Meg Kerr - Mosaic - December 9, 2011

  

Meg Kerr - Social Media Integration Manager at Mosaic Experiential Marketing 

ABOUT MEG

- Meg attended Western University for Media, Information and Techniculture,  then Fanshaw for Broadcast Journalism.

- Meg got a job with Mosaic doing promotions across the country then basically created a job for herself in Social Media at Mosaic and has been doing that ever since.

- She loves learning new things, so social media is the perfect job for her, because it is changing everyday and you really have to keep up

What is Social Media

"Everyone wants to do it it. No one knows how. When finally its done there is surprise its not better " Avinash Kanushik (analytics evangelist at Google)

-You must find your objective - what exactly are you trying to achieve, then look at the social media toolbox and decide what is right for you...if social media is the right solution for you?

- Social media is an umbrella term that defines the various activities that integrate technology, social interaction and the construction of words, pictures, videos and audio" Wikipedia

Why should I care?

Watch this video: Social Media Revolution

- I think it's safe to say that social media is here to stay

- It has fundamentally shifted the way people talk to each other

- That is why marketers really love working in this area

- Peer to peer can make a huge impact

Social media outlets

- Try and get objective first about what the companies want

- For example Meg has Nutella as a client and they wanted to create a community on facebook called the "breakfast table" 

- A lot of investment was needed to get it started even though it is just a facebook ad

- They created a contest to kick off pages paired with a facebook ads

- You still need advertising to support your campaigns and this is a lot of money invested in other forms of advertising

  

Some Facebook advertising facts

- Can advertise based on location - i.e. Postal codes

- Facebook ads you can track who's clicking so you can optimize as you go

- Facebook ads are always more effective actually on facebook to drive people to your facebook page

- Facebook ads can target based on location, subjects, what people like, age

- Can get likes directly from ads

- Can go charitable angle - for every like 1$ gets donated etc. etc.

- Brands on facebook - if you have compelling content then make an update once a day but if you don't avoid posting all the time - people don't want to read low quality content because they you get unliked

- Avoid selling the clients telling them you will update the feed everyday, it should vary based on current promotions and interesting facts the consumer will actually find interesting

-Always remember your audience when writing, speak how they speak

Mosaic

www.mosaic.com/xm

-Mosaic is using experiential marketing to connect with their brands

-They run campaigns for multiple liquor companies and do things like the "Bud Camp"

-Mosaic is about offering deeper engagement, giving the consumer a 'reason to believe' through a more immersive experience, allowing the consumer to really engage and connect with the brand

In conclusion using social media to advertised really depends on who your target market is. If you target market uses social media, then it is probably a great outlet to advertise, and even then research into what they actually do on social media networks and what their interests are will determine how you should be advertising. Social media advertising is not for everyone, and you really have to have a good idea of what you will be getting out of even having a brand facebook page in order to be successful in your campaign.

Athletic Centre Trip

FIELD TRIP!

Sheridan Brampton Campus

On December 2nd as a class we took a trip to the Athletic Therapy Center at the Sheridan Brampton campus. We had a bunch of fun using all the equipment, standing on the vibrating machine, biking, and playing with heavy ropes. The best part was probably getting whatever ailed you worked  on. I got some pressure point release on my sciatic nerve and electrodes attached to my back to relax the muscles surrounding the nerve. Amazing. We were invited to Gillians house where we chowed down on delicious pizza, salads, fruits, snack and snacks and more snacks...and truffles...which have made their way back to the class table.

This is going to be a quick blog entry because I had so much fun and didn't take any notes, luckily they gave me a note hand out, so I'll review some good points I've learned, and there will be many exclamation points...just because I drank some coffee and am feeling enthusiastic.

Stretch!

It is important to stretch no matter how well your workstation is designed. Because working at your desk eliminates a variety of movements which can lead to muscle pain and strain.

Take Breaks!

5-10 minute breaks are recommended for every hour spend at a workstation. It's also recommended to vary your work tasks to accommodate different body positions. Look away from the screen occasionally as well.

