Hal Johnson and Joanne McLeod facts for kids
Hal Johnson and Joanne McLeod are famous Canadian television hosts and former top athletes. They are best known for their short TV segments called BodyBreak. These segments have been on TV since 1988 and are loved by many Canadians. Their show teaches people how to fit exercise into their daily lives.
Hal was a talented baseball player, and Joanne was a champion in hurdles (a track and field sport). They used their own money to create the first BodyBreak segments. Even though over 40 companies said no, a program called ParticipACTION helped them get started. They have made over 300 short episodes and even a full TV series. They also do speaking events and have created exercise products. Because Hal and his parents faced racism, their shows always make sure to include people from all backgrounds.
Contents
Biography
Hal Johnson
Quick facts for kids
Hal Johnson
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Hal Johnson in 2011
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| Born | June 14, 1956 |
Hal Johnson was born in the United States. He grew up in North York, Ontario. His parents were Black and Irish. Hal has talked about the unfair treatment his parents faced because they were a mixed-race couple. As a child, Hal was diagnosed with dyslexia, which makes reading difficult. Later, he would memorize all his lines for BodyBreak.
Hal was a great athlete in high school. He was captain of his hockey, baseball, basketball, and football teams. He went to the University of Colorado on a baseball scholarship and earned a business degree. He was an all-star first baseman and even played for Canada at the World Baseball Championship.
After his sports career, Hal wanted to be a sports reporter at TSN. However, the offer was taken back because they did not want another Black reporter. These experiences, and what his parents went through, made Hal want to create BodyBreak. He wanted the show to feature people from all backgrounds. Hal believes that media has a big power to help people accept each other. In 2020, he made a video called "How We Battled Racism," which got a lot of attention.
Hal also appeared on the TV show Off the Record with Michael Landsberg over 100 times. He acted in some TV series between 1988 and 1990. Hal is also known for his thick mustache, which he shaved before trying out for The Amazing Race Canada in 2013.
Joanne McLeod
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Joanne McLeod
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Joanne McLeod in 2011
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| Born | September 18, 1958 |
Joanne McLeod has German and Italian family roots. She grew up in Scarborough, Ontario with her adoptive family. Her high school gym teacher, who had been in the 1968 Olympic Games, encouraged her to join a track club. Joanne became a champion hurdler, winning 4 national titles and 7 provincial titles. She represented Canada in many international events.
As of 2013, Joanne was still running marathons, showing her dedication to fitness.
As a couple
Hal and Joanne met at a gym and started dating. They got married in 1999. Together, they travel across the country giving talks about health and teamwork. They have lived in Oakville, Ontario since 2000.
BodyBreak
Segments
More than 300 short BodyBreak episodes, each about 90 seconds long, have been made. The first 128 were created between 1988 and 1994. The show teaches how to add exercise into your daily life. Joanne and Hal came up with the idea after meeting at the gym. They wanted their show to be different from other fitness shows. They wanted it to be friendly, show both men and women equally, and include people from different races and body types. This was important to Hal because of his past experiences.
They used their last $2000 to film three pilot segments in July 1988. Over 40 TV stations and companies turned them down. Some were worried about showing people of different backgrounds together. Hal then asked ParticipACTION, a government program, for help. They ordered five segments, and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation was the first network to show them.
In 1991, ParticipACTION stopped funding the segments, even though they were very popular. Hal and Joanne found new ways to get money and continued making episodes in 1992. They worked with Canada's Vitality project from 1993 to 1995. These short segments were shown during commercial breaks on many Canadian TV channels, especially on TSN.
Television series
In 1995, the Life Network ordered a full TV series based on the popular segments. It had 13 half-hour episodes and was shown during prime time. Many of these episodes included people with disabilities.
Business and Appearances
Hal and Joanne have used the BodyBreak name for different products, like a treadmill and other exercise equipment. They have also supported other health products. Hal has said that they don't have a strict business plan, which allows them to find new and unexpected opportunities. He also mentioned that they have had many failures, but they always find another way to succeed.
Hal and Joanne competed in season 1 of The Amazing Race Canada. They prepared for months, even learning to drive stick shift cars. They finished in sixth place. After the show, they were grand marshals in the 2013 Kitchener–Waterloo Oktoberfest Parade. They also appeared on the news comedy show This Hour Has 22 Minutes.
Hal and Joanne have also appeared in a music video and made a funny promotion for a Netflix zombie series. They even created a physical distancing segment for Vancouver International Airport during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many people in Canada feel that Hal and Joanne are a very important part of Canadian culture.
