Dini Petty - Speaker, Author, Poet
Possessing a quick wit and incredible energy. Dini Petty is a brilliant conversationalist with a grace and sense of fun that is hard to resist. Familiar to Canadian viewers through her ten years as host of the highly successful national daily talk show on CTV “ The Dini Petty Show”. At City TV Dini set precedents as the award-winning anchor of Toronto’s City-TV and hosted an innovative talk show that set Canadian broadcast records for size of its viewing audience.
Dini won many awards for her documentary work at City TV as writer and host on Citypulse News at 6:00, where Dini co-anchored and reported. In 1980 Dini created television history when the camera followed her thorough the pregnancy and birth of her son Nicholas. This award winning documentary helped to demystify and break down the stigma of pregnancy and childbirth.
Going the distance was nothing new for Dini who has five thousand hours as pilot-in-command of a “pink” Hughes 300 helicopter – making her the first woman in aviation history to pilot a helicopter while simultaneously reporting on traffic. Dini has many commercials, made for TV films and roles on the big screen to her credit.
Her Children’s Book – an epic poem entitled The Queen, The Bear and The Bumblebee has been translated in three languages. There is also a musical version being created by The Children’s Group.
Dini is an Honorary board member of the Canadian Paraplegic Assoc. and an Honorary Board Member : Think First committee.
Awards
Dini is the recipient of Six Can Pro Awards for television excellence for either her talk show or documentary work. Four Gemini awards for her interviewing skills. The NATPE International Iris Award , an American award for best International Program re: Dini’s interview with Red Skelton. The Canadian of Distinction Award.
In 1992 Dini was recognized for her two decades of public service by the Royal General Bulbgrowers Assoc. of the Netherlands and had a triumph tulip named after her.
Dini has seldom in her career lent her name to any products: however, when she has the success has followed:
In the late 1980s Dini became the spokesperson for Pears Shampoo, it quickly became the number # 1 selling shampoo in Canada.
Dini became the spokesperson for an International Aid Organization encouraging Canadians to sponsor children in third world countries. Dini hosted a documentary that was centered around her trip to Romania to meet her sponsored child. The documentary-infomercial quickly became the single most successful fundraiser Christian Children’s Fund has ever done.
Dini is now spokesperson for Amnesty International, the Canadian infomercial she hosted to raise funds and increase membership has became one of their most successful ever in Canada and the USA.
