John Kastner, author of Justin Bieber: Steps to Stardom, is a lifelong writer, having spent thirty-three years as a journalist. He graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University with majors in English and History, began his career as a sports writer at the Stratford Beacon Herald, and retired as the managing editor in 2012. During his career at the Stratford daily newspaper, he often wrote about and organized the coverage of the meteoric rise of local teenager Justin Bieber.

In 2013 he began a second career as the general manager of the Stratford Perth Museum. The Stratford Perth Museum exhibit Steps to Stardom, and this book, in many ways is another chapter in John’s telling of the story of Justin Bieber’s rapid ascent from a local kid with talent to one of the world’s most popular musicians.

John is a lifelong resident of the Stratford area, a former Stratford Sportsperson of the Year, and a recipient of the chamber of commerce award for business excellence. He is very involved in sports and is the commissioner of the Intercounty Baseball League. John is also on the board of the Ontario Hockey Federation, a branch of Hockey Canada.

Author Twitter: @John_kastner
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