The right message is everything.
Whether you’re launching a strategy, giving a speech, or refreshing a brand,
effective messaging always aims to do one core thing:
create and occupy a unique space in your audience’s mind.
BMO - “Winner’s Circle” video
The bank was launching a new strategy and needed employees to be excited and aligned. This video featured their CEO giving an energetic talk about the importance of a winning mindset. It played before an all-company meeting focused on cementing consistent high-performance behaviours.
Role: Concept, script, creative direction
Deloitte - “Next Normal” video
This video launched to help employees understand what work would look like coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic.
It was aimed at answering questions and alleviating uncertainty while creating optimism for the future.
Role: Concept, script, creative direction
Confidential client - “Step Up” video
This client was working to eliminate problems of harassment, discrimination, and other inappropriate workplace behaviour. This video showed that psychological safety and inclusion are just as important as physical safety. The non-corporate script and setting made it feel more authentic to frontline employees.
Role: Concept, script, casting, creative direction
CPP Investments - “Purpose” video
CPP Investments was growing rapidly, opening offices all around the globe and pursuing a new strategy. This video played at an All-Company Meeting and communicated that although the organization was changing in many ways, its Purpose was still the same.
We shot footage in Toronto, London, Hong Kong, and other locations to create a feeling of global solidarity throughout the org.
Role: Concept, creative direction, interview questions
Docebo - Marketing ebooks
Here’s the fundamental negotiation of marketing: You give your prospects value and they give you attention.
These ebooks were written and designed to provide tangible value in a beautiful and digestible format. How do we know they worked? Because they had a roughly 3% lead generation rate. This isn’t a vanity metric like ‘downloads,’ ‘engagement,’ or ‘site visits:’ it refers to product demos booked directly with the sales team. Success!
Role: Concept, creative direction, writing
Docebo - Account-based marketing brochures
To help close deals in the home stretch of the sales cycle, Docebo will sometimes create custom product brochures. These assets are tailored to the client’s brand, personality, and tone.
This is a custom brochure created for a camping resort organization. The imagery and copy were chosen to highlight a rustic, natural feel.
Role: Concept, creative direction, writing
Docebo - Paid social demand generation campaigns
Docebo’s sales team needs a constant stream of high-quality leads. One of the strategies we use to generate them is paid social ad campaigns. My team and I constantly refine every variable of our ads (image, headline, CTA, intro text, etc.) to continually improve performance.
Through this process, we have seen improvements of up to 3x in CPM and CPL in as little as two quarters. Our demand gen engine is now highly efficient and we’re feeding our sales team the leads they need to keep revenue flowing.
Role: Concept, creative direction, writing
Magna - “Science Fiction Thinking. Automotive Reality.” campaign
Magna wanted to build its brand as an innovative automotive technology company and had identified autonomous driving and electrification as key proof points.
I helped develop a creative concept and campaign that communicated this message and repositioned Magna from a ‘manufacturer of parts’ to an ‘inventor of technology.’
The campaign ran for over a year, spanning radio, print, investor documents, and even Magna’s booth for the Consumer Electronics Show (CES).
Role: Concept, creative direction, writing
Magna Annual Report
Magna is one of the world’s largest mobility technology companies, but customers, investors, and prospective employees mostly knew Magna as a ‘parts supplier.’ To shift that perception, my team and I developed a campaign to put Magna’s innovative spirit on display.
In addition to developing the concept, I also wrote and edited the copy for this report, including letters from the CEO, CFO, and CTO. To read the full report, download it directly from Magna HERE.
Role: Concept, writing, creative direction
SANS Magazine
SANS Magazine was a digital men’s lifestyle magazine, 100% created and owned by me and my design partner. Imagine a combination of Cosmopolitan, Vice, and Wired, with an irreverent tone and focus on the urban lifestyle.
At its peak, SANS employed over ten writers and was read by over 10,000 people weekly. We even made the front page of reddit!
I worked on SANS between 2010 and 2013.
Role: Co-founder, editor-in-chief, creative direction, writer and contributor
PwC - “Ways of Working” teaser
As the world recovered from COVID-19, PwC needed to get its employees’ thoughts about how to return to the workplace. I created this teaser campaign inspired by the board game Cards Against Humanity.
The campaign resonated with the millennial audience, increasing survey participation and excitement for the future.
Role: Concept, writing