Joseph Motiki
Encyclopedia
Joseph "Joe" Frederick Motiki is a Canadian television host and performer.
Motiki was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario and graduated in 1995 from the Radio & Television Arts program at Ryerson University
. While an undergraduate at Ryerson, Motiki beat out 350 hopefuls to become the host of What, a late-night phone-in program for youth on TVOntario
. The pilot episode aired May 30, 1994 and the show was broadcast live on Tuesday nights starting September 27, 1994 for one season. Dealing with issues related to current events and popular culture, What was nominated for the 1995 Gemini Award
for Best Youth Program in Canada.
In March 1995, Motiki became co-host of The TVOKids
Crawlspace, TVOntario's after school block of children's programs, alongside Patty Sullivan
and Kevin Brauch
. Three months later he officially replaced Brauch, who left to host other shows on TVO. Patty and Joe appeared in live interstitial breaks between shows such as Art Attack
, The Magic School Bus
, and Bill Nye The Science Guy
. During these segments they would run contests, read viewer mail, and perform a wide array of original characters. Motiki spent four years on TVOKids, appearing at live events all over Ontario and helping the show achieve its highest ratings ever or since. He retired from the Crawlspace on May 30, 1999.
Pursuing new projects, Motiki continued to host various programs and live events. He also started voice acting in numerous animated series. His first was Crashbox
on HBO, playing the digitally-enhanced stop motion character Professor Rocket on the show, and in a cycle of shorts titled Who Knew?. He then provided the voice of rookie mountain climber Rocky Canyon for three seasons of the hit cartoon series Rescue Heroes
, subsequently voicing Rocky for the Fisher-Price action figures and 2003's Rescue Heroes: The Movie
. He played the manic and stubborn Metabee on the popular anime hit Medabots
, which had its inaugural American run on Fox for two seasons. He also played the part of South African data raider Ozubo Monduma/Conjureman, who is recruited along with five other international teenagers to save Earth in 7th Portal, produced by Stan Lee Media
.
In 2002 Motiki became host of the updated version of the classic teen quiz show Reach For The Top
, the high school competition for the provincial SchoolReach trivia championship. He was unable to host the third season due to a scheduling conflict and was replaced by Nicole Stamp
. That same year Motiki became host of POV Sports on CBC, a showcase for amateur and professional athletes, sports and activities. During his two seasons on POV, Motiki travelled across North America to cover stories and events, including the Gravity Games
, the 91st Grey Cup
, the historic Heritage Classic
from Commonwealth Stadium and X Games
IX in Los Angeles, CA. He also worked with CBC Sports
on the 90th Grey Cup
broadcast, the 2003 Canada Games
in Bathurst/Campbellton, New Brunswick, and the IAAF World Youth Championships in Athletics
from Sherbrooke, Quebec where he interviewed, amongst others, current 100m and 200m world record holder Usain Bolt
.
Sports From The Edge is an award-winning documentary that Motiki hosted in 2004, produced by Keith MacNeill of CBC North
. The doc follows native athlete Steve Amarualik from his training in Resolute Bay, Nunavut to his performance at the 2004 Arctic Winter Games
in Fort McMurray, Alberta; it was honoured at the prestigious Columbus International Film Festival. He hosted the travel show Get Outta Town on WAM! with Barbara Mamabolo
, learning how young people live in Asia, Australia and Europe. Motiki also served three times as host of the provincial Junior and Senior Championships of the Spelling Bee of Canada
, most recently in 2006; served three times as host of the Miss World Canada
event, most recently in 2006; hosted the YTV family game show Game Gurus
for the 2007-2008 TV season; and shot Life Lab, a pilot for the CBC documentary unit in 2008.
His list of acting credits include appearances in Fire Serpent
and several Disney MOWs; including Wild Card
, Degrassi: The Next Generation
, and Wingin' It
; and supporting roles in the feature films Blindness
and Phantom Punch
. Recent animated roles include the frenetic GLF member Madman on Urban Vermin
, battle spider Shadow on Spider Riders
and Dr. D in the Teletoon comedy Life's A Zoo
.tv, which won the 2009 Gemini Award for Best Animated Series.
