Tamara Baluja

I’m an award-winning Canadian journalist and the bestselling author of The Heart of a Superfan.

Currently, I’m the First Person Producer for CBC News, where I commission, edit and fact-check personal essays for a national audience. I also enjoy mentoring and teaching, both at CBC and as an instructor at the University of British Columbia and the University of King’s College.

Previously, I was a social media editor for CBC British Columbia and have done stints with CBC Sports during the Tokyo Olympics and with CBC Indigenous. I have also worked as a reporter for The Globe and Mail and CFRB 1010 in Toronto. I have received several individual and team journalism awards, including a Jack Webster for digital excellence and a national RTDNA for excellence in social media and opinion.

I have an MFA in creative nonfiction from the University of King’s College, and am looking for the next book project that will excite me.

I was born in India, have lived in Oman, England and Toronto, and now call Vancouver home. On a sunny day, I’ll likely be kayaking, hiking or biking around the Stanley Park seawall. On a rainy day, I enjoy reading and looking at cat reels.

I am a creative storyteller with a passion for human-interest stories and strong narrative arcs. As a producer, I’m skilled at finding the emotional heart of the story and identifying the missing elements that, if included, make the final content unforgettable.

Here are some of the awards I have won for my journalism:

• Producer of the CBC First Person essay that won the national RTDNA in Opinion, November 2024.
• Part of the CBC team that produced personal essays that won the national RTDNA in Opinion, October 2023.
• Part of the CBC team that produced a personal essay that won Gold in best digital design from the Digital Publishing Awards, June 2023.
• Jack Webster Fellowship for professional development, May 2023.
• Part of the CBC digital team that won Gold in the General Excellence in Digital Publishing, May 2022.
• CBC producer and reporter for projects that won the national RTDNA for excellence in social media awards in 2019 and 2021.
• CBC reporter for the story that won the 2020 RTDNA National Award for Diversity.
• CBC reporter for the project that won the 2019 Jack Webster Excellence in Digital award.
• CBC social media producer for the project that won the 2019 CAJ/JHR Human Rights Reporting Award.
• Michener-Deacon Fellowship for Journalism Education, 2018.
• 2012 CJF Greg Clark Award for young journalists with articles published in the Globe and Mail and the Toronto Star.

I’m the co-author of the Canadian bestseller The Heart of a Superfan. It's a memoir of the extraordinary life of Nav Bhatia, the Toronto Raptor's greatest fan. It's a courtside view into his life, but his story is so much more than basketball.

When I was first approached for this DoubleDay Canada project, I didn't know how much I would relate to a 71-year-old Sikh sports fan, but we ended up having so much in common. We come from the same part of India, our families both immigrated to Canada and faced challenges, and we were raised by incredible matriarchs. We're both passionate about empowering women and celebrating diversity in all its shapes and forms. Despite being such a celebrity, Nav is so kind and genuine and it's been a pleasure to share his story.

Check out the book

I’ve also worked as a development editor and mentor for other authors. I'm open to other writing and editing opportunities, so please get in touch if you have a project you'd like to collaborate on.

I enjoy teaching and mentoring upcoming journalists. Previously, I was an adjunct professor at UBC’s School of Journalism, where I taught introduction to news audiences as well as social media for journalists.

I’m also an instructor with the University of King’s College’s MFA program where I teach a course on the publishing industry, including book marketing, contract negotiations and legal issues.

I’ve guest lectured at many j-schools, such as TMU and Langara College, and led workshops for the Canadian Journalists of Colour and the Canadian Association of Journalists. At CBC, I have led numerous workshops and training sessions on social media and journalism, personal essays and its publishing software.

If you're interested in having me lead a workshop or a guest lecture, please reach out.

Drop me a line. I look forward to hearing from you.

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