some of the collection to my three children, sold some and kept the rest, including some beautiful Indigenous works.
5. What is something people might not know about you?
I visited Cannes, France, 47 or 48 times to sell my TV shows. I always went with my wife so that we could turn our time there into a holiday.
I also worked on a TV show in Vancouver with an American partner. We held auditions for high school students for a teenage high school drama. One of the kids we auditioned was Ryan Reynolds. I like to say that I gave him his first job when he was just 13 years old!
I’m really into food and founded A.E. Price Foods, an innovative and upscale retail shop in Ottawa. One day, I called Craig Claiborne, the food editor and restaurant critic for the New York Times, and asked for an endorsement. He said no, but suggested I call Julia Child, so I did. She said she was working on a new cookbook and recommended I speak to James Beard, a renowned American chef and cookbook author. Beard agreed to come to the store, creating quite a buzz. I had that business for about 21 years.
6. What movie has made the biggest impact on you?
E.T. Spielberg was so innovative. I took my three kids to see it and have now introduced my five grandchildren to it.
7. Have you ever met the other Sheldon Wiseman?
No, but I would like to.
To read an interview with the other Sheldon Wiseman – click here.