Creemore native Sue Maynard has broken the Guinness World Record for the longest uninterrupted live video webcast.
She and co-host Tim Rideout broadcast their online talk show, The Mind Reels, for 48 consecutive hours last November from the lobby of the InterContinental Toronto Centre.
The achievement was officially recognized by Guinness World Records this month.
Maynard and Rideout spent two days interviewing almost 100 guests to beat the existing record of 43 hours.
“Our blog and podcast, The Mind Reels, has grown to be a kind of champion of Canadian film and television, among other things, and it was really an amazing experience to bring so many of those involved in that industry together for a weekend, to create something really special,” said Maynard in an email to The Echo.
Their guests included stars from Canadian film and television shows including Orphan Black, Lost Girl, Murdoch Mysteries, The Strain, Defiance, Bitten, Saving Hope, Degrassi, The Listener and Hannibal. There were also a few musical performances, a representative from the MS Society of Canada, a therapy dog/actor, a sword-fighting demo, and two Skype chats, including one with feline internet sensation, Lil Bub. They also interviewed Anne of Green Gables star Jonathan Crombie before his death in April. That segment is already posted online but the rest of the marathon broadcast is forthcoming.
Maynard said the broadcast marathon was “insane”.
Having done a lot of work to prepare for the event, she said she became ill just as the broadcast was to begin.
“I was pretty sick for a while there, and wasn’t sure I’d make it through one hour, let alone 48,” said Maynard. “But I’d also done a lot of research into how to stay awake for long periods of time naturally, as opposed to just staying hopped up on sugar and caffeine. I have MS, and knew that my body was going to be unhappy with me anyway, so I made sure I had a lot of high protein foods on hand, and I drank a ton of water to stay hydrated. I actually got stronger after that first night, and was still feeling pretty good by the time I went to bed two days later.
She said breaking the Guinness World Record was a bucket list type of goal but now that she has it, she is prepared to defend it should it be beat by someone else.
“It’s funny, too, when I went to bed finally, I was able to get a decent sleep, but my mind kept going over everything and coming up with what I would do differently next time. Even now that the record is officially in my name and I can cross it off the bucket list, it still feels kind of like a dream. One that I intend to make even bigger and better should the need ever arise for me to do it all again. Because I absolutely would – in a heartbeat,” she said.