Brett Wilson is leaving the Dragons Den

[Graham_A_M]

http://www.cbc.ca/dragonsden/w-brett-wilson/fall-2011-will-see-a-new-dragon-in-the-den.html

Way to go guys. :facepalm: Brett is the most helpful, insightful person there... I wonder who will replace him.

[roopi]

The founder of Lavalife is replacing him. Don't recall his name.

[e36bmw///]

nm

[Mar]

Wow, been having a lot of trouble with that seat. First Laurence dies and Brett replaces him, now Brett is leaving. I have to say him and Robert seem to be extremely nice men but as long as Kevin is still providing comedic relief I'll keep watching.

[Doozer]

I watched it before Brett, and I'll watch it after. He's a nice guy, and a good contributor to the show, but not the only reason I watch it.

[Xtrema]

It's Sony's fault.

They won't let him say he's on Dragon's Den in any capacity.

[almerick]

Originally posted by roopi
The founder of Lavalife is replacing him. Don't recall his name.

Bruce Croxon

http://arts.nationalpost.com/2011/02/28/w-brett-wilson-leaves-dragons-den-with-a-challenge/


W. Brett Wilson, the so-called “dragon with a heart,” is leaving CBC’s Dragons’ Den with a challenge. He called upon the Gemini-award winning show to offer budding businesspeople “constructive criticism as opposed to abuse.”

“There’s an entrepreneur hiding under the skin of most people. The show can foster that … rather than getting into Simon Cowell-type commentary,” the Calgary entrepreneur and philanthropist told the Post in an interview.

“If they just play that game [at the carnival] called whack-a-mole where they beat everyone down, I don’t think it helps anybody.”

The popular CBC show invites inventors and businesspeople to pitch ideas to the panel of “dragons” in the hopes they will invest. It finished its 2009-10 season with more than 2.15 million viewers.

Last week, CBC issued a news release announcing Wilson would be leaving the show at the end of the current season due to contract disagreements. “We’d like to thank Brett for his many contributions to Dragons’ Den over the past three successful seasons and the positive influence he’s had on Canadian entrepreneurs,” Julie Bristow, executive director, Factual Entertainment, CBC Television, said in the release.

Added Jeff Keay, head of media relations for CBC English Services, on Monday: “We thank Brett for his many contributions to Dragons’ Den and wish him success in all his future endeavours.”

On Monday, CBC announced that Lavalife co-founder Bruce Croxon will join Arlene Dickinson, Robert Herjavec, Kevin O’Leary and Jim Treliving on the panel.

In three years, Wilson completed more than 60 deals on air and personally committed more than $4.5-million in final deals. He cites the success of several business that he invested in, such as The 7 Virtues perfume line, which went from making $75,000 in sales to a $250,000 this year. When he joined the show in January 2008 as a replacement dragon, he was initially advised that he “wasn’t mean enough.”

“Dragons' Den fans tell me constantly that they are craving true follow-up shows — not superficial snippets of information,” he said. Wilson said that his contract re-negotiations for the sixth season were “complicated.” “I had committed to a family vacation with my three kids in April,” he said. His children live in Vancouver, Toronto and the British Virgin Islands. “That was a week that was very precious to me.”

He said CBC agreed to bring in another Dragon for one week but the other unresolved issue was “the use of the show branding to promote Dragons’ Den deals.” “We were very, very close to a resolution.”

He says he leaves the show with fond memories: “The reality is the dragons got along well. It was almost amusing [to us] to see us fight.” Wilson says he’ll continue to invest in the oil and gas industry and to support Dragons’ Den-related initiatives. He will also carry on with his philanthropic work, including hosting a fund-raising event for Canadian military families on Wednesday, March 2.

[raceman6135]

Brett's interview with Breakfast Television Calgary:
http://video.citytv.com/video/detail/806643769001.000000/whats-next-for-brett-wilson/