Distill Media

08/21/2026

An update and context on the ongoing saga with false Google Reviews hitting Distill Media:
Yesterday morning, I had a phone call with the manager of the company whose employees I believe are affiliated with the fake Google Reviews targeting my business. That company is Trufinity Plumbing and Heating, who I had hired for a $12,000 Poly-B removal on my home.

My partner and I were really unhappy with their service for a lot of reasons, most of which are documented in a consumer review I posted on August 19. All of which were well documented in emails to Trufinity. Within an hour of posting it, Distill Media got hit with a fake negative review from an account with the same name as Trufinity's office manager. Shortly after, another negative review popped up from a business in Ontario. A quick Facebook search showed that the company is connected to one of the managers at Trufinity, Casey Evans. After that, even more non-client reviews rolled in, with the same links back to the company and it became pretty obvious what was happening.

Which brings me to the call. Just after 8:00 AM, Casey Evans called me, about five minutes after I had asked Trufinity's CEO to call me so we could figure this out. Instead of apologizing or denying involvement, Casey claimed I was in the wrong for posting my personal review and said we had "an agreement."

I kept pressing him for several minutes on what agreement he thought we had. Eventually, he said his opinion was that we agreed they’d give me a discount on my bill if I promised not to leave a review. This was never brought up, nor would I ever agree to not being able to share my experience in exchange for a discount. I don’t believe customers should ever be bought or silenced.

I told Mr. Evans that if the fake reviews weren't down in a couple of hours, I’d be taking the story to the media. On a call I told him was being recorded, his response was: "Here’s the deal Curtis, I don’t really care." (Excerpts from the call can be found in the second video in this post, and if anyone wants to hear the full call in full context, let me know and I’ll share it with you).

So, here’s where we’re at: Google has temporarily wiped all the recent reviews from our profile—good and bad—while they sort through the mess. Meanwhile, Madison Reeve over at Castanet agreed to tell the story and gave Mr. Evans and Trufinity a chance to share their side too. That’s the beauty of journalism: everyone gets to see both sides presented by an actual third party.

I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has reached out, left support, and stood by Distill Media. New fake reviews have already started coming in from our presence in Kamloops, but knowing I have this community around me has made the whole thing a lot less stressful.

A final note. We do not endorse anyone leaving Trufinity Google Reviews unless they have had an actual experience with them. Two wrongs do not make a right.

08/21/2026

Update: Thank you all for the kinds words, your Google reviews, text messages and support. Despite this being a very tough day, I'm so encouraged by the community around me. I appreciate you all. It was really touching to read the kind things you had to say about your experiences working with me. We really have done some special things together.

Today, I've got good news and bad news to share with you. The negative reviews have been removed by Google. However, along with that, the good reviews you all left in the last 24 hours have also been removed. I respect that Google doesn't know what's real and what isn't, and as such, needed to remove it all.

I will have much more to share tomorrow and in the days to come, but for now, I wanted to thank you all for your support in what has been an incredibly tough day.

-Curtis

08/20/2026

A message from our owner, Curtis Allen:

I feel it is important to address a deeply upsetting situation currently affecting on my online presence.

Recently, I used my personal Google account to leave an honest, detailed, and accurate consumer review regarding a poor experience I had with a local vendor. In response, it appears as if individuals connected to that business have launched a retaliatory attack against Distill Media, leaving fabricated, fake negative reviews on our business page.

To say this is disheartening would be an understatement. Building a business on trust and quality takes years, and having our professional profile targeted with completely fake reviews as a punishment for personal consumer feedback is deeply frustrating and unethical.

We are actively working with Google to have these fraudulent posts permanently removed.

To our real clients, partners, and community: thank you for your ongoing support. We will always stand up for truth, accountability, and fair business practices.
If you've been a real client of Distill Media and could spare a second for a positive review, it would me the world to me. The link to do so is here: https://g.page/r/CY5irM0EKXjYEBM/review Thank you all.

06/03/2026

In the last few years I've found a niche in my work that I truly enjoy: Municipal Storytelling. This most recent episode of the 'City at Work' docuseries I've had the opportunity to create is definitely one of my favourites. It's visual, it's fun, and it showcases the fantastic people who show up at work every day to make this city better for all who live and visit Kelowna.
Give it a watch and see what it takes to move 60 Koi out of a downtown pond in order to wash 20 years of grime away.

I hope to be able to tell hundreds more stories like this one in my career. A massive thank you to the City of Kelowna for their continued trust in me to tell their stories.

Kasugai Park is a local favourite—and keeping the pond healthy take...