Angus Collis, an usher at Scotiabank Arena, cajoles concert guests from his position at Gate 1, Scotiabank Arena, in Toronto, on April 10.Christopher Katsarov/The Globe and Mail
He sings. He dances. He cajoles.
He corrals hundreds upon hundreds of visitors into orderly lines at Gate 1 – the main entrance – to Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena. A mass of people who mostly have no idea where to go on the west side of the building.
He wears a powder-blue shirt and tie and carries a megaphone and entertains fans so much that they follow his directions.
“Move it! Keep moving! No time to waste,” Angus Collis chides.
Mr. Collis, 56, has worked as a security officer and usher at Maple Leafs and Raptors games at Scotiabank Arena for more than 11 years. He also helps to maintain order at concerts. Originally from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, he usually arrives for work by 2 p.m. Many nights he is not done until midnight or later.
Angus Collis, an usher at Scotiabank Arena, cajoles concert guests from his position at Gate 1.Christopher Katsarov/The Globe and Mail
Up and down the line he goes, prowling with his megaphone.
“Who is here for the first time? Put your hand up!” he directs.
Hands shoot into the air.
People use phones to take pictures and videos of him. They smile as he teases and pleases them.
He peruses the line and pulls out people with canes, on crutches and in wheelchairs and moves them to the front.
Backpacks are frowned upon, but when someone brings one he pulls them out of the line and directs them to a bag-check station.
He saunters up to a middle-aged fellow with his head shaved, points to his own bald dome, and has him give it a rub.
He is a blur.
“We have the best fans in the world,” Mr. Collis says, praising them and eliciting cheers. Then he begins to dance and tries to get a shy teenager to join him. “You have to shake it, man!” he shouts.
At times, he swivels his hips like Elvis. At others, he does a little two-step. And then looks like he is about to do a highland dance.
“We’ve got to get the game started right here!” he yells.
He directs some fans to a different gate.
Angus Collis, an usher at Scotiabank Arena, directs concert guests from his position at Gate 1.Christopher Katsarov/The Globe and Mail
“Don’t ask! Listen to me,” he begs as he points. “If you go out that door it will take you straight into the arena!”
He sings through his bullhorn. “Join the line; to the back; move it up, man.”
He smiles broadly and laughs heartily.
Mr. Collis loves his job. He feels he makes a difference.
“I see a lot of people come into the arena that look sad or like they have had a bad day,” Mr. Collis says. “I want to do what I can to make them feel better. It is something I have learned. I sing and dance and try to change their mood. … A lot of people tell me they come to the arena to see me.”
At times, during games, he makes his way around the arena, dancing section by section. A likely place to find him is in Section 118 or 119.
“People text me and ask me to come to where they are seated,” he says. “They want to be on the big screen.”
Angus Collis, an usher at Scotiabank Arena, poses for a photograph outside his position at Gate 1.Christopher Katsarov/The Globe and Mail
Viral videos of him can be found on the social-media platform 6ixBuzz, which celebrates, promotes and advertises urban culture.
Mr. Collis came to Toronto when he was 32 to join his parents. He lived in Trinidad at the time and followed the Raptors even before he came to Canada. The night they won the NBA title in 2019 at Golden State, he watched the game on the jumbo screen inside the arena with other employees.
“I sipped some Champagne,” he says.
As a reward, the club gave him a replica championship ring.
He hopes to get a Stanley Cup ring and will be doing his thing at Scotiabank Arena before, during and after Games 3 and 4 between the Maple Leafs and Bruins on Wednesday and Saturday.
He has a Santa hat that he wears around Christmas and a cowboy hat he dons during country concerts. He likes Kane Brown but has eclectic tastes. Favourite concerts he has worked include Madonna, Pitbull and Bad Bunny.
“I am a man of music,” he says. “The genre doesn’t matter. I love to dance. I do my thing and get everybody involved. I get them moving and rocking like it’s a party.”
“People tell me, ‘Thank you, you make us feel better.’ It’s what I love to do. I want to put a smile on someone’s face.”
Angus Collis, an usher at Scotiabank Arena, cajoles concert guests from his position at Gate 1.Christopher Katsarov/The Globe and Mail
Before an event, he sets up lines just outside Gate 1, across from the Real Sports Apparel store, beneath two huge Canadian flags. He arranges the rows through which fans file through to reach the security scanners.
“He is a legend,” says Mike Ster, a regular at the arena. “He is in charge of the area. It’s like a symphony. This is his orchestra and he is the maestro. If he is not here, there’s chaos.”
He sees many of the same people over and over again. Season-ticket holders know him. If they don’t see him for a while, they call him and check to see if he is okay.
“What motivates me is that I meet so many new friends,” Mr. Collis says. “I love what I do.”
Fans return that love.
Marty Klinkenberg