In Focus | Alex Soloducha of KelownaNow.com

In Focus is our gift to the community. A way for us to help show our recognition for the people, businesses and organizations that help make our city great. The team at KelownaNow.com is passionate about this community and the people that make it amazing. We want to show our friends, neighbours, family and colleagues that we notice them and the fabulous things that they do.

What is your name?
Alex Soloducha

What do you always find yourself saying?
I always tell myself and others “don’t worry until you have to,” which is something my mom always says. Nonetheless, I’m still pretty anxious about things and have a tendency to be a worrywart.

If you could spend one whole day with anyone in the world who is currently alive, who would you select and why?
If I could spend time with anyone living right now I would choose Mindy Kaling. First of all, she’s hilarious and basically my spirit animal. Secondly, she is really fashionable and glamorous and I think it would just be really great to spend a day doing what she does. Thirdly, she’s an amazingly successful woman and writer and I would love to hear encouragement and tips from her on how to be the same way.

If you were to receive any existing public award, what award would you like to win?
One of my overall goals, in my career, is to win a Pulitzer Prize for excellence in writing.

Who inspires you?
Successful people inspire me. It doesn’t really matter what field someone is in, if they are doing well, I’m like, “Wow, I want that,” and it drives me to want to achieve my dreams even more. I’m also really inspired by documentary makers. I find their work so powerful and I would love to spend more time on documentaries later in life.

What are three things on your bucket list?
I want to travel to a ton of places in my life. I’ve been travelling ever since I was a kid and there is still so much more of the world I want to see. I really want to go to Hawaii, Australia, Greece, Italy, Czech Republic, Spain, Thailand, Ukraine, Iceland, Quebec, New York, and so many more places. I also think it would be really cool to one day design my dream house. When I was younger I wanted to become an architect and it’s definitely something I’m still interested in.

If you had an enormous yacht, what would you name it?
If I had a yacht I would call it Princess Blossom, because I’m known to be a bit of a princess and blossom is a nickname I have for my sister Sarah.

If you could foresee a single day of your future in its entirety, what date would you select?
I don’t know if I would want to see a future day, maybe my wedding. For some reason it just seems like life should be a surprise.

What are you passionate about?
I am passionate about a lot of things in life! I love journalism. I think sharing stories and putting the truth out for the public is very important. I’m also really into fashion. It’s something I’ve always loved since I was really young.

What has been your favourite day of your life, up to this point?
I can’t pick a favourite day, but one of them was definitely my convocation day at the University of Regina.

What has been your proudest accomplishment?
My proudest accomplishment was probably finishing university with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. I’ve always wanted to have a degree and it was a lot of work so it’s nice to finish something you set out to do.

Where is your favourite place to dine in Kelowna? What do you like about it?
I recently just moved here and am still trying places out but I’m willing to take suggestions!

What is your favourite activity or event in Kelowna? Why?
I’m enjoying exploring the city right now and I still have so much more to see. I’m toying with the idea of going to Big White, even though I’ll probably leave in a cast!

What is the name of your business/organization?
KelownaNow

What does your business/organization do?
We are a website that is community focused and delivers Stuff that Matters.

Where can people find you or your business online?
KelownaNow.com

Where can people find your business on Facebook?
KelownaNow

What is your Twitter account?
@alex_soloducha

How do people connect with you on Linkedin?
Alex Soloducha

What is your mission?
We work to provide the news that people truly care about in our area.

If you could achieve one thing within your field, what would it be?
Working for a magazine or making another documentary are two things pretty high on my list career-wise.

Where do you want your business/organization to be in five years?
I hope KelownaNow is really able to lead the pack in terms of providing accessible, newsworthy stories.

Who do you consider to be a forerunner within your field?
I think Robyn Doolittle is someone to look up to. She’s pretty young but she covered the Rob Ford scandal and ended up writing a book about him. It launched her career and she went from covering city council at the Toronto Star, to being an investigative reporter at the Globe and Mail. She also got to be on a few late-night talk shows in the U.S. because of her books—that would be super fun.

What three qualities do you feel that your business/organization exemplifies?
We are efficient and thorough when it comes to our work, and we’re respectful of each other.

How does your business/organization impact the community?
I think it’s so important that people know what’s going on in the world around them and I hope we are able to provide that.

If you were trapped in an elevator with several wealthy investors from any field, which field would you want them to be experts in? What would say to them/talk about?
I actually hate elevators! They make me really claustrophobic.

If I could change one thing about Kelowna, it would be:
I wish I could bring my family from Saskatchewan here so I could see them more.

What do you think makes Kelowna great?
Kelowna is seriously beautiful. I love the scenery and the mountains. The people are also really nice. I can’t wait to spend the summer here.

My choice for the Kelowna In Focus spotlight is:
Steffanie Mackie of Steffanie Mackie Design and Development.

We encourage you to leave your comments and words of support below, and submit your own nomination by clicking HERE. You are also welcome to submit a form of your own by clicking HERE. Thank you, Kelowna!