Five Things Friday: Patrick Carnegie, Senior Manager, Event Services at Toronto International Film Festival

Lori Franze

Five Things Friday is a departure from the interviews and features we typically post. Part conversation, Part Proust Questionnaire – but with just five questions, Five Things Friday (hashtag alert! #5TF) shows the lighter (and sometimes sillier) side of our interviewees. We’ll be talking to everyone we can get our grubby little hands on; it’s our way of introducing you to the communications, marketing and creative cognoscenti who rock their respective industries. This week, Lori Franze talks to Patrick Carnegie, Senior Manager, Event Services at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Your job sounds very cool! Is it as cool as it sounds? What do you between 9 and 5?

Well, one of the things that’s appealing about this line of work is that there really isn’t a typical day. Our team executes about 550 events a year ranging from boardroom meetings to large-scale galas. Most of the events fall somewhere in between. One of my responsibilities is to assign events to my team so that they have a balanced workload. We’re fortunate to have a great group of smart, creative, dedicated coordinators so they’re game for pretty much anything. So while the team gets their hands dirty with most of the events I typically get involved on the larger projects or those that come in last minute and need a pitch-hitter. Continue reading →

Creative Cultures: Vega’s Energy is Contagious!

Crystal Henrickson

In our Creative Cultures series, contributor Crystal Henrickson spends a day inside companies to learn how hiring, onboarding and company culture play a role in employee happiness. From startups to design firms and all in-between, we’re pulling back the curtain on what it’s like to work in inventive and productive environments.

There’s a building in Burnaby that’s buzzing with the contagious energy of some of Greater Vancouver’s health and wellness minded individuals. When I arrived to spend a day inside the offices of Vega — a company that is as passionate about clean, plant-based nutrition products, as they are about company culture — I could feel the energy radiating through the building. It was infectious! Within moments of arriving I was led on a tour by Trevor Ellestad, PR Specialist. From talking with employees, and participating in activities like lunch hour yoga and 3pm planking, the heightened happiness levels and willingness to be involved in every aspect of Vega life was apparent in everyone I encountered.

“We’re all on the same wavelength about work hard, play hard,” enthuses Anthony Rosenfeld, VP of Marketing. “The people here, more than anything, make the experience awesome. It feels good to work for a company that’s doing something good for people and the planet.” Continue reading →

Land A Role In A Learning Organization: Ask These 3 Questions

Crystal Henrickson

Image of Business man running on stairs to success from Shutterstock.

A 2015 workplace survey* discovered that 85 per cent of employees do not feel the training they are getting at work is preparing them for their next position.

Evolution in career management has put individuals, not employers, in control of their learning and development, and YES, of your own career. This shift brings great responsibility for employees and job hunters. The onus is on you to ask questions that will ensure you are receiving the training, learning and opportunities necessary to progress in your career.

Before you accept your next job offer, make sure you are landing a role with a company that will support you in reaching your career aspirations and goals by asking these three questions to evaluate its workplace learning culture: Continue reading →

Do this one thing – right now – to send your resume to the top of the pile

Liz Da Ponte

Image of Job search from Shutterstock.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – having an online presence is the best thing you can do for yourself if you’re planning on looking for a job. A recent survey of 300 HR professionals who are involved with recruiting illustrates just how important a strong online presence is.

In the survey, was conducted by ResearchNow, about 30 per cent of the HR pros surveyed said that a personal website can be a competitive advantage for a job candidate. Thirty-nine per cent said that all other qualifications being equal, they would be more likely to pick a candidate with a personal website over a candidate who didn’t have one. Continue reading →

What do blues music and branding have in common? More than you’d think

Guest Author

Photo of Band of blues musicians from Shutterstock.

I’ve been a blues music fan forever. I heard Ray Charles sing Hit the Road Jack when I was four, and after that I wanted to play the music and learn more about it. My grandmother gave me a harmonica in my teens and I’ve been playing ever since. There was always something about the music – the attitude, the mystery and the stories in the lyrics that really made an impression on me.

Blues artists are master storytellers. Through their music they tell amazing tales of struggle, sorrow, joy and well…more struggle (it’s the blues after all). Through it all many artists found their own unique voice and have created their own distinctive brand of blues. And with it, adoring fans that follow them and feel a connection to the particular brand of blues that they play.

As a graphic designer and brand strategist, I’ve often thought of the lessons I’ve from listening to my heroes…and I’d like to share them with you, so here are my top three links between branding and the blues. Continue reading →

Creative Cultures: 7Geese fly together, build trust together

Crystal Henrickson

In our Creative Cultures series, Contributor Crystal Henrickson spends a day inside companies to learn how hiring, onboarding and company culture play a role in employee happiness. From startups to design firms and all in-between, we’re pulling back the curtain on what it’s like to work in inventive and productive environments.

Headquartered in Gastown, Vancouver, 7Geese is a performance management and goal-setting solution that helps companies achieve sustainable results. Every Wednesday, the 7Geese team gathers for a lunch and learn presented by employees on a topic of their choosing. On the day of my visit, a new addition to the business development team shares learnings from a book he received during his onboarding.

The value of culture

“These lunches promote the value of being a learning organization and striving for ongoing development,” says Kendra Moroz, Director of Customer Engagement. “We share a few laughs with some of the presentations, and as you dig below the surface you can see the assumption about culture: continuous learning is necessary for employees and the organization to remain competitive in a constantly changing business environment.” Continue reading →

Why that retail job you had in high school could be worth big bucks to you as a freelancer

Joanne M. Brathwaite

Image of Customer relationship management from Shutterstock.

As a freelancer, you’re acting as a business that provides a particular service to your customers. But how good is that service? We’re just talking about the end product, here. How are you doing in the customer relations department, my friend? From start to finish, how satisfactory is the delivery of your goods? Do you have a set of policies in place to ensure your client’s satisfaction? How do you handle complaints? Do you provide value-added incentives?

Going the extra mile can mean repeat business – and referrals. Keep your bank rolling with these helpful tips. Continue reading →

Five Things Friday: Kei Baritugo of BoldLove Communications

Crystal Henrickson

We’re unveiling a new series here at FreshGigs. Five Things Friday is a departure from the interviews and features we typically post. Part conversation, Part Proust Questionnaire – but with just five questions, Five Things Friday (hashtag alert! #5TF) shows the lighter (and sometimes sillier) side of our interviewees. We’ll be talking to everyone we can get our grubby little hands on; it’s our way of introducing you to the communications, marketing and creative cognoscenti who rock their respective industries. This week, Crystal Henrickson gets Kei Baritugo of BoldLove Communications to open up.

Firstly, tell us about BoldLove. What do you do? Who do you represent?

If BoldLove was a song, it would be Voodoo Child by Jimi Hendrix. As a PR agency, we’re very passionate and a tad rebellious. We’re also a bunch of nerds who love storytelling, strategic thinking and executing measurable impact. It’s no wonder we represent big thinkers, dream chasers and change-makers in the arts & entertainment, technology, and non-profit / social enterprise fields. We get along swimmingly with clients who Kerouac would refer to as the “mad ones.” Continue reading →

How to improve your digital marketing game – and prepare for the zombie apocalypse, too

Guest Author

Image of Business People with marketing graph from Shutterstock.

Half of a Digital Strategist’s job is staying on top of which tools and apps that are available, and make our jobs faster, better, smoother and easier. And while there are a ton of articles about the perfect tools of witchcraft and wizardry, the right combination of tools can really make you look like a superstar.

Whether you’re a freelancer, strategist or account manager, these tools can be groundbreaking if you’re working with clients on any sort of digital marketing. Continue reading →

Yay! Another meeting – said no one, ever

Peter Mosley

Young business partners sharing ideas from Shutterstock.

I have tried to avoid meetings as much as possible all my life. This thinking of mine stems from an article I once read from a 1939 copy of The Harvard Business Review that stated: if you have more than two meetings a month, you will go out of business.

Likely an unpopular sentiment in those days, and yet, in more modern settings, I have seen the elimination of meetings work wonders for companies. Continue reading →