Technocolour Dreams: A revolution is born

A new revolution is born

By Jesse Ferguson

(Article originally written 03/31/13; adapted 03/04/2017)

“WE WANT PAINT!”

This may sound like an odd request, but that’s exactly what Dom Sabourin loves to hear.

It shows him, the creator of the experience, that patrons are having fun to an extent unimaginable to those who have never experienced it.

“Technocolour Dreams was thee best experience of my life,” said Lisa De Jong, who attended a rendition of the event in St. Catharines, Ont. “It was completely ridiculous.”

What is Technocolour Dreams you may be asking?

“Plain and simple, it’s a paint party,” said Sabourin (above), the Brantford product.

Paint is fired off the stage primarily by modified water guns via a splatter into the crowd. The result? Paint ends up on people’s clothes, paint ends up in their faces, paint ends up on the floor and paint ends up on the walls.

Sabourin smiled and summed it up nicely: “Paint ends up everywhere.”

Under the black lights, the paint glows, creating fabulous fluorescent spectacles all over the dancefloor. 

“It’s a mess,” said Sabourin, standing a burly 6’3” while weighing in at 220 pounds. “But it’s worth it.”

The paint is supposed to be washable, but as guests have found out, it doesn’t come out very easily... if at all.

Regardless, the crowds love it. “It’s seriously the craziest party I’ve ever been to,” said model Nicole Arbour. “And that includes Cancun, Spring Break, MuchMusic Video Awards, everything.”

The increased attendance also appears to be worth the mess. Club NV in Brantford has held five of these events, with the next scheduled to happen at Club NV Saturday, March 4 (which is... TONIGHT!!)

The name “Technocolour Dreams” comes from where, you ask? Explaining the process, Sabourin says he wanted to include the type of music (TECHNO), the paint aspect (COLOUR) and finally, because “we want the atmosphere to be fantasy-like, where people can show up in the most creative costumes and escape reality, (DREAMS) is only fitting. "

Founded in 2012 with partner Yvonne Arbour, the mission of Technocolour Dreams is to deliver the best and most unique party experience to its guests.

“The idea came to me when I first experienced a version of a somewhat-like paint party in Panama City (Florida),” Sabourin said. “I was blown away. It was like being a kid again.

“And I thought how cool it would be to bring back to Canada..."

Well, he has... with a bang!

“The only thing we use [from the party in Florida] is the concept of paint, which can’t be trademarked,” Sabourin explained. “The name and everything else are original.”

Sabourin continued, “When I got back to Canada, I decided to make something happen. The owner of Club NV gave me the time of day to discuss my plans.”

From there, everything sprouted neon.

Sabourin, a Winnipeg native, graduated from Business-Marketing in 2012 at Mohawk College (Hamilton, Ont.), where he gained his entrepreneurial edge. He had already infiltrated the bar scene, working as a bartender at Boston Pizza South (by the casino), and these credentials paired to make the transition to initiating Technocolour Dreams a big step, but not an impossible one.

“I decided to take marketing at school because I love watching something I create grow,” said the Brantford Collegiate Institute graduate. “I like to picture an end product and figure out how to get there.

“I knew trying to sell a paint party to kids that have never heard of it would be a difficult,” he explained. “So I took my knowledge from marketing and called Dunbar from MTV’s ‘Real World’ who I met in Florida to see if he'd host it,” said a determined Sabourin. “This gave me a selling edge.”

The first ever paint party was at Club NV on September 15^th, 2012. Admission was reasonable compared to the amount of cover for a typical night. Proceeding this event, Technocolour Dreams’ popularity became contagious and soon thereafter, clubs across Ontario were all but lined up to have their own versions of the party.

“Our first party didn't quite sell out, but the goal was just to make sure people left wanting more,” he assures. “Needless to say, it was a success and from there we had to plan the next one.”

The next one, thrown just a month after the first, was a risk, yet attendance numbers doubled. “From there,” he explained, “we knew we had lightning in a bottle and were on to something.”

Sabourin and his “Dream Team” have also been to St. Catharines, Hamilton, Toronto and Barrie in the past few months with plans to hit more cities abroad.

“I have several cities (bars) lined up for meetings to plan events,” Sabourin said. He has reached out to Montreal, with no plan to limit the parameters of Technocolour Dreams. Sabourin even posted on his Facebook that someone in Africa has reported interest in hosting his party!

“Everyone I’ve talked to says this is my calling,” the entrepreneur said. “For me, the feedback from the fans is the priceless reward.”

Sabourin may want to buy stock in paint because the people have spoken. You can hear them in the background, faintly at first, but reassuringly, louder and louder, eventually screaming over the music: “WE WANT PAINT!”

“That’s what makes me want to do this,” Sabourin said, smiling. “When I say I love doing this, I truly mean I love doing this.”

The revolution, in flying fluorescent colours, is on.

Exactly What You Need

Exactly What You Need  By Jesse Ferguson   Meet Kaitlyn Brown. Maybe you know her. If not, she is a mid-20s woman from Brantford, Ont. Perhaps most importantly for the community, she (pictured below) is opening a weight management and nutritional supplement franchise under EWYN right here in her hometown, of Brantford (EWYN stands for “Exactly What You Need”, which, not coincidentally, is also the motto Brown follows for her clients).  Brown and EWYN studios offer clients personalized meal plans, one-on-one personal coaching and nutritional supplements to help them lose weight or achieve their weight loss goals. According to Brown, compliant clients can expect to lose an average of two-seven pounds per week if they follow the meal plan, take the mandatory nutritional supplements, and come in for their coaching sessions. “I believe that every client that wants to lose weight will achieve their goals if they stick to their personalized plan,” says a confident Brown. The new EWYN studio is located conveniently on the corner of Charing Cross Street and North Park Street. Ironically, this location pits itself right across from eateries including KFC and Dominos Pizza, and is beside Pizza Roma (so if you want to offset your greasy lunch, you can come and see Kait! Or if you want to get ahead, just go see her and she’ll tell you what your lunch should be instead). So, how did Brown get in this spot to open a franchise? It all started for her on her own weight loss journey. She lost 40 pounds, and soon thereafter felt the burn of wanting to help others feel the burn too. She then applied for a personal health coach position at a local weight loss centre in Port Elgin in 2012 and landed the job. After, Brown was then contacted by Dieter Decker, formerly the founder of Herbal Magic. His team from EWYN Studios liked her experience, she said, and so she moved to Sarnia to learn the business and work at one of their corporate studios. After increased clientele and success for five months, Brown felt that she had learned enough about EWYN Studios. “I was ready to open my own studio in Brantford,” she explains. So she met with Decker again to discuss the details of the franchise agreement. “Deiter saw the potential in Brantford for a franchise and we thought I could run it,” Brown says. “So I committed to the opening and I moved back here.”  Interested in a better body? Does your spouse want one for you?? Do you want one for them? (Be careful with broaching this topic…)  “I get goosebumps through my body when I sign up new clients because I see their potential and I want to make their potential a reality,” she gushes. “When my clients succeed, I feel a sense of accomplishment and I am proud to have changed a life for the better,” she explains.  “When they join, the knowledgeable personal health coaches will create a personalized meal plan and suggest an exercise routine to achieve their goals.” EWYN Weight Loss Studios opened May 16th and will celebrate their Grand Opening on May 24th. Potential clients are welcome to come out! “If clients don’t succeed in reaching their goals, they have not failed,” Brown tells. “I have failed. I want that onus to be on me,” Brown says. “I am committed to changing their lives for the better.” She advises that people can come in for a free consultation any time. Interested? Come to the Grand Opening Tuesday and check it out!! Other than weight, what do you have to lose? It may just be exactly what you need.