Currently, Motiki is starring in the new comedy series She's the Mayor
for VisionTV, with Janet-Laine Green
, Scott Wentworth
, Denis Akiyama, Tonya Lee Williams
and Colin Mochrie
. He also makes regular appearances on the panel of Off The Record
on The Sports Network
. Current voice roles include Leo in the animated TV series Pirates: Adventures In Art and various voices for The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!
.
Motiki was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario and graduated in 1995 from the Radio & Television Arts program at Ryerson University
Ryerson University
Ryerson University is a public research university located in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its urban campus is adjacent to Yonge-Dundas Square located at the busiest intersection in Downtown Toronto. The majority of its buildings are in the blocks northeast of the square in Toronto's Garden...
. While an undergraduate at Ryerson, Motiki beat out 350 hopefuls to become the host of What, a late-night phone-in program for youth on TVOntario
TVOntario
TVOntario, often referred to only as TVO , is a publicly funded, educational English-language television station and media organization in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is operated by the Ontario Educational Communications Authority, a Crown corporation owned by the Government of Ontario...
. The pilot episode aired May 30, 1994 and the show was broadcast live on Tuesday nights starting September 27, 1994 for one season. Dealing with issues related to current events and popular culture, What was nominated for the 1995 Gemini Award
Gemini Award
The Gemini Awards are annual television broadcasting industry awards in Canada.First awarded in 1986, the Geminis celebrate the achievements of TV members of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. Essentially, it presents awards for the best television productions in Canada. Awards are...
for Best Youth Program in Canada.
In March 1995, Motiki became co-host of The TVOKids
TVOKids
TVOKids is a children's programming block, seen daily on TVOntario , Ontario's provincial educational television network. The show has its own website which holds many educational child-friendly games.-History:...
Crawlspace, TVOntario's after school block of children's programs, alongside Patty Sullivan
Patty Sullivan
Patty Sullivan is one of the hosts at Kids' CBC. Previously, she worked at the W Network and TVOKids. She attended Nelson High School in Burlington, Ontario.-External links:*...
and Kevin Brauch
Kevin Brauch
Kevin Jeffery Brauch , "celebrity bartender," is host of the show The Thirsty Traveler on the Fine Living Network , MegaWorld on Discovery Channel Canada, and Superstar Chef Challenge on Food Network Canada...
. Three months later he officially replaced Brauch, who left to host other shows on TVO. Patty and Joe appeared in live interstitial breaks between shows such as Art Attack
Art Attack
Art Attack is a British children's television series revolving around art. The original series was one of ITV's longest running programmes, running from 1990 to 2007, and was presented throughout by Neil Buchanan. The brand new series launched on Disney Junior on June 6 2011 and is presented by...
, The Magic School Bus
The Magic School Bus
The Magic School Bus is a series of children's books about science written by author Joanna Cole. They feature the antics of Ms. Valerie Frizzle, an elementary school teacher, and her class, who board a magical school bus which takes them on field trips to impossible locations such as the solar...
, and Bill Nye The Science Guy
Bill Nye the Science Guy
Bill Nye the Science Guy is an educational television program that originally aired from September 10, 1993 to June 20, 1998, hosted by Bill Nye and produced by Buena Vista Television. The show aired on PBS Kids and was also syndicated to local stations, making it the second first-run television...
. During these segments they would run contests, read viewer mail, and perform a wide array of original characters. Motiki spent four years on TVOKids, appearing at live events all over Ontario and helping the show achieve its highest ratings ever or since. He retired from the Crawlspace on May 30, 1999.
