Robin Rowland(II)
- Actor
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Robin Rowland is a Canadian author and playwright, new media pioneer, television news producer, visual journalist and photographer. He is best known as the co-author (along with David Kinnaman) of the first popular how-to manual focusing on how to search Internet, Researching on the Internet, published in 1995.
He was born in Tanga, Tanzania. His family came to Canada when he was a year old and he spent his young years in Kitimat, British Columbia and his teenage years in Toronto. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from York University in anthropology in 1973 and a Bachelor of Journalism from Carleton University in 1973. His first job was a reporter-photographer for the Sudbury (On) Star. He began working for CBC Radio News in 1977, then moved to London in 1980 where he worked with the experimental new media Prestel system first with a travel agency and then a public relations agency. He returned to Canada to work in the experimental new media Telidon system, ending up back at CBC with Project Iris from 1982 to 1985. He sold his first script, an episode of the Scales of Justice radio series to CBC and then the radio drama King of the Bootlegger (co-written by James Dubro) which starred Bruno Gerussi as Rocco. The success of the radio drama led to publishers requesting a book on Rocco Perri which was published in 1987. While writing the book he worked briefly as a an actor 1982- 1987 in Toronto before joining CTV National News as a writer in 1988. A follow up book also with James Dubro, Undercover Cases of the RCMP's Secret Operative was published in 1991. By that time Rowland was one of the few people who had a decade's new media experience when the public was flooding onto the internet which led to the commission to co-write Researching on the Internet in 1995 and to write the scenario for the early video game Maabus (1995) He rejoined CBC News in 1994, first as a writer and lineup editor, then as a new media producer for CBC Newsworld Online. In 1998 he became the first web producer for The National and in 2003 became the first CBC News national photo editor. During that time he returned to York University part time for an interdisciplinary Master's Degree in war crimes studies and turned his thesis into the book A River Kwai Story. While mainly about post war crimes trials, A River Kwai Story presents evidence that suggests the prisoner of war camp at Sonkrai was possibly the basis for Pierre Boulle book and David Lean movie The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957). He left CBC News in 2010 to return to his home town of Kitimat. He was since worked as a freelance camera person for Global News and CBC News and as a photojournalist for Canadian Press, Reuters and Canadian newspapers, covering northwestern British Columbia. He is at work on a number of book and script projects.
He was born in Tanga, Tanzania. His family came to Canada when he was a year old and he spent his young years in Kitimat, British Columbia and his teenage years in Toronto. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from York University in anthropology in 1973 and a Bachelor of Journalism from Carleton University in 1973. His first job was a reporter-photographer for the Sudbury (On) Star. He began working for CBC Radio News in 1977, then moved to London in 1980 where he worked with the experimental new media Prestel system first with a travel agency and then a public relations agency. He returned to Canada to work in the experimental new media Telidon system, ending up back at CBC with Project Iris from 1982 to 1985. He sold his first script, an episode of the Scales of Justice radio series to CBC and then the radio drama King of the Bootlegger (co-written by James Dubro) which starred Bruno Gerussi as Rocco. The success of the radio drama led to publishers requesting a book on Rocco Perri which was published in 1987. While writing the book he worked briefly as a an actor 1982- 1987 in Toronto before joining CTV National News as a writer in 1988. A follow up book also with James Dubro, Undercover Cases of the RCMP's Secret Operative was published in 1991. By that time Rowland was one of the few people who had a decade's new media experience when the public was flooding onto the internet which led to the commission to co-write Researching on the Internet in 1995 and to write the scenario for the early video game Maabus (1995) He rejoined CBC News in 1994, first as a writer and lineup editor, then as a new media producer for CBC Newsworld Online. In 1998 he became the first web producer for The National and in 2003 became the first CBC News national photo editor. During that time he returned to York University part time for an interdisciplinary Master's Degree in war crimes studies and turned his thesis into the book A River Kwai Story. While mainly about post war crimes trials, A River Kwai Story presents evidence that suggests the prisoner of war camp at Sonkrai was possibly the basis for Pierre Boulle book and David Lean movie The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957). He left CBC News in 2010 to return to his home town of Kitimat. He was since worked as a freelance camera person for Global News and CBC News and as a photojournalist for Canadian Press, Reuters and Canadian newspapers, covering northwestern British Columbia. He is at work on a number of book and script projects.