Have a good workstation!

The three most important aspects in the work space that affect the posture are the seat, the work surface and the floor. Two of these factors have to be adjustable to ensure the best most comfortable position. If you can't afford anything else, invest in an adjustable chair, this is a must. If this is not an option provide yourself with a footrest to secure proper postural comfort.

Poor sitting habits affect your health!

Slouching while sitting and sitting with a slumped back compresses the spine and can lead to low back pain. It unbalances your head position which can cause neck and shoulder problems. 

SOME STRETCHES

Neck Relaxer Stretch

Drop your head slowly to the left, trying to touch your left ear to your left shoulder. Repeat on the right side. Slowly drop your chin to your chest, turn your head all the way to the left, then turn all the way to the right.

Middle/Upper Back Stretch
Hold your right arm with your let hand just above the elbow. Gently push your elbow toward your left shoulder. Hold stretch for 5 seconds. Repeat with your left arm.

Leg Stretch

Sit forward on the chair so that your back is not touching the chair's back. Place feet flat on the floor. With a straight leg, lift one foot a few inches off the floor. Hold momentarily, and return your foot on the floor. Repeat with the other leg.

Now you are well on your way to reducing your risk towards Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, Eye Strain, Sciatic Nerve Irritation.

Jason Bouvman - Compass Creative - November 18, 2011

Jason Bouwman - Founder & Owner of Compass Creative in Burlington

On November 18th Jason Bouwman from Compass Creative came to our class to speak about his journey from being a Sheridan Illustration graduate to owning his own marketing and design studio. It was really great to hear him give us an in depth talk about his struggle and transformation to continue doing what he loves all while keeping bill paying in mind.

JASON'S STORY

AFTER GRADUATION

 
- Jason graduated in 1994 from Sheridan as a Technical Illustrator
- He comes from a very blue collar family so was always very mindful about how to take his talent and turn it into a viable business
- Fanshaw's industrial business program caught his interest so he signed up but quickly found out the program was not all it was cracked up to be
- Balancing the two worlds of being creative and trying to make money was become quite a burden so he found a job at a marketing communications firm where he told them he could do all sorts of things and basically faked it till he made it
- Meanwhile he was doing a bit of freelancing for some graphic design work
- Having come from a  family of business owners he was very upfront with his boss saying that he did not intend for this gig to be a long term position
- His boss was great and told him he could use the office on off hours for his freelance work so he did not have to buy all the equipment
- After working in the city a bit he quickly realized he was not a city guy and did not enjoy being a schooser so in Burlington he planted his roots

MARRIAGE+RESPONSIBILITY
- After getting married and buying a house Jason decided to hunker down and finally start his own business
- It took him a while and a lot of hours and side jobs to really make it on his own until he became too busy to have a life
- It was time to either hire somebody to help him or charge his clients much more so he thought to do a little research

GAME CHANGER
- This led him to sending out emails to ask all his clients why they like working with him, which he thought they would say things like "because your such a talented designer and illustrator" yada yada yada... but instead they came back with answers like "they loved the way he asked all sorts of question and hands back the work exactly the way they envisioned it and forced them to think in a different way"
-This made him realize that he was asking great questions to force companies to look deeper into their approach, which them made him think about these crucial questions like "why should customers pay me" , "what can I offer that other's cannot?"
- These questions led him to focus on the branding aspect of his business  because he was becoming quite good at it and it was worthwhile to companies
- Even though he really wanted to continue with illustration he changed his career on what makes the money and illustration on the side

ILLUSTRATION SIDE PROJECTS
- Jason designs coins for the Canadian mint on his spare time, check out some of his work here:
See his Canadian commemorative coin
Canadian wildlife series coins
Olympic coins

WHAT HE WISHED HE KNEW WHEN HE WAS 20
- Your passion about something is not enough - there is pain associated with passion
- BUT passion alone will burn you out so you nee skills
- BUT for these skills you need a market
- Artists need to create specialities so they can be different than every other artist out there


