On Campus

Awesome Craigslist ad pays off for York U. student

Hugh Podmore knows what he wants in a roommate

Hugh Podmore is moving from Montreal to Toronto to start his master’s degree in Earth and Space Science at York University this fall. Like most students, he began his roommate search with an ad on the classified site Craigslist. Unlike most students, he spent four hours putting it together.

His comedic stop-motion film paid off. The ad was posted to Reddit and shared on Twitter and at least 30 people in Toronto’s tight student housing market replied. He’s also had countless offers of friendship from Torontonians and some from Italians too (a local news site picked up the story).

As you can see from the ad below, he’s doesn’t smoke, keeps things clean, is “quiet but social” and socially open-minded. Still, he was having trouble finding the right place before he posted the film. “I sent out a bunch of e-mails to convey a sense of my personality and what I thought was important in a roommate but I didn’t feel that I was really getting the message across,” he says. “The pictures were a way to say, hey, this is who I am, this is what I’m like, if this appeals to you, get in touch.”

Podmore is thrilled at the response. “Everyone’s really helpful and eager to help me get settled in this new city which is really incredibly nice,” he says. He’s seems nice too: “I will be walking around Toronto all of the next three days, so if people see me on the street, come say hi,” he says.

Students in Calgary, where flooding has exacerbated a shortage of rentals, should definitely watch.

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