Mitchell Daniels is a 2021 graduate of the Museum and Cultural Management program and has already started to successfully make his mark within the industry. After recently completing a contract with the Bata Shoe Museum, Mitchell’s interest within the museum and heritage sectors continues to flourish as he develops greater expertise in the field through various professional roles.
Although he has always had immense interest, Mitchell’s love of museums really took off in 2006 after a Toronto Blue Jays game with his dad. “Located across the street from the Rogers Centre is the historic CPR John St. Roundhouse. This was a former maintenance facility for the Canadian Pacific Railway and is now home to the Toronto Railway Museum. For many years, as part of the annual Doors Open event, the Toronto Railway Museum, or as it was known, at the time, the Toronto Railway Heritage Centre, would hold an annual model railway show in partnership with Steam Whistle Brewery. My dad and I had just started work on our own model railway layout, and so, decided that we would go and check it out after the game.”
After a behind-the-scenes tour, Mitchell says that he was “bit by the museum bug” and his passion grew from there. In fact, in 2010, Mitchell performed at the grand opening of the railway museum and later worked as a member of their summer operations team. “As I was born with Asperger’s Syndrome, I developed a number of special interests at a young age and two of them happened to be my love of the railway and history. Both of these interests would help me a great deal in my work in the sector.”
Mitchell’s journey to Centennial
As a journalist for his high school paper, Mitchell wrote many history-related articles. “While there, I decided to write an article on the top ten museums to visit in Toronto. This was a decision that would have a huge impact on my life and work going forward,” he shares.
To successfully write the article, Mitchell knew he would need to visit more than ten museums, and he made it a goal to try and visit every museum in Toronto. “At the time of this interview, I have visited close to 40 museums in Toronto and numerous others from around both North America and Europe. Though this tally does not include the numerous other historical sites and landmarks which I had visited over the years as well.”
Mitchell explains that through exploring these institutions, he developed a fascination with the behind-the-scenes work that went into preserving various pieces that museums have in their collections. “With this in mind, when it came time to choose a post-secondary institution, I came across the Museum and Cultural Management program,” he explains.
Working as a vocalist specializing in broadway, jazz, and opera, and having received the Lieutenant Governors Volunteer Award and named a recipient of the Queens Diamond Jubilee Medal for his work in the music industry, Mitchell first completed a Music Business Management program to further his knowledge on the business side of the music industry. After already working three years in the heritage sector, Mitchell then applied to the Museum and Cultural Management program at Centennial.
“My time in the Museum and Cultural Management program allowed me to further build on the skills that I had learned in the workplace and develop several additional skills which have helped me greatly in my work in the sector.”
In terms of some of the lessons he took with him from the program, Mitchell says that it is important to network, to always keep an open mind, and to not be afraid about trying new things. “The Museum and Cultural Management program is a true gem amongst the various post-secondary programs in the area of museum studies. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the program. The professors do a phenomenal job preparing students to start work in the sector.”
He continues, “One of the great things about this program is that you gain experience in a number of different areas of the industry, which reflects perfectly the reality of work in the sector. Many museum programs tend to focus on one job in the sector such as Curatorial Studies or Conservation, but in the Museum and Cultural Management Program you learn a variety of different skills, which are vital in the sector including, but not limited to, collection management, care of collections, marketing, museum policies, and best practices and program and interpretation, to name a few.”
In September of 2020, a producer of TVO’s, Employable Me, contacted Mitchell. “I had my initial audition and then was called back for a screen test in November of that year. A short time later we started filming. The crew followed me around for roughly half a year and during that time, interviewed both myself, my family, and several of my friends and colleagues,” he explains.
After filming for several weeks, the show arranged an interview for Mitchell with Heritage Toronto, which he ended up working on audio tours for, as well as an interview with the Bata Shoe Museum. “That interview was perhaps one of the most unique interviews I have ever participated in. As we were filming the interview, the film crew wanted to get a few different angles of the interview, and we ended up filming a few of the questions multiple times. At the end of the interview on the last take, the hiring manager decided to surprise both myself and the film crew by offering the job. It was a great start to an amazing contract position.”
Mitchell says that one of the great things about working in the museum sector is that no two days are the same. He shares, “While working at the Bata Shoe Museum I wore a multitude of different hats, which is quite common for many jobs in the sector. For example, though my official job title at the Bata Shoe Museum was the Digital Programming and Tours Coordinator, I was also the museum's live sound technician, gallery attendant, salesperson, booking agent, occasional front desk staff, music video supervisor, and tour guide to name a few. To that end, it provided for a very exciting work environment.”
He continues, “In addition, my work at Heritage Toronto involves writing the script for the tour, researching additional elements for the tour, becoming familiar with the tour route and taking note of building features, tour landscape and geography of the area, voicing, and assisting with editing the audio for the audio tour.”
Mitchell also had the opportunity to be featured by CBC Toronto after a few months working at the Bata Shoe Museum. “They had seen my episode of Employable Me and wanted to film a follow-up segment to discuss what I had been up to since the filming of the show. The crew from CBC was also incredible to work with. They were will me for most of the day, and we filmed in several areas of the museum where we discussed my life story and my work at the Bata Shoe Museum.”
Advice for those interested in this industry
“One thing that I stress to anyone who is looking to get into the heritage sector is the importance of volunteering in the sector. This is one of the best ways to find employment within the sector and also gain valuable experience which you can then use in your work.
Though with the same energy, don't volunteer just for the sake of potentially getting paid employment out of it. Find an institution that truly interests you, and never be afraid to try new things. This will help build your resume and, in turn, make you more desirable to potential employers,” he says. “I always live by the saying ‘Pobodies Nerfect’. Never be afraid to go after your dreams, and if you keep trying and working at it, there are no limits to what you can achieve.”
Congratulations, Mitchell, on all of your exciting ventures within this industry! For those interested in learning more about the Museum and Cultural Management program, be sure to check out our Program Overview page.
Written by: Alexandra Few