ABOUT COMPASS CREATIVE
http://www.compasscreative.ca/
- Compass Creative tends to have a great history of employment duration among their employees, they basically have to force people out
- Jason really tries to make the office a fun and comfortable space to work in to keep everyone happy, and when everyone is happy quality work tends to flow and people actually want to show up the next day
- Compass Creative really prides itself on work appreciation, when you produce quality work you are rewarded
-Check out their work here: http://www.compasscreative.ca/case-studies/arborwood-tree-service/


THE COMPASS CREATIVE ROLES
- There are six people that work at the first and they all have specific job titles but do a variety of different jobs

   
BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS
1) The e-myth by Michael Gerber
2) First things First

TO TAKE AWAY FROM JASON'S PRESENTATION
- Know your priorities and stick to them, make time for a life, in the end when you look at what you've done with your time will you regret anything?
- Life is not about work, remember family is forever
- Specialize or perish
- Remember nobody owes you money just because you have skills

Alex Pejcic - Sonic Boom - November 11, 2011

Alex Pejcic - Vice-Presiden & Co-Founder of Sonic Boom

Board of Directors at The Advertising & Design Club of Canada

ABOUT ALEX & THE START OF SONIC BOOM

- Alex studied psychology in University
- When he finished he still did not know what he wanted to do
- He and his buddies were using this "internet" thing a lot so they learned some basic HTML and started up a hockey pool website online
- After that they decided to try and make some money on this idea, so they went door to door selling companies on digital jobs
- Over the years he has gone from an entrepreneurs with an idea, ran with his ideas for as long as he could, then realized he had to do some scaling, so started learning to understand the corporate culture
- Now he has internal and external clients - changed his world completely and had to become responsible for his workers, and learned to become a great manager
- When it's all said and done it's not the money that keeps him coming back to work everyday, it's the people.
- It's worth it to be constantly learning and inspired by people everyday - learning to think in a completely different way changes everything.

SONIC BOOM - WHAT MAKES THEM DIFFERENT
http://www.sonicboom.com/#/home/

- Sonic Boom is all about helping the clients by maximizing what they can do with their media
- They work closely with the clients to understand their business, consumer and influences
- Focus is then placed on the client business challenge and they work to create meaningful solutions that will last
- They use a tactic they call "eMerge" - a combination of social media, traditional communications and interactive marketing to utilize all aspects of marketing and branding.
- Their goal is to get not only the audience excited about a company/product but the client themselves excited about the tactics in which they will be using i.e. social media


WHAT A DIGITAL AGENCY LOOKS LIKE ON THE INSIDE

- It's important to learn what a digital agency is comprised of presently in order to understand your place within a company.
- Digital used to be all about the design but has transformed where strategy drives the creative
-Various departments:
    -strategy department
    -account team - i.e. project managers
    -creative department
    -engineering
    -production
    -quality assurance
    -*more unique to Sonic Boom: Subject Matter and Content Expert
        - Sonic Boom now hires someone that really understands a certain industry        

 - They have done insight and research about certain industries
        - Content people can be copy writers but also strategy writers
        - social media, monitoring, design, management

- It's so important to know what's out there, what networks there are - come in as a user of these things, know their capacities, you don't have to be an expert but at least know where the world is going, and then you can learn the business end when you are hired


WHAT YOU SHOULD UNDERSTAND

- Know at least basic knowledge of whatever company you are working for
- Do your research, find out what tactics they use and research them a bit to you can know what your talking about
- Check out Mashable, Digital Buzz, Hyper-Island


WHAT SHOULD I POSSESS

- You should be able to prove your skills in your discipline
- Have a strong portfolio
- References - use who ever you can (Sheridan is great)
- Positive attitude, team oriented, be someone that really cares about the company and it's work, don't be there to stroke your ego - nobody likes assholes
- Willingness to learn - you never know it all, even when you feel like your just starting to understand you will realize you actually know nothing, never be a know-it-all because you never will be and no one likes those as*holes anyways
- PASSION - within 5 minutes you can tell if a person is passionate


