Break Week

Slide show of randomn images from my daytime wandering in New Orleans.

John Alabaszowski

John Alabaszowski, V.P. Group Creative Director at MacLaren McCann MRM presented to the class today. Check him out on LinkedIn or follow him on Twitter @JohnAla. John was also on the financial panel at the Fall Tour Interactive so now I've been lucky to hear him speak on two occasions.

John studied New Media at Ryerson and started out as a Web Designer, working for Nurun, Infinet Communications (no longer around) and Alliance Atlantis and freelancing before climbing the ladder at MacLaren McCann.

One point that really stuck out is how web design has become about managing relationships with the consumer as opposed to simply providing information and selling things.

Here are three different Chevy campaigns he showed us, all with a very different approach.

The Chevy Volt site was made using google maps. You can enter directions and find out the fuel usage. This is my 5km commute to Sheridan which would use no gas!


The Chevy Sonic site uses music as a theme and creates a beat that evolves as you add different features to your car.


The Chevy Orlando site includes twitter conversations from "soccer moms" who were given the mini van to test.

Somehow the conversation got on to how different companies handle themselves on the web. We talked a bit about a certain company's (name altered cause someone keeps blocking this video from my blog! hopefully this works) response to the Greenpeace campaign against their use of a palm oil supplier who were clear cutting orangutang habitat. Instead of dealing with it up front they sent a cease and desist order to Youtube where it was originally posted thinking they could control the video. This showed little understanding of how the web works and of course the video lived on. Eventually Greenpeace was able to force them to end their contract with this supplier.

One of the cool things about working at MacLaren McCann is to work on pro bono projects. Camp Oochigeas is one of these clients, a camp for kids with cancer. With one of their campaigns they were able to raise enough money through the Evening of Summer Dreams gala to create a new camp in the city for kids who were too sick to make the trip up north. This is really cool.




Here's some advice from John:

Have an online portfolio
-put your strengths up front
-he looks for good layout and design skills in whichever medium
-show initiative, always work on projects in your spare time
-demonstrate passion
-have it organized

Your interview
-organize your presentation, be prepared and don't fumble for your work
-stand out and leave an impression
-know your company and research them
-start a discussion, ask questions about your work, you can direct this converstion

Your first job
-there is a feeling out process, what can you do
-raise your hand and work on stuff around the office, flyers for company events etc
-find things above and beyond your work duties to work on

Advice from interns- Megan and Mario
-DON'T BE DRUNKER THAN YOUR BOSS!
-but go to social events

ENJOY YOUR CAREER AND DON'T TAKE YOURSELF TOO SERIOUSLY

Contact Information:

MacLaren McCann Canada
10 Bay Street, Toronto, ON, M5J 2S3
Tel: 416.594.600

Fall Tour Interactive

The purple team guides on the Fall Tour Interactive, Boris and Raz (below) and the guys documenting us. All photos by JH who posted these on the Fall Tour Interactive Facebook page.

First stop nurun, where we had a great tour of the office spaces, a breakdown of their operations and the chance to chat with some of the staff. Thats me in the bottom left talking UX, and that's Melissa in the bottom right looking really studious. Always looking for interns so there were good contacts to make.

Next we had a tour of Idea Couture Inc. Very relaxed atmosphere. Young staff with lots of amazing ideas. I answered a question right and snagged a copy of MISC.

Where do you go for innovation | IdeaCouture from IdeaCouture Inc on Vimeo.

David Stubbs, Group Creative Director at MacLaren McCann gave a presentation back at the Underground Cinema. He talked a lot about an intern recruiting project they created for Mastercard, and an alternative reality game they came up with to promote Gears of War where you had to figure out how to find locust meat to get into a special pre-launch party.

Steve's main advice was to remember to be 3 things: Helpful, Relevant and Adaptive. Also, be a problem solver.

Lunch at Oddly Studios, the organizers of the tour. These guys were fun, and obviously loved their jobs. A lot of passion. Thanks for the sandwiches.


This was the finance panel. It makes the world go round. Some interesting topics but a lot of talk about project grants.

John St had a really cool atmosphere and they put together an awesome presentation for us. They took us through the entire process of creating a campaign for Tetley Infusions. This commercial is great.

Lastly we visited Grip Limited which had the most interesting office space. The website is also incredible.

Patrick, one of the Associate Partners gave us some good tips. Things to do when cultivating a career.

1) Independent: Be original, self directed and aim high.
2) Futurist: Think of the opportunities that don't exist yet.
3) Inspiration: Keep your radar turned on!
4)Growing: Always learn new skills, be curious and have side projects.
5) Collaboration: Share inspiration and energy, reach out to other disciplines.
6) Participate & Network: What's your verbal branding? Project the most optimistic version of yourself.
7) Think different: Be strategic and intentional.
8) Expert: Share your expertise at anything.
9) Curious: Be a student of life.
10) Stay optimistic and enthusiastic.

Dwayne Grech (aka Sultan of Beard)

This weeks' speaker was Dwayne Grech, another alum of the Sheridan Web Design program. He's an Interactive Designer at Momentum Advanced Solutions, and the Owner and personality behind Sultan of Beard. Before this he spent time with several companies, polishing his design skills and navigating the rough waters of inter-office politics. Check out his profile on LinkedIn, and follow him on Twitter @sultanofbeard.

Dwayne also started a facebook group for the Toronto Surf Club, where they get together during the winter months to surf Lake Ontario. I think this means that he may be totally insane.

He doesn't seem too keen on Momentum's current website, but did give us a sneak peek at the re-design which he hopes to have up in the next few months.

His favourite project to work on so far has been for Jeep Crankworkx, a mountain-biking festival in Whistler.

I also found a music video he shot on his website. So far each speaker has recommended learning some video editing skills.

'Good Behaviour' by Late July

What to expect from the industry

1) It won't be easy

-lots of grads, get worked very hard, do everything the senior designers don't want to do

2) Lack of sleep

-last minute jobs, crazy deadlines, all nighters

3) Ultra competitive market

-1 job for every 5 grads

4)Small industry

-everyone knows everyone

-your reputation will follow you

5) Crazy office politics

-creative people can be irrational

-people wear their hearts on their sleeves

-be level headed and put your ego aside

-don't ever throw your other creatives under the bus

6) Toronto has heaps of agency choices

-large companies will burn you out

-try to start somewhere small, you will learn more

7)Heaps of industry parties= Free booze!!!

Dwayne also gave us some great nuggets of advice, which I found posted on his website, so I'll let his words explain:

1. Burning bridges in this industry is employment suicide– burning bridges, in general, isn’t wise. We’re too small of an industry for you to tell off your former boss, who has friends at every other agency you’re applying to work at.

2. Networking events are your easiest way into an interview– besides the employment benefits, the food and booze are usually free! #winning

3. You are never too old to stop learning– if you feel you’ve learned enough, then chances are you’re an idiot. Read a book. Scour through theFWA.com, PSD or AEtuts+ (to name a few). Take a night course in presentation communication. It helps!

4. theFWA.com is the Bible– this is your source to industry giants, growing hopefuls and terabytes of inspiration and trends

5. Sometime you’ll have to sacrifice a weekend or six– a sacrificed weekend for work should never been seen in a negative light. Sure, shit hits the fans and you’ll have to cancel going towel shopping with your mom, but seeing that you’re working under your terms, working the weekends can be far more rewarding because you’re under less stress.

6. Red Bull doesn’t give you wings, but sure does make you the savior of the “last minute all-nighter” request– you’ll get these ridiculous requests that force you to pull an all-nighter for a pitch the next day. Red Bull will get you through it. Once done, you’ll be the hero of the week and get a phone call from the President, thanking you. Promotion? Sure!

7. Pay it forward– this work we do comes with a bit of superstitious baggage. We get lucky breaks, we’re competing daily with equally great designers in equally great agencies, how we win contracts, employment or whatever is nothing short of luