VALERIE BESSETTE
Bilingual Copy Editor
VALERIE BESSETTE
Bilingual Copy Editor
truth be told...
Call me... I'll tell you a story.
KAREN PEARCE
President, McCann West
KAREN PEARCE
President, McCann West
truth be told...
I visited Thailand last year with my husband and our 2 and 6 year old girls. I went a little overboard trying to teach my little ones about the different cultures, food, people, socio-economic status...maybe a little much, but you know, ROI. I wanted to bring them to an elephant sanctuary where elephants are rescued from the harsh realities of the tourism business. We fed them, washed them, gave them medicine and love. Then I told my girls that the red mud was good for your skin as I rubbed it all over me. The locals were laughing at me. It was elephant shit. So the lesson there to my girls; humility. And of course shit happens.
AMARAJ SANDHU
Client Finance Director
AMARAJ SANDHU
Client Finance Director
truth be told...
I am an avid motorcyle enthusiast and have been riding for the past 5 years
MARNIE OSBORNE
Digital Account Supervisor
MARNIE OSBORNE
Digital Account Supervisor
truth be told...
I love to travel, but I also love to eat good food. When planning a trip to a new country, my friends and I sometimes arrive realizing that we've planned out what food we're going to eat and restaurants we're going to hit before we've even decided the sites to see. Priorities.
CRAIG ATKINSON
Senior Project Manager
CRAIG ATKINSON
Senior Project Manager
truth be told...
Craig's convinced that oil runs strong through his veins. He has a passion for all things with four wheels and a powerful engine. It started when his Father took him to his first classic car show at the impressionable age of 6 and took a ride in an old T-bucket hot rod. Fast-forward a few decades, and Craig can now be found maintaining an all-original 1940 Plymouth, chasing his wife in half-marathon races, and applying over a decade of talent restoring connections between customers and brands through the power of well-designed digital experiences.
GAURAV VASHISHTHA
Program Manager
GAURAV VASHISHTHA
Program Manager
truth be told...
There's something with me, specifically my luggage and Europe! It was 2018 when I was touring the UK for our honeymoon and I had a connecting flight from Amsterdam to London. We reached London alright just to realize that the airline has lost my baggage, which meant I had nothing but the pair of jeans and tshirt I was already wearing. Although I got my luggage in a couple of days but sadly all my photos during those 2 days had the same clothes :( Anyways, when I recently moved to Canada, I had my connecting from Frankfurt and guess what! My luggage was lost again and this time I was without my snow boots, Literally skating my way out of the Pearson Airport.
VANESSA BIRZE
Senior Producer
VANESSA BIRZE
Senior Producer
truth be told...
I went to University to study Criminology. I dropped out. I went to College to study Advertising. I dropped out twice. Fast forward a decade (or two) and here I am, Producing. I couldn’t be happier. Although, I’m still intrigued (perhaps obsessed) by true crime and spend a lot of time reading up on serial killers.
MADDY ORCHARD
Account Supervisor
MADDY ORCHARD
Account Supervisor
truth be told...
When I was a kid, I changed the spelling of my name. After months of attempting to master the ability to write the letter E, I determined it was an impossible feat and decided to change my name instead. No notice to my parents, no questions asked. No more of that Maddie nonsense. Stubborn and smug, I thought I’d outsmarted the game. I’ve regretted it ever since. Just how late in life is too late to change your name back...? Sincerely, Maddy with a Y.
DANIEL SAUNDERS
Associate Creative Director
DANIEL SAUNDERS
Associate Creative Director
truth be told...
Love bikes, books, movies and games.
ALYSSA BROWN
Office Operations Manager
ALYSSA BROWN
Office Operations Manager
truth be told...
Since the age of 5 when I started kindergarten my behavior was documented each semester by my teachers on my report cards. The reoccurring theme every year was pretty much the same “Alyssa talks too much in class”. Many years later not much has changed. There is however a new common theme to add to the commentary and anyone who’s friends with me or has worked with me knows or realistically heard my very loud laugh. Some say it’s infectious and pretty much everyone can agree that when you hear it you know it’s me!
PETER RAMBACHAN
Illustrator
PETER RAMBACHAN
Illustrator
truth be told...
I once worked in the travel business. On one of my free trips to Cozumel, I rented a motorcycle, got lost (on purpose) and discovered undiscovered small pyramids and houses. On the same trip I had to look out for iguanas dashing across the beach roads like squirrels. We flew in a old plane from Cancun to Cozumel. I sat in the last row with everybody’s luggage behind my head. The engines were spitting out fire and the plane shook like my washing machine with four towels in it. It was the only flight I’ve ever fallen asleep in.
REBECCA EGAN
Account Supervisor
REBECCA EGAN
Account Supervisor
truth be told...
I lived downtown Toronto for 7 years and recently moved as far as I could away. I went from a 30 minute walk to the office to a 2 hour commute in. I don’t mind though because I love the work we get to do at McCann Canada and the people that we get to do it with. I’ve gone from living on my own to having quite the assortment of roommates: 300 cows, 3 cats, and a pup.
BRITTANY METRO
Media Administrative Assistant
BRITTANY METRO
Media Administrative Assistant
truth be told...
When I was in grade 9, our family went on vacation to Cuba. We met this other family that was vactioning there at the same time. I'm not typically the type of person that does crazy things but we had been watching sky divers land on our beach for the week we were at our hotel. The dad of the family we met was saying how his son and himself were going to go sky diving the following day. I was tryin to be cool and said that I would totally skydive (but I really didnt want to). My dad woke me up at 6am the next morning and told me that Barry (the dad we met on the beach) had bought me a ticket to skydive with him and his son. I couldn't exactly back out so I took a bunch of Gravol and Pepto and ended up going. My mom was super mad that my dad was letting me go. The plane we jumped out of had no doors and looked like it was going to fall apart. It was one of the coolest experiences of my life and I landed on our beach to my mom and sister, who for sure thought I wasn't going to do it! I've never been again!
SOPHIE LAFRAMBOISE
Account Executive
SOPHIE LAFRAMBOISE
Account Executive
truth be told...
Having lived in Montreal, Toronto, Kilkenny, London, Hong Kong and most recently, Copenhagen, I love working with people from all around the world and am continuously inspired by different cultures. Turns out the best way to learn more about yourself is to learn about others!
YEN LE
Digital Project Manager
YEN LE
Digital Project Manager
truth be told...
At a young age, my uncle once asked me “what do you want to be when you grow up?” I remember confidently answering “an artist.” He later said that artists make pennies and that those who do succeed become famous only after their death. You can imagine how that conversation crushed a young girl’s dream. Although I did not follow in the footsteps of Picasso, I still consider myself an artist today. My creativity can be seen through my love for cake decorating, and I’m proud to say that I once owned a cupcake business. My work can be found in the book “1000 Ways to Decorate Cupcakes, Cookies and Cakes.”
SAMANTHA PONTES
Account Supervisor
SAMANTHA PONTES
Account Supervisor
truth be told...
I've recently returned back to Toronto after spending a year and a half teaching English in Korea. I did/saw/ate a lot of weird stuff while I was there but a truly defining moment for me was being served a refreshing cold soup - with a baby octopus swimming, alive in it. I left Korea learning a lot about myself and a vegetarian.
TYLER COPOC
Copywriter
TYLER COPOC
Copywriter
truth be told...
One late summer night me and a few friends discovered elephants that had escaped from the circus. We ended up on TV and that's how I got caught sneaking out of my house.
ANNE BERTRAND
French Copywriter
ANNE BERTRAND
French Copywriter
truth be told...
September 5th of 2015, I am 23 years old and have just moved to Los Angeles to begin a Master's degree in Visual Arts at the Art Center College of Design. One week of classes, two heat waves, an ant invasion in my studio and a broken air conditioner later, I change my mind. My father takes a plane from Florida to join me. We cross the United States in 5 days aboard my 2004 Toyota Corolla (without AC). On October 5th, when I got back home, I realized that maybe it was a little too early to live the American Dream.
JULIANA RAGONESE
Account Executive
JULIANA RAGONESE
Account Executive
truth be told...
My favorite Friends moment of all time is when Phoebe goes through Joey’s resume taking off all his fake skills. While tapdancing, archery and horseback riding are all removed, Joey tries to prove to Phoebe he can truly drink a gallon of milk in ten seconds.
RYAN TIMMS
President of McCann Canada
RYAN TIMMS
President of McCann Canada
truth be told...
I’ve only landed a plane once. My future wife, Judy, and I watched the Scorsese movie “The Aviator.” I loved it. A month or two later it's my 30th birthday and Judy tells me to meet her at the bottom of Bathurst Street where she hands me a present. It's a biography on Howard Hughes. “Great” I think. “What a nice gift.” Then Judy tells me that we’re about to go for a flying lesson off the Island Airport. I couldn’t believe it. Some 16-year-old pre-pubescent gives me a flying lesson. We fly out over my childhood neighbourhood in Ajax and back. It was incredible. And I landed the plane without the instructor having to touch the controls once. So, it turns out landing a plane safely is not that hard after all.
JOSH STEIN
Chief Creative Officer
JOSH STEIN
Chief Creative Officer
truth be told...
There’s gotta be at least a million way more interesting things you could be looking at on the internet right now instead of reading my bio.
ZINO OKI
Account Services
ZINO OKI
Account Services
truth be told...
I love roller coasters so much, specifically the ones that go really high, but every moment that leads right up to them starting is the MOST terrifying feeling ever. The summer the “Behemoth” ride at Canada’s Wonderland came out, my family and I went there to debut the ride. Once we got in line for the ride; getting higher up to get strapped in the rollercoaster cart, I started crying in fear of how much higher we kept going. I genuinely thought I would go back down because my heart begun pulsing much more the higher, we got. My brothers encouraged me to get on the ride and start by closing my eyes from the first drop of the ride, which I did. It was the most exhilarating feeling after that first drop, it was such a good ride that we went back to take the ride again.
LYNN SKINNER
Traffic Manager
LYNN SKINNER
Traffic Manager
truth be told...
I am a grandma and often referred to as the “office mom,” but don’t be surprised when I tell you I love ATVing... on nice easy trails, mind you. While in Moab I was just givin’ ’er along a trail when all at once I faced a rather rocky area. I couldn’t stop for fear of sailing over top of my ATV, so I punched it. It was horribly bumpy, hanging on for dear life as my helmet slammed repeatedly into the handle bars. All at once I was on flat ground again and thanking my lucky stars to have survived. Just then my daughter’s friend rode up alongside, rather impressed. “Wow, you were great back there! Most of the time just on three wheels!” My cool reply, “Yeah, I love this stuff!”
FRANCESCA NOTO
Account Director
FRANCESCA NOTO
Account Director
truth be told...
When I was a young girl, I had a harrowing fear of lobsters. Their clamping claws, spiny legs, google-y eyes – just gross! Well, when my dad caught wind of my crustaceous phobia, he took advantage of the opportunity at hand. One day, he called me downstairs to give me a “present.” I opened the deceivingly innocent box and, to my horror, it was filled with a family of lobsters. He then proceeded to take one out of the box, removed its rubber bands and chased me around the house with it (at this point, Child Services should have been called). Turns out, I am now allergic to shellfish. I blame my father.
AHMED OMAR
Account Supervisor
AHMED OMAR
Account Supervisor
truth be told...
I have always been fascinated by volcanoes. Over the years, my fascination grew into a crazy desire to stand on the edge of a volcano and look down at the center of the earth. On 19 Dec 2014, after a grueling 5-hour climb to the top of volcano Concepción in Nicaragua I did just that. The moment was perfect but the only thing I was missing was a selfie stick!
SASHIERE STEWART
First Impressions Manager
SASHIERE STEWART
First Impressions Manager
truth be told...
I am the product of some total nerds, which means I have the pleasure of being named after the Original Star Trek series. "Sashiere" is a flower known to the Kelvan alien race (re: episode 50, By Any Other Name). In 2010 I accomplished a childhood dream and became Indiana Jones while I ventured around Petra (cue music). Since that first visit, I've been fortunate enough to return in 2012 and 2014 to continue my adventure. I'm also a proud Slytherin. What can I say? I'm kind of a nerd. It's in my blood.
VINICIUS TYSZLER
Account Director
VINICIUS TYSZLER
Account Director
truth be told...
Born and raised in beautiful and hectic Rio de Janeiro, Brasil – yes Brasil with an S. Leaves everything behind and moves to a beautiful but cooooold January Toronto. Falls in love with this city at first sight. Gets married, never wants to leave. Leaves. Goes back to Brasil. Unexpectedly thoroughly enjoys the time spent there. Lives and works during/with World Cup and Olympic Games at home – unbelievable! Welcomes two Brasilian/Canadian sons. Comes back home – yes Toronto is home!
ANICK TANGUAY
Director, Client Services
ANICK TANGUAY
Director, Client Services
truth be told...
I discovered the joys of alpine skiing when I was 7 years old. At 17, hoping to share that joy, I completed an internship and became a level 1 ski instructor for beginners, generally young children. I learned how to teach basic movements through games – line up like a little train yelling “choo choo” or follow like a duck saying “quack quack”. You can imagine my surprise when they gave me a group of teenagers to work with!!!!
ASHIFA ASARIA
Information Architect
ASHIFA ASARIA
Information Architect
truth be told...
After graduating from university I went backpacking through Europe and ended up meeting the HR manager for an airline company. I ended up being a flight attendant for 1 year and worked with 42 nationalities.
MIKE HARLEY
Developer
MIKE HARLEY
Developer
truth be told...
One day I Googled my own name in search of doppelgangers. I ended up discovering a swedish underwear company with the same name as me. I sent them an email and they ended up sending me a free pair! Who needs their mom to write their name on the underwear?