GETTING NOTICED, RECOGNIZED & RESPECTED - IT TAKES TIME
- It takes time to really get into your role and actually get good at it
- You will not get where you want to be right away, don't have an ego and be an idiot, pay your dues, everyone else has
- Join interactive media groups
- Submit your portfolio to online communities - creative people are really busy and might not have time for interviews, don't let your portfolio get passed up, make it easy for them
- Create your own online space - BLOGGING - what you say and print shows your passion and also shows your not just about design, you can also think and write
- Ask for advice in interviews - also talk about where you want to be
- Take opportunities as they come but remember to develop a tough skin, if someone says your not cut out to be a designer, there are other jobs in the creative realm, have an open mind
- Work hard and be passionate - it's not a 9-5 job


OTHER STUFF
- Check out Poke - great company that uses technology to solve problems ina  smart way
http://www.pokelondon.com/portfolio/

- Don't always attend conferences in your industry, go to Ted & Idea City, they will help you develop different ways of problem solving and show your interested in the bigger picture
- Jumping from studio to studio does not reflect well in short periods of time, your not learning deep enough, your not paying your dues and people will notice - that is not the way to get ahead and will really make it hard for you to get jobs in the future if you don't seem like the kind of employee that will be worth their investment
- SODA is an organization that consists of the best independent agencies - get to know them
http://societyofdigitalagencies.org/

Jay Schacher - Henderson Bas Kohn - November 4, 2011

Jay Schacher, Art Director, HBK

ABOUT JAY
http://www.linkedin.com/in/jayschacher

- 2006 Grad from Sheridan Web Design
- York University New Media Certificate 2004
- York University BFA 2000-2004

-He started his Toronto design career two weeks after graduating the Sheridan Web program.
-After 4 years he has become an art director

 

DAILY TASKS AS CREATIVE DIRECTOR

- Brainstorming
- Concepting
- Designing
- Overseeing work
- Mentoring
- Meeting timelines
- Ensuring client expectation
- Being creative - all the time


COMMON TRAITS OF GOOD A.D.

- Loves video games and doodling
- You like Photoshop more than TV
- Have a favourite hex colour
- Really creative passwords and network names


HBK
http://www.hendersonbaskohn.com/

- Specializes in digital - online ads, mobiles and recently added print
- Approximately 60 people working there at at time
- 10 people on creative team


BRANDS THEY WORK ON
Check out their work


JAY'S ADVICE FOR AFTER YOU GRADUATE
- Stay close to your classmates
- Network a lot
- Be a team player - not a hero
- Check Creative Niche for events


TO KEEP INSPIRED
- Check out Smashing Magazine, Mashable, Web Cream, Colour Lover

 

JAY'S FAVORITE HEX VALUE
- FEFEFE or 010101

- a fan of subtlety apparently

 

TAILORING YOUR PORTFOLIO
- Know the shop you are going to apply for & show work that suits their companies style
- If applying to web shops, show web work first, then your design then visual art - process documents are great too

John Alabaszowski - MacLaren McCann - October 21 2011

John Alabaszowski, Group Creative Director, Maclaren McCann

JOHN'S CAREER PATH

John's LinkedIn Page

 

• Worked at NuRun as a designer for a about a year when it was a much larger company - approximately 200 people  
• He went to over to Infinet Communications as a Senior Designer for two years. 
• John decided to go out on his own and do some freelance work for about two and a half years. Worked with Alliance Atlantis as an art director for it's television brands including History Television, Food Network, Showcase, BBC Kids.  
• He was offered a job at MacLaren McCann and wasn't sure about giving up his job as a freelancer. He decided to do it for just a summer and seven years later he couldn't be happier with his job. He's had quite a few promotions and they are very flexible allowing him to switch jobs around the company when he feels he needs a change.