Pursuing new projects, Motiki continued to host various programs and live events. He also started voice acting in numerous animated series. His first was Crashbox
Crashbox
Crashbox is an educational children's television game show that airs on the HBO Family digital cable television channel in the United States. It aims to educate grade-school children in history, math, vocabulary, and other various subjects....
on HBO, playing the digitally-enhanced stop motion character Professor Rocket on the show, and in a cycle of shorts titled Who Knew?. He then provided the voice of rookie mountain climber Rocky Canyon for three seasons of the hit cartoon series Rescue Heroes
Rescue Heroes
Rescue Heroes is a line of toys from Fisher-Price that was introduced in 1997. Rescue Heroes depicts various rescue personnel and their equipment. In 1999, an animated television series titled Rescue Heroes was released and was based on the figurines...
, subsequently voicing Rocky for the Fisher-Price action figures and 2003's Rescue Heroes: The Movie
Rescue Heroes: The Movie
Rescue Heroes: The Movie is a Canadian 2003 CGI family film from Artisan Entertainment, based on the Rescue Heroes TV series.-Plot:A series of mysterious lightning storms are wreaking havoc worldwide as they spiral through the atmosphere toward Greenland. Once they collide, they will create one...
. He played the manic and stubborn Metabee on the popular anime hit Medabots
Medabots
Medabots, known in Japan as , is a role-playing video game franchise developed by Natsume and published by Imagineer in Japan in 1997. The video game franchise was later adapted into a Japanese anime television series produced by Bee Train. Spanning 52 episodes, the series originally aired on TV...
, which had its inaugural American run on Fox for two seasons. He also played the part of South African data raider Ozubo Monduma/Conjureman, who is recruited along with five other international teenagers to save Earth in 7th Portal, produced by Stan Lee Media
Stan Lee Media
Stan Lee Media was an Internet-based creation, production and marketing company that was founded in 1998, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2000, and ultimately dismissed from bankruptcy in November, 2006. In its early years, the company created Stan Lee branded super hero franchises...
.
In 2002 Motiki became host of the updated version of the classic teen quiz show Reach For The Top
Reach for the Top
Reach for the Top is a Canadian game show in which teams of high school students participate in local, provincial and eventually national trivia tournaments...
, the high school competition for the provincial SchoolReach trivia championship. He was unable to host the third season due to a scheduling conflict and was replaced by Nicole Stamp
Nicole Stamp
Nicole Stamp is a Canadian actor, director, television host, and television producer....
. That same year Motiki became host of POV Sports on CBC, a showcase for amateur and professional athletes, sports and activities. During his two seasons on POV, Motiki travelled across North America to cover stories and events, including the Gravity Games
Gravity Games
The Gravity Games were a multi-sport competition originating from Providence, Rhode Island that is broken down into Winter and Summer adaptations...
, the 91st Grey Cup
91st Grey Cup
The 91st Grey Cup was the 2003 Canadian Football League championship game played between the Edmonton Eskimos and the Montreal Alouettes on November 16 at Taylor Field, in Regina, Saskatchewan before 50,909 fans...
, the historic Heritage Classic
Heritage Classic
The Heritage Classic was an outdoor ice hockey game played on November 22, 2003, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, between the Edmonton Oilers and the Montreal Canadiens. It was the first National Hockey League game to be played outdoors as a part of regular season play...
from Commonwealth Stadium and X Games
X Games
The X Games is a commercial annual sports event, controlled and arranged by US sports broadcaster ESPN, which focuses on action sports. The inaugural X Games was held in the summer of 1995 in Rhode Island....
IX in Los Angeles, CA. He also worked with CBC Sports
CBC Sports
CBC Sports is the division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for English-language sports broadcasting. The CBC's sports programming primarily airs on CBC Television, with some additional broadcasts on bold, CBC.ca, and occasionally CBC Radio One...
on the 90th Grey Cup
90th Grey Cup
The 90th Grey Cup was the 2002 Canadian Football League championship game played between the Edmonton Eskimos and the Montreal Alouettes on November 24 at Commonwealth Stadium, in Edmonton, Alberta...
broadcast, the 2003 Canada Games
Canada Games
The Canada Games is a high-level multi-sport event with a National Artists Program held every two years in Canada, alternating between the Canada Winter Games and the Canada Summer Games. Athletes are strictly amateur only, and represent their province or territory.The Games were first held in 1967...
