Kim Clarke Champniss - Biography

Kim Clarke Champniss knows popular culture. He has played, promoted, created, managed, and taught it.

KCC was born in Bahrain, but raised in London, England. He achieved early success as a child actor, including roles in MGM's sci-fi classic “Village of The Damned” (he was the original alien child whose eyes light up) and was The Quaker Oats Boy. While still a teenager Kim moved to Canada and spent a year in the Arctic buying furs for the Hudson's Bay Company in the northern outpost of Eskimo Point. Then, after traveling around Canada, Kim broke into the music industry as a deejay in Vancouver nightclubs while studying English Literature at the University of British Columbia. He went on to manage one of Canada's pioneer electronic bands - Images In Vogue.

In 1986 MuchMusic brought Kim to Toronto to host/produce the rock and roll news desk. He then became special assignment reporter for The NewMusic and traveled the world reporting on pop culture. Along the way there were countless interviews conducted, from U2 to The Sex Pistols, and numerous documentaries produced. KCC was named Music Television personality of the year at the Canadian Music Industry awards (1994). In the mid-90's MuchMusic expanded into the USA and Kim was chosen as the station's music ambassador. And in 2000, his show “By Their Own Hand” won a Galaxie cable award (education division).

At the turn of the millennium, KCC set up his own music and media company, Invisible Republic Incorporated. He managed such artists as Serial Joe, The Grapes of Wrath, and Smoother. In 2003 the Ontario Government hired Kim as their consultant for the hugely successful “Concert For Toronto”, a unique event featuring some of Canada's greatest musical talents playing before 70,000 people at Skydome and The Air Canada Center with both venues linked by giant screen television.

KCC has produced work for Bravo Television, BPM:TV, and Book TV. He also wrote, conceived, and hosted “KCC's History of Popular Culture” - an eight-part series for Canadian Learning Television. Kim is also a former executive producer for the E! Network (Canada). Currently he is co-host of "The 80s Show" on the Orbyt Media radio network and has written the book "How Soon Is Now?" - a musical journey through 80's pop culture. He lives in Toronto with his wife and two sons.