MacLAREN McCANN
MacLaren McCann Website

"Truth Well Told"

"For our work to ultimately be deemed successful, it must first be based on a human truth and that truth be well told with an honest and compelling story. It must be able to live beyond a specific channel. It must interrupt. It must create a dialogue direct to the brand and, more importantly, cause talk between consumers. It must drive the desired action. It must be infectious within a company. It must act as both guide and voice for how the brand talks and acts. It must be exceptionally crafted in thought and design. It must be enduring. It must, above all else, live in the hearts & minds of our customers."

The company is split into two sectors, one that deals with television, print and radio, and the other is the RM side that is linked with online, mobile and digital. 

MacLAREN McCANN WORK - THE COOL SH*T

Platform based media
New Car Releases - Three different approaches for three different cars
GM Webpage

ORLANDO
Orlando Microsite

• The "soccer mom" car — the design of the website was secondary to the message
• Because mom's hang out online so much they catered to their habits online
• They video taped mom's using the cars and basically were relying on third party users to generate content via twitter and news feeds.
• It was kind of a risky move, they had to confident that their product was a good one, otherwise the whole strategy could have gone really bad, but it turned out very successfully in the end.

SONIC
Sonic Microsite

• Youth oriented site
• Utilized traditional web design advertisement approach
• This site was also designed to be used in Facebook
• Less about driving people to just this one site anymore, it's about re-directing them to various places
• Side Note — this ad just popped up in my Grooveshark online music application after I visited and left the site, very appropriate placing (screen grab below)

 

VOLT
Volt Microsite

• Built for a completely different market - people that are concerned about their carbon footprint. They are an entirely new market, that are willing to pay more to do their part for the environment.
• They had to make a whole new kind of website for these consumers.
• Built a webpage using Google maps - highly interactive and intuitive
• You can plot your route and it will calculate how far you can go on the battery charge.

GMC TRUCK OWNERS NETWORK
GMC Truck Owners Network Site

• Their audience is not very tech savvy so their approach has to involve actual events with more traditional approaches such as press and play videos and nothing too complicated to use.

MASTERCARD #INTERNS WANTED CAMPAIGN
Matercard Interns Wanted Campaign Pilot

• The brief asked for a poster advertising Mastercard's call for interns. 
• This is one of those times working for a large company is great because McClaren told the client "You need more than a poster, student's are online, they don't look at posters anymore" so MacLaren McCann created an entire social media platform for them.
• Mastercard used Twitter, Facebook and QR codes for the entire application process and to test the applicants web intuition.

GEARS OF WAR 3
Gears of War Campaign Pilot

• Recruited gamers using hidden codes they had to unlock in the game. 
• Created a guerilla-style scavenger hunt where gamers were given mysterious codes, which when decoded directed them to Craigslists posts where they had to put together a puzzle of information which eventually led them to a butcher shop in Toronto and Vancouver.
• They then picked up a fake piece of alien meat with their VIP ticket to the game's opening event.

CAMP OOCHIGEAS - Camp for kids with cancer
Camp Oochigeas Work

Camp Oochigeas Site

• Private donations fund the camp - no government funding
• Because of the distance to Camp Oochigeas most kids that get elected to go to the camp cannot attend.
• They wanted to have an Evening of Summer Dreams, bringing "camp" to the city.
• They created a journey of 3 owls to follow until the fundraising event night.
• MacLaren McCann donated their time and bought all the paper for printing to create this campaign for Camp Ooch.
• Their microsite had a ton of hits, they created a Facebook and Twitter site to follow the owls journey which were highly successful.
• The paper invite has glow in the dark printing so when you turn off the light it reveals the three owls.
• Throughout the event they had the owls everywhere, even giant ones flying overhead.

HOW DO YOU GET TO WORK ON COOL SH*T?
 

WHAT DO THEY LOOK FOR?

• Go after the kind of work you want to do, don't settle for whatever just falls into you lap.
• At small shops you will be jack of all trades, but a larger shop you will get to work on larger accounts. It's up to you which you would prefer.

PORTFOLIO - HAVE ONE!

