Ziya Tong
Gemini-nominated Ziya Tong has been sharing her passion for science, nature, and technology for almost two decades. She is best known as the co-host of Daily Planet, Discovery Canada’s flagship science program, which she anchored for a decade, and as the host of CBC’s Emmy-nominated series ZeD, where she was nominated for a Gemini Viewer’s Choice Award.
Most recently, Ziya released her bestselling book, The Reality Bubble. Called “ground-breaking” and “wonder-filled”, it takes readers on a journey through the hidden things that shape our lives in unexpected, and sometimes dangerous, ways. This vitally important book shows how science, and the curiosity that drives it, can help civilization flourish by opening our eyes to the landscape laid out before us. It has even been compared to The Matrix.
Before Daily Planet, Ziya served as host and field producer for the PBS national primetime series, Wired Science, produced in conjunction with WIRED magazine. She was also the host, writer, and director for the Canadian science series, The Leading Edge, and a correspondent for NOVA scienceNOW alongside Neil deGrasse Tyson on PBS.
In the spring of 2019, Ziya joined Canada Reads — CBC’s annual “battle of the books” — as one of their five celebrity champions. Each champion chose one book they felt every Canadian should read, with Ziya supporting Holocaust survivor Max Eisen’s memoir, By Chance Alone. After a week of intense debates, Ziya and Max won.
A passionate advocate for the planet, Ziya sits on the board of directors for World Wildlife Fund. She brings a wealth of knowledge, experience, and enthusiasm to everything she does from hosting and appearing at events, to collaborating with organizations that align with her goals.