in Bathurst/Campbellton, New Brunswick, and the IAAF World Youth Championships in Athletics
IAAF World Youth Championships in Athletics
The IAAF World Youth Championships in Athletics is a global athletics event comprising track and field events for competitors who are 17 or younger . The event is organized by International Association of Athletics Federations . It is held biannually...
from Sherbrooke, Quebec where he interviewed, amongst others, current 100m and 200m world record holder Usain Bolt
Usain Bolt
The Honourable Usain St. Leo Bolt, OJ, C.D. , is a Jamaican sprinter and a five-time World and three-time Olympic gold medalist. He is the world record and Olympic record holder in the 100 metres, the 200 metres and the 4×100 metres relay...
.
Sports From The Edge is an award-winning documentary that Motiki hosted in 2004, produced by Keith MacNeill of CBC North
CBC North
CBC North is the name for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's radio and television service in the Canadian Arctic. Originally known as the CBC Northern Service, its first operations began in 1958 with radio broadcasts including the takeover of CFYK, originally a Royal Canadian Signal...
. The doc follows native athlete Steve Amarualik from his training in Resolute Bay, Nunavut to his performance at the 2004 Arctic Winter Games
Arctic Winter Games
The Arctic Winter Games is an international biennial celebration of circumpolar sports and culture.-Background:The Arctic Winter Games were founded in 1969 under the leadership of Governor Walter J. Hickel of Alaska, Stuart M. Hodgson, Commissioner of the Northwest Territories, and Yukon...
in Fort McMurray, Alberta; it was honoured at the prestigious Columbus International Film Festival. He hosted the travel show Get Outta Town on WAM! with Barbara Mamabolo
Barbara Mamabolo
Barbara Mamabolo is a Canadian actress. Since 1998, she has amassed an extensive list of theatre and television credits. She was born in Toronto, Ontario....
, learning how young people live in Asia, Australia and Europe. Motiki also served three times as host of the provincial Junior and Senior Championships of the Spelling Bee of Canada
Spelling Bee of Canada
The Spelling Bee of Canada is a charitable, educational organization founded in the Greater Toronto Area in 1987, in an initial attempt to create a national Canadian spelling bee...
, most recently in 2006; served three times as host of the Miss World Canada
Miss World Canada
The Miss World Canada contest is an beauty pageant, held mostly annually in various incarnations and with several different names since 1957, to select Canada's representative to the Miss World contest. The Canadian franchise was currently owned by Upstage This! Productions, based in Vancouver,...
event, most recently in 2006; hosted the YTV family game show Game Gurus
Game Gurus
Game Gurus was a Canadian game show on YTV where two families play variations of various board games. Game Gurus was taped in Mississauga, Ontario and hosted by Joseph Motiki. -Game structure:...
for the 2007-2008 TV season; and shot Life Lab, a pilot for the CBC documentary unit in 2008.
His list of acting credits include appearances in Fire Serpent
Fire Serpent
Fire Serpent is a 2007 Sci Fi Channel film.-Plot:A solar flare from the sun sends a serpentine alien of fire to Earth, where it begins to wreak havoc among a small community in its search for more fuel, in the form of a large military oil reserve for fuel....
and several Disney MOWs; including Wild Card
Wild Card (TV series)
Wild Card is an American comedy-drama series starring Joely Fisher. It was broadcast in the United States on Lifetime, and on the Global Television Network in Canada from August 2003 to July 2005.-Synopsis:...
, Degrassi: The Next Generation
Degrassi: The Next Generation
Degrassi: The Next Generation is a Canadian teen drama television series set in the Degrassi universe, which was created by Linda Schuyler and Kit Hood in 1979. Degrassi is the fourth fictional series in the Degrassi franchise, and follows The Kids of Degrassi Street, Degrassi Junior High, and...
, and Wingin' It
Wingin' It
Wingin' It is a Canadian teen sitcom airing on Family; the series is produced by Temple Street Productions in association with Family. It stars Demetrius Joyette and Dylan Everett. It also includes guest-stars from other Family Channel shows such as The Latest Buzz...