•  Make sure it's your very best work
• Show off your design skills and layout skills because those are transferable to different media
• Have some other work, work you do on your own time
• Keep it organized, no one wants to sit through your disorganization

INTERVIEW

• Be organized
• Don't drink before your interview, bad idea!
• Think of ways to stand out i.e. Tie guy example - the guy wore a tie and a t-shirt and everyone remembered him as tie guy
• Know the company and their clients
• Ask for feedback - everyone loves talking about what they are good at
• Be sure to show you are actively listening, take notes
• Take some things with a grain of salt, you will encounter people that are just assholes and will tell you awful things, not everyone is an asshole just make sure you don't lose your confidence because of one person

YOUR JOB - What are you expected to do?

• Do what your told, then do more
• Be noticed, put your hand up for work
• Develop a thick skin, you can't take criticism personally, it's the nature of the business
• Go into an interview or client presentation ninja style: expect to get killed, because most of your ideas and designs will get killed

ADVICE FROM MacCLAREN McCANN INTERNS

• Don't be drunker than your boss
• Spend the first couple weeks feeling things out, find your place
• Participate in social events

FINAL PIECE OF ADVICE FROM JOHN

• Don't take yourself to seriously. Enjoy your life. 
• This is your career and day job, love it, do your work well, but don't forget there is life outside of work, make sure to take advantage.
• His "ah-ha" moment was when his son was born when he thought to himself "Screw making websites, I make people!"

HOW TO CONTACT JOHN

• Twitter is the best way: @johnala
• Email is okay, but you might get lost in the shuffle: John.alabaszowski@maclaren.com

Fall Interactive Tour

FALL INTERACTIVE TOUR 2011



Ditching Class

Friday September 14th we ditched morning AND afternoon class and went to the Fall Interactive Studio Tour, hosted by Oddly Studios. Technically, it's not really ditching if your teachers go with you.
FTI Tour page
Oddly Facebook Page



Oddly Presentation

 
We gathered at 9AM at the Spadina Underground Cinema for a debriefing from Oddly Studios about how our day was going to play out. We got a little swag bag and a binder with some paper and pens. I was part of the Orange group where I met a bunch of great people in similar programs, some undergrads and a few people from industry. While other groups left for their tours our group stayed in the theatre where Tim, founder of Oddly Studios spoke a bit about his career path and how it led him to founding Oddly Studios.



Oddly Studios
Oddly Studio Website

About 30 minutes later we were whisked away to Oddly Studios for an early lunch and a presentation about some of the work that get's done around the studio. They showed us some fun stuff they do on the side and some promotional games they had made for clients. 

Click here for Oddly's portfolio page



NuRun Inc.
NuRun Inc. Homepage

We walked to the NuRun Inc. office at 96 Spadina Avenue, on the 9th floor. Did I mention 9th floor! It was tiring to walk up 9 flights of stairs, but definitely worth it. They delivered a great presentation about what their company does and went a little in depth about their process which was great to hear. We also got to sit in really neat space chair stools, at least I was impressed by the interior design elements, it was quite an impressive office. We visited both floors, the 9th floor being more design and accounts people and the bottom was where the big server lived in it's own room, and the developers had a great open concept office area (including a ping pong table in the kitchen).  We then had a 10 minute networking session with the staff of NuRun where they provided cute Halloween inspired treats. I spoke a bit about internship opportunities and just like that it was over and we had to go. They do take interns so send resumes and portfolios to: intern.toronto@nurun.com

Click here for NuRun's Blog


Boost Agents
Click here for Boost Agents Homepage
Click here for Boost Agents LinkedIn page

After our NuRun Inc. studio tour we headed back to the Underground Cinema for a presentation from Trina Boos founder of Boost Agents and Ad Lounge. They are a recruitment company specializing in creative, digital and marketing industries. Ad Lounge was something Trina started when she was attending the Sheridan advertising program about 10 years ago, before facebook and social media sites really took off. She wanted to unite the advertising class because they had all been slit up into groups and never got to socialize or get to know one another. She realized they were all eventually going to end up being colleagues and competing for the same jobs and thought why not start up with website for her class so they can all help each other out with job opportunities and like minded things. The next year something strange happened. People from all different programs across Toronto in similar industries started signing up for this group and the whole thing took off from there, now it's a local networking hub for advertising professionals.

Trina a lot spoke about do's and don'ts meeting industry folks and about their new event "The Dinner Series" where many young professionals apply to have dinner with CEO's and highly ranked advertising professionals. The whole point is to get the selected candidates networked with important people and comfortable speaking to people higher up on the food chain.

Trina emphasized the importance of having a life outside of work. Having hobbies and taking initiatives to start groups is very important. Be passionate about the work you do, and also be really passionate about things outside of work. Twitter and LinkedIn is also very important to maintain and update, goes a long way to show you are serious about your career. She was a great speaker and it was obvious she really loves what she does for a living, so all in all a great speech.

Check out the Ad Lounge site and Twitter feed below:

Click here for Ad Lounge's Homepage

Follow Ad Lounge on Twitter


JUNIPER PARK
Click here for Juniper Park's Homepage

At this point our group was running late so we speed-walked over to the Juniper Park headquarters, who have moved into Organic's old office space. We did not get the tour of the office, but apparently it's massive. I did notice their front reception area has an entire chalkboard wall, illustrated with all sorts of great cartoony things, I'm assuming done by staff members. Very cool touch, definitely on par in the coolness factor with the space chairs at NuRun!

Juniper Park really focuses on strategy and then how design and advertising come together after that. They did not show us any of their work in their presentation but rather spoke about why they do what they do. The presentation was very quick and fast paced, but I did learn they are hiring digital designers and send your resumes and portfolios to: iwantajob@juniperpark.com

Click here for Juniper Park's Portfolio



HENDERSON BAS KOHN
Click here for HBK's Website

We were rushed out of Juniper Park and practically ran over to Henderson Bas Kohn. We were led through their beautiful rustic office, almost entirely constructed of hardwood. This place was a little different from all the rest of the studios, they almost had their own little culture. Friday's are drinking days, they have patio parties in the summer, they bring their dogs into work and they work really, really, really hard. They also gave us Halloween candy which really went a long way to keep our energy up.

They showed us a lot of their work which was really insightful. They spoke about the iCoke Site, the Tim Horton's Facebook page, which I didn't know is SUPER popular (number 1 in Canada)! I actually just "Liked" it so I can see what they are doing to make it so interesting. They actually commented that they hardly had to go out of their way and ask people for content, everyone was just so happy to share their Tim Horton's experiences. Obviously they are doing something right!

Follow HBK on Twitter

We toured their office which was very neat and then walked next door for our next tour.



TAXI
Click here for Taxi's Webpage

At Taxi we all gathered in their kitchen with their huge flat screen TV to watch a great presentation. We were shown a bunch of their work they had done for Mini, Viagra, Canadian Tire, Boston Pizza, and a video put together from their Amsterdam office.

I loved listening to their Viagra campaign, which is not shown on their site, I imagine because the broadcasting law's kept changing because of the nature of their ads. It was interesting to hear how they found many loopholes and stretched their limits on how to get around saying all the side effects Viagra might cause - a mandatory requirement when advertising prescription drugs on television. Their presentation was really entertaining and really displayed how they really do embody their motto to "Doubt the conventional".

Follow Taxi's blog

CLOSING PRESENTATION

After Taxi's presentation we headed back to the Underground Cinema for a closing speech from Tim. There was a re-iteration that when it all comes down to it, it's your personality, drive and passion that matters. Be real, don't be phoney and pushy, just do what you love and do it well.

At this point I was in love with the idea of food so a bunch of our Sheridan group went out for dinner up the street. We had a great time sharing all our different experiences, it was great to catch up with everybody when it was over. We've been so busy and seem to be split up for the majority of our classes it was nice to spend time outside of the classroom to get to know everyone a little better. Even though the day was long and tiring the tours and presentations were very valuable and incredibly interesting. It's always great to see companies and established professionals helping us newbies out! Cheers!

