Dear Members,

Mary Kitchen
Television Presenter, Entertainment Journalist
Mary Kitchen is a television presenter, entertainment journalist, model, philanthropist, and mother of three little girls.
While she currently lives in Los Angeles, Mary grew up in a small-town in New Brunswick.
Mary earned a degree in Humanistic Studies with a minor in English Literature from McGill University. Upon graduating, she was awarded a scholarship to the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco. After completing the program, Mary returned to Canada to pursue further studies at York University in Toronto. She earned a master’s degree in Communication and Culture with the aim of becoming a broadcast journalist.
In a few short years, Mary became a familiar face in print, commercials, and Canadian television. As a reporter for CityNews, Breakfast Television, and the entertainment anchor for Toronto’s CityTV, Mary interviewed the biggest names in Hollywood, including Taylor Swift, Oprah Winfrey, George Clooney, and Angelina Jolie, to name a few. Mary famously traveled with Rihanna for her 7-7-7 tour, joining the pop icon in her plane and covering seven continents in seven days. While at CityTV, Mary hosted Style Specials for FLARE, Canada’s top fashion magazine, and covered red carpets, including the Academy Awards.
Her work at Fashion Television took Mary front row and backstage to some of the most iconic runways around the world, where her fascination with art and design flourished. Airing in more than 100 countries, producers at CBS took notice. In 2012, she broke into American television. She accepted the post of weekend anchor and fashion correspondent for The Insider on CBS and permanently moved to the US.
A new chapter had begun, with her journalism career providing opportunities to play herself in Hollywood hits, such as Kick Ass 2 and Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet.
As a model, Mary was represented by Ford Models and worked for L’Oreal, Maybelline, Victoria’s Secret, and was the face of Fysh Eyewear across North America. She has worked with acclaimed photographers, Raphael Mazzucco, Bjorn Iooss, and Max Abadian. Mary has graced the covers of Canadian magazines as a model and TV personality. Her love of beauty and fashion has led to the release of her debut hair accessory collaboration with Locks and Mane, available in Bloomingdale’s, Ulta Beauty, and Macy’s.
As a mother of three little girls, Mary is busy, but when she is able, you will find her surfing, horseback riding, or working on another house project. Mary has designed homes in New York, Bahamas, Muskoka, and Malibu. Obsessed with art and design, she has just completed her biggest project to date: her family home in Los Angeles.
Most important to Mary and her family is giving back to her community through her various charitable projects. Mary serves on the Board of Directors of the Good+Foundation, a non-profit organization started by Jessica Seinfeld working to break the cycle of multi-generational poverty across America.
Mary serves on the Board of Advisors at UCLA Lab School. She is a member of the Women’s Philanthropy Circle (WPC) at the Cayton Museum and supports the Hammer Museum, where she helps raise money for deserving children to have access to artistic programs.
Another cause, and one that hits close to home, is the work that Mary and her husband do for Hematologic Oncology at the Dana-Faber Cancer Institute in Boston, where the couple sit on its Visiting Committee. Cancer diagnoses have touched both their families, with Mary’s father currently battling a rare form of leukemia. In 2015, Mary and her husband were recognized for their contributions to cancer research and honored with the Angels of Inspiration Award from The Gabrielle’s Angel Foundation.
Most recently, Mary joined the board of trustees of The Terry Fox Foundation. Mary has been a Terry Foxer her whole life with her love of sports and belief in cancer research. This year, she relaunched The Terry Fox run in Santa Monica, and is trying to make Terry’s dreams of a cancer-free world come true.

You wear many professional hats – television presenter, entertainment journalist, model, board member and philanthropist. What are you most passionate about?
I’m busy, so it depends on the day but I love the philanthropic projects I’m working on. Last week I was in Canada to check on a building project in Muskoka and attend a Terry Fox board meeting. Terry’s brothers and nieces sit on the board, and that is never lost on me. I’m so proud to get to work alongside my Canadian hero’s family and work towards his goal of ending cancer – it is just unbelievable to me! My teenage self would definitely think that was cool.

What made you make the move to LA?
I left my beloved job at CityTV in 2012 where I was the entertainment anchor … I loved it so much but was offered an amazing opportunity to launch a new show called ‘Omg Insider’ on CBS. I met my husband shortly after that and never left. I have three girls and they are all proudly Canadian/American citizens.
One of my daughters is a surfer and was asked to surf on the Canadian Longboard Team for a MSA contest this summer here in LA. That was a proud moment for me, watching my little girl, who’s grown up here, surf for Canada!

How do you stay connected to New Brunswick and Canada?
We visit Canada every summer. My grandparents had a cottage in Muskoka so my whole family still goes up there every summer. My family lives in New Brunswick, so I’m back and forth there all the time. Living in LA is great because all the Canadians always want to come visit with our weather.

What can you tell us about this year’s Terry Fox Run in Santa Monica and what we can expect next year?
I was so happy to bring the Terry Fox run back to Santa Monica! We had a great turnout and we want to make it bigger and better next year, with more people coming out to support cancer research. It really is a special morning, whether you walk, bike or run. It feels very nostalgic having grown up doing the run at schools across Canada. We welcomed so many non-Canadians too. Terry’s story has no borders.

What’s on the horizon for you?
My husband and I just executive produced our friend James Carville’s new documentary called ‘Carville: Winning is Everything, Stupid’ directed by the incredible Matt Tyrnauer. We are very proud of it especially given this important election and all the divisiveness in this country. It’s currently on CNN and will be streaming on Max soon.
I have an independent film coming out that I shot this summer in Toronto. It’s called ‘Plan C’ by Stained Tie Films and Plan C Entertainment. I hadn’t shot a film since having kids and got to work with a bunch of familiar faces so that was great! It stars Claire Cavalheiro, Daniel DeSanto, Jamie Spilchuk, Vivca A. Fox, Joris Jarsaki and Kris Holden Reid. It will be out next year.
When I’m not working on any of these projects, you can find me in the Pacific Ocean attempting to keep up with my kids by making a Canadian surf team!

If you are unable to attend in person and wish to view the online stream, please register at:

https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_PVB8pow0SjmZEiUKkuR9lg

More information can be found at: https://royalcanadianlegionus25.com/remembrance-day-service/