; and supporting roles in the feature films Blindness
Blindness (film)
Blindness is a 2008 English-language film that is an adaptation of the 1995 novel of the same name by the Portuguese writer José Saramago about a society suffering an epidemic of blindness. The film is written by Don McKellar and directed by Fernando Meirelles with Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo...
and Phantom Punch
Phantom Punch (film)
Phantom Punch is a 2009 film directed by Robert Townsend. The film is a biopic of Sonny Liston, with Ving Rhames in the lead role. The film also stars Stacey Dash, Nicholas Turturro, Alan van Sprang, David Proval, and Bridgette Wilson....
. Recent animated roles include the frenetic GLF member Madman on Urban Vermin
Urban Vermin
Urban Vermin is a Canadian animated television series produced by YTV and Decode Entertainment Inc.-Plot:Urban Vermin is a story about two racoon brothers that were once best friends until Ken decided to assemble an army of rats to help him seize control of all the garbage on their block...
, battle spider Shadow on Spider Riders
Spider Riders
is a series of science fiction novels first published in December 2004, published by Newmarket Press written by Tedd Anasti, Patsy Cameron-Anasti and Stephen D. Sullivan . The stories became the basis of the animated television series produced by Cookie Jar Entertainment of Canada and Bee Train of...
and Dr. D in the Teletoon comedy Life's A Zoo
Life's a Zoo
Life's a Zoo is a Canadian stop-motion animation situation-comedy created by Adam Shaheen and Andrew Horne II. It is directed by Alexander Gorelick. A co-production of Cuppa Coffee Studios and Teletoon, "Life's a Zoo.tv" was named Best Animated Program or Series at the 24th Annual Gemini Awards...
.tv, which won the 2009 Gemini Award for Best Animated Series.
Currently, Motiki is starring in the new comedy series She's the Mayor
She's the Mayor
She's the Mayor is a Canadian television sitcom, scheduled to start on Vision TV from October 4, 2011. The show will star Janet-Laine Green as Iris Peters, a woman in her 60s who is newly elected as the mayor of the fictional city of Fairfax....
for VisionTV, with Janet-Laine Green
Janet-Laine Green
Janet-Laine Green) is a Canadian actress, director, producer and teacher, active for over 25 years. Best known for her roles in She's the Mayor, Seeing Things and This is Wonderland, this Toronto-based film and television personality has also been a voice actor for animated series such as Jacob...
, Scott Wentworth
Scott Wentworth
Scott Wentworth is an American actor currently living and working primarily in Canada.After starting his career in New York City, he began a long association with the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in the 1985 production of The Glass Menagerie...
, Denis Akiyama, Tonya Lee Williams
Tonya Lee Williams
Tonya Lee Williams is a Canadian actress, best known for her role as Dr. Olivia Barber Winters on the American soap opera The Young and the Restless, from 1990 to 2005, and for a brief time in 2007. She returned to the series in the fall of 2008.-Early life:Williams was born in London, England to...
and Colin Mochrie
Colin Mochrie
Colin Andrew Mochrie is a Scottish Canadian actor and improvisational comedian, most famous for his appearances on the British and US versions of television improvisation show Whose Line Is It Anyway?.-Early life:...
. He also makes regular appearances on the panel of Off The Record
Off The Record (TSN TV series)
Off the Record with Michael Landsberg, a.k.a. Off the Record or OTR, is a Canadian sports talk show on TSN hosted by Michael Landsberg...
on The Sports Network
The Sports Network
The Sports Network, commonly abbreviated as TSN, is a Canadian English language Category C specialty channel and is Canada's leading English language sports TV channel. TSN premiered in 1984, in the first group of Canadian specialty cable channels...
. Current voice roles include Leo in the animated TV series Pirates: Adventures In Art and various voices for The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!
The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!
The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That! is an American/Canadian/British animated television series that premiered August 7, 2010 on Treehouse TV in Canada, on September 6, 2010 on PBS Kids in the US and also in the UK on CITV and Cartoonito...
.