Dwayne Grech - Momentum – September 7th 2011

 Dwayne Grech - caught without his sunglasses

Dwayne Grech and his iconic beard came to talk to us about interactive design and what to expect after school. Dwayne is an Interactive Designer at Momentum Advanced Solutions and also is the Owner/Designer at Sultan of Beard. 

ABOUT DWAYNE 

• Dwayne is the owner/founder and lead design at his company "Sultan of Beard". 
• Check out his webpage here: http://dwaynegrech.com
• Dwayne shoots films/video - specifically music videos
• He also loves tactile design, and builds sculptures out of foam
• He went to Seneca College for graphic design, graduated in 2004
• Couple years later he attended the Sheridan Web Design program and graduated in 2009 just in time for the recession to take full effect
• His first job right out of school was at Organic Online Media where he worked on projects for Jeep, Dodge & Crystler.
• He moved onto work at Young & Rubicam as a flash designer working on a project for the Ford Flex.
• Next he moved onto The Marketing Store - a print based shop that just opened up a digital branch
• Worked on the user interface for Sirius Satellite Radio, worked a lot with the IT team on building it. Was so interested in this area this really launched is UI career 
• Now teaches UI classes at the Sheridan Brampton campus to developers

INTERESTING FACTS

•  Backpacked through Australia for a year 
•  Speaks Japanese
  
•  Started Facebook Group - The Toronto Surf Club - they surf from October to January...brrrr

MOMENTUM 
www.momentum.com

• They are a digital agency - part of OnX 
• They do a lot of banner ads, Facebook pages, Twitter feeds - any content from the client that touches the web goes through them
• They do work for Jeep, Crystler, Dodge, Ram, Fiat
• They develop mobile applications for Mercedes
• c.mercedes-benz.ca
• Online support for Mazda & Foresters online support 
• Online loyalty support for AMEX - trying to increase online supporters
  
• They are rated Canada's 50 Best Managed Companies

MOMENTUM WORK


CRYSTLER 

• They're banner ads get updated every moth for new campaigns 
• Hired Swayd out of Windsor to do the 3D to build then

KOKANEE - CRANKWORX & JEEP RANGLER
    dwaynegrech.com 

• Jeep was a sponsor of Kokanee Crankworx event, Momentum made their microsite
• Crankworx is a downhill biking competition - takes about 11 hours to walk up the mountain and takes these guys about 7 minutes to get down 
• At the bottom of the mountain they had a Jeep to test drive

LIFE AFTER SHERIDAN - WHAT TO EXPECT

1) It will not be easy. Toronto is the center for design in Canada and there is a lot of competition.

2) Lack of sleep. Last minute projects will be your responsibility, you will be the "new guy" and you have to pay your dues to get ahead.

3) How do you stand out in an ultra-competitive market? Go to networking events and parties. In the end it comes down to your personality, have a good one!

4) This a small industry, everybody knows everybody. Do NOT burn bridges. Never throw fellow designers under the bus, never leave halfway through a project. Be mindful of first impressions, gossip will travel.

5) There will always be CRAZY office politics anywhere you go. Learn to take criticism, this is a cut-throat business and there is no time for hurt feelings and egos, learn to let go.

6) Toronto has heaps of agencies to choose from. Large agencies will work you to the bone where smaller agencies are a little more gentle, but you do get a lot more responsibility.


DWAYNE'S LIFE LESSONS - INTERPRETED COMMANDMENT STYLE 

1) Thou shalt not burn bridges.

2) Thou shalt attend all holy networking events.

3) Honour thy brain, never stop learning.

4) Thou shalt have no other Gods besides: www.theFWA.com

5) Thou shalt sacrifice many weekends.

6) Our Saviour is Red Bull, hallow'd be thy name, drink away.

7) Thou shalt be kind, pay it forward.

8) Thou shalt honour thyself, love your work, always.

9) Spirits are no sin.

10) Thou shalt Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, forever and ever.   


CONTACT DWAYNE

dwayne.grech@momentum.com
twitter:@sultanofbeard