Former City of St. John’s mayoral candidate Renee Sharpe launched her DIY web talk show last week. The Renee Sharpe Show will be live-streaming weekly on Facebook, from 6:00pm-7:00pm every Thursday of winter 2018. 

I interviewed Sharpe from the set (her open-concept living room/kitchen) just a few minutes before she went live with her pilot episode. As we spoke, local punk band Conditioner were setting up next to the sofa where Sharpe would interview her guests. The ‘studio audience’ were beginning to pile up in the front porch, tugging off their boots.

“The show is just a fun way to hang out, make new friends, and celebrate all the talent in St. John’s and beyond,” Sharpe said, “It’s also a way to make it through the winter without feeling isolated, to bring people together who might not otherwise get together and get to know each other.”

Renee Sharpe’s got presence; she’s one of those people who radiates contagious fun and anyone who follows her on Instagram knows it translates to screen. It’s no surprise that being in the room while she pulls off an hour of live entertainment, with a band, and a cooking segment, is an absolute blast.

After Conditioner played the catchy intro-music they wrote for the show, Sharpe welcomed journalist Felicity Roberts to the stage to talk about foraging, pro-seal hunt activism, and giving back to your community. At the end of their fifteen minute interview, Sharpe picked a Tarrot deck off the coffee table and asked Roberts to read a card for her.

Next, comedian Swervy Garland performed a few minutes of stand-up before joining Sharpe on the couch to talk about what it’s like to be a woman in comedy in St. John’s and the surprising reason she gave up crafting (you’ll have to watch the episode, below). Garland also read a Tarrot card for Sharpe, who grinned, “It’s all about me, it’s my show.”

After the interviews, Sharpe moved into the kitchen for the priceless “How’s My Cooking” segment. She handed out homemade Spanakopita to her guests and the audience, and then got Roberts and Swervy to help her make a desert, which they popped in the oven before the final segment: an interview with Conditioner.

Devin Shears filmed the first episode of the show with a web-cam (which required some tricky maneuvers during “How’s My Cooking”) and occasionally read out a selection of the comments pouring in on the Facebook Live feed. Sharpe welcomed the interactive aspect and urges viewers to Skype in (add ReneeSharpe709) for “free life advice” during future episodes or join the studio audience.

“It’s really a show for everyone of all ages, so if you’re lonely or shy or a total freaker or you feel left out or you’re a total babe come to my show,” Sharpe said.

Episode 2 streams tonight from 6-7pm. You can find it via Renee Nicole on Facebook; there is talk of it all going up on YouTube eventually.