Curtis Brown

Curtis Brown is a senior research associate with Probe Research Inc., a Winnipeg, Manitoba-based market research firm. He was born in Brandon, Manitoba and spent his childhood in the Western Manitoba communities of Glenboro and Carberry. After migrating to the big city down the highway (Winnipeg) to complete undergraduate courses at the University of Winnipeg, Curtis went slightly further west to the University of Regina, where he completed a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Journalism and served as the lone Winnipeg Blue Bomber fan in a sea of Roughrider green. A fan of practically all sports since birth, Curtis tried his hand at being a sportswriter, gaining valuable experience writing about junior hockey and independent baseball in the sports departments of the Prince Albert Daily Herald and Winnipeg Free Press, respectively. In 2002, Curtis arrived home in Brandon, Manitoba to serve as a reporter for a start-up weekly newspaper (the Wheat City Journal), but later ended up joining the Brandon Sun shortly thereafter, where he came to work as a city hall reporter, op-ed columnist and later editorial page editor. In 2005, he launched a blog about Manitoba politics (Endless Spin Cycle), which became a mainstay of political commentary in Manitoba. The following year Curtis began writing a regular column for the Winnipeg Free Press, and somehow Manitobans didn't become completely exasperated with his opinioning about politics.

In 2007, Curtis decided to pursue a Master's Degree in Political Studies at the University of Manitoba, where he had the privilege and good fortune of studying under Paul Thomas, who graciously allowed Curtis to co-edit the book Manitoba Politics and Government: Issues, Institutions and Traditions. In 2010, Curtis successfully defended his MA thesisand presented a paper at the annual meeting of the Canadian Communications Association.

Since 2008, Curtis has worked at Probe Research in a variety of roles. He enjoys an amazing view out his window of the soon-to-be-completed Canadian Museum of Human Rights, and he has been fortunate enough to benefit from a number of incredible learning experiences, including an International Visitor Program Exchange sponsored by the U.S. State Department during the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election.

Curtis lives in the East Kildonan area of Winnipeg with his wife, Rana McDonald. You can usually find them in a campground or canoe in the summer or on a ski trail in the winter.