Faces of New Canaan

Faces of New Canaan: Hadley Pollet

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Hadley Pollet, a 1988 New Canaan High School graduate, moved back to town one year ago after growing up here (and attending the great, bygone Center School). She returned to New Canaan after attending NYU, moving to Boston, attending RISD and launching her own fashion line and business. A success story about an entrepreneur-and-artist following her talents and doing what she loves, Pollet in recent years has become involved with LiveGirl, the locally founded girl empowerment organization, as an inspirational speaker. She and much of her line are the central figures of a May 12 LiveGirl “FemPowered Benefit” at the Carriage Barn Arts Center. In this installment of “Faces of New Canaan,” we talk to Pollet about growing up here, her singular career arc, returning to New Canaan and the LiveGirl benefit (see transcription below).

Around Town

‘It’s Really Good TV’: New Canaan’s Rich Riley Co-Produces Game Show ‘Beat Shazam,’ Premiering Thursday Night on FOX

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New Canaan residents have accomplished a great deal, creating landmark homes, beloved books, memorable films and timeless music. This week, the town can add ‘primetime network TV game shows’ to that list. Rich Riley is the CEO of Shazam, the wildly popular music app used over 20 million times per day, and one of the executive producers of “Beat Shazam,” which will premiere at 8 p.m. Thursday on FOX. To be hosted by Oscar-winning actor Jamie Foxx, the new and highly anticipated “Name That Tune”-type show integrates Shazam’s mobile app in unique ways, opening a new level of home viewers’ participation through technology. “I feel great,” Riley said.

Faces of New Canaan

Faces of New Canaan: Amer Salloum

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In this installment of “Faces of New Canaan,” we interview a town resident known for nearly two decades to scores of locals through the New Canaan YMCA as well as his own business. Amer Salloum, a licensed massage therapist, lives on Millport Avenue with his wife and three kids, and has been a New Canaanite for some 11 years. Given that Salloum’s story of hard work, opportunity and optimism—from non-English-speaking and, for a time, homeless, to family, profession and community—captures perhaps what many of us associate with this nation at its best, we feel it’s fitting to headline our Independence Day newsletter with this profile. We met Salloum in a recent afternoon at Kaahve coffee chop on Main Street. What follows is a transcription of our exchange.

Faces of New Canaan

Meet The Town’s Newest Police Officers: Kelly Coughlin and Will Sheehan

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New Canaan Police Officers Kelly Coughlin and Will Sheehan on Wednesday graduated from the Connecticut Police Academy in Meriden and on Friday kickstarted a three-month field training program. We caught up with the town’s newest police officers hours into their first day on the job to get their thoughts on New Canaan, policing and other matters of interest for local readers. Here’s our conversation. New Canaanite: Tell me a little bit about how you found New Canaan and came to be police officers in New Canaan. Officer Will Sheehan: It’s actually a funny story.