St. Lawrence Market resident and Ghostly Encounters host Lawrence Chau is no stranger to things that go bump in the night.

A self-proclaimed “ghost buff,” Chau is right at home as host of the real-life ghost stories show that features everyday people sharing their personal encounters with the spiritual world. Chau has even had a few of his own experiences with the paranormal—and retelling one of them at the audition helped land him the job. “I grew up loving to tell ghost stories,” he says. “It’s a genuine interest on my part.”

 Chau remembers his audition story vividly.

It happened when Chau was still a journalism major at Ryerson University and working at the Financial Post on Bay St. He stayed late one evening to work on a class paper, dismissing his supervisor’s warning to “be careful of Big Foot” as a joke. “Around midnight, like out of a movie, all the lights went out,” Chau recalls. “I could hear from down the corridor thumping footsteps, like from a three hundred pound man, coming slowly towards me. Thump, thump, thump. I froze at my typewriter as the sounds passed right in front of me. Then everything on the walls came crashing down. That was just one of my personal encounters.”

Ghostly Encounters airs on the VIVA and W networks and has just been picked up in the United States by A&E. Currently in production for its third season, the show has developed a loyal cult following, a success Chau credits to the show’s non-judgemental attitude, documentary-style filming and creative re-enactments. “I think everyone’s curiosity with the paranormal has given the show legs,” he says. “Aside from people’s genuine fascination with things that go bump in the night, I think the show’s popularity is rooted to its production standards. The bar is kept high in terms of creativity despite not having a huge budget.”

While Chau admits to getting spooked by the show at times, he’s never been afraid of being on camera. Toronto born and raised, Chau has made a name for himself as a multitalented TV personality, both on home soil and abroad. Now a seasoned Jack-of-all-trades, Chau got his start overseas in the 90s, when shortly after graduating from Ryerson University’s journalism program, he headed to Hong Kong with the hopes of entering the world of entertainment media.

Once in Hong Kong, Chau joined an award-winning PR agency as well as dabbled in acting, songwriting and modelling. These experiences led to his first gig as a TV show host on Citylife, a popular English lifestyle program. But his career really took off, almost by accident he says, while visiting a friend in Singapore. A chance meeting with an executive at a casting call eventually landed Chau the role of anchor on Showbuzz, the country’s number one English program for entertainment news, which he also helped produce.

Since then, Chau has travelled the globe interviewing some of the biggest names in show business. He highlighted his career with celebrity interviews such Tom Hanks, George Clooney, Johnny Depp and Whitney Houston, just to name a few. “Having interviewed so many stars, I’m no longer star struck,” Chau says. “I am still inspired by their creativity, though, and by their personal stories of making it in this tough business. And I’m in awe that I got to do a job that I’ve always dreamed of doing.”

In addition to model, actor, songwriter, producer, anchor and celebrity interviewer, Chau added game show host, travel video host and even record producer to his list of talents during the 10 years he lived in Asia. In the early 2000’s, his father fell ill with cancer and Chau decided it was time to return home.

Back in Toronto, Chau supported his father and family. Today, his father is cancer free and Chau has continued to find successes in his hometown pursuing two of his lifelong passions, acting and journalism. Chau has appeared in CBC Television’s The Border and wrote a column in Metro for three years.

Now, as host of Ghostly Encounters, Chau finds himself combining his childhood love for ghost stories with his innate abilities in front of the camera. “I’ve always been fascinated by the lives of people, who have done fascinating things,” he says. “ A natural curiosity and a love for communication are essential tools for hosting. Hosting different types of programs is like actors taking on different characters. It’s like the saying, ‘variety is the spice of life.’”