About Us

It was 2001 when two downsized airline veterans created Canada’s first online travel industry publication. Back then the question on everyone’s mind was ‘will travel agents ever embrace the internet?’ Nina Slawek and Suzanne Christie bet their savings on agents not only embracing Open Jaw’s ground-breaking platform, but using it as their primary source of news, product information and video training.

Open Jaw aggregates daily news curated specifically for Canadian travel agents. Being Canadian, an irreverent approach is reflected in the industry’s only cartoon strip, featuring the indomitable Tina The Travel Agent. Open Jaw’s signature video newsmagazine shows the “Pink Couch” is renowned throughout the travel industry in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean.

Open Jaw Network Ltd.
8 Jean St
Toronto, ON M4W 3A7
tel: 416-926-8092
fax: 416-926-9400

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Nina Slawek

After decades of delivering marketing plans to airlines and ad agencies at an exorbitant salary, Nina decided to fulfill a lifelong dream of having her own business and working for nothing. As well as the pleasures of travelling, hobnobbing with industry leaders and glamorous appearances in the Open Jaw TV room, Nina has the additional joyful responsibilities of ensuring the financial stability of the company and managing the talented but eccentric Open Jaw team.

Elana Karpman

Elana was hooked on travel from the moment she was old enough to book her first cruise. It’s no surprise that she started her travel journey at Encore Cruises and after a stint at Sears Travel, returned to her first love of cruising by joining Cruise Strategies. Back at the ‘Jaw, Elana is the lynchpin of the organization, juggling merciless production schedules, lost clients and an occasionally lost boss. Her claim to fame is a salted caramel bar which gets burned off rigorously at the gym. She can do cartwheels and the splits, which puts her in an elite group of one at Open Jaw.

Jim Byers

Jim Byers is a freelance travel writer based in Toronto. He was formerly travel editor at the Toronto Star and now writes for a variety of publications in Canada and around the world. He's also a regular guest on CBC, CTV News, Global News and other television and radio networks.

Lynn Elmhirst

With a background in broadcast news and travel lifestyles TV production, Lynn is just as comfortable behind or in front of the camera as she is slinging words into compelling stories at her laptop. Having been called a multi-media ‘content charmer’, Lynn’s other claim to fame is the ability to work 24/7, forgoing sleep until the job is done. Documented proof exists in a picture of Lynn at the closing celebrations of an intense week, standing, champagne in hand - sound asleep. That’s our kind of gal.

Martha Chapman

A contributor to Open Jaw since 2006 - and known to all in the business - Martha has worked in the travel industry all of her career and covers events, destinations, personalities and issues in the travel world.

Karen Dahdah

Karen is a jet-setting foodie with a flair for finding adventure wherever her passport takes her. Equal parts culture connoisseur and shutterbug, she thrives on discovering the art, flavours, and stories that make each destination unforgettable. From sipping wine under the stars to snapping photos that spark wanderlust, she’s here to capture the full experience for our readers—guitar optional, sass mandatory.

Anna Kroupina

Anna can be spotted attending events around town for Open Jaw. The Alberta Rockies, Hawaii and France's Provence region are among her favourite destinations. She's a proud cat mom and a terrible snowboarder.

Claudia Laroye

Claudia Laroye is an award-winning freelance writer, author and content creator living in Vancouver, British Columbia. She writes about adventure, wellness, culinary and sustainable travel for a variety of online and print outlets around the world. Her award-winning travel anthology, ‘A Gelato a Day’ was published in fall 2022.

Ivanna Gabbalot

Part legend, part myth, all woman: Ivanna Gabbalot is OJ’s gossip columnist and considers herself the industry’s conscience. Equally annoying to Open Jaw management and inflated egos in C-suites everywhere, Ivanna works infrequently, preferring to snipe from the sidelines.

Vanessa Lee

An internationally-known luxury cruise expert and influencer, Vanessa founded Encore cruises in 1991 and Cruise Strategies in 2006. She is publisher and editor of Cruise and Travel Lifestyles magazine. At OJ she contributes ship review columns and occasionally appears with Nina on camera.

Karen Young

OJ’s Creative Director was part of the original development team and knows where all the bodies are buried. She oversees back- and front-end development and manages all production projects from design to implementation. This skilled pixel wrestler has earned degrees in both Media and Fine Arts.

Tristan Lim

Meet Tristan, the video virtuoso of Open Jaw. With a camera in hand and a sense of wanderlust in the heart, Tristan accompanies Nina in many reel adventures around the globe, one shot at a time. Being quite new to OJ, he is still improving on his ability to keep lipstick off of Nina's teeth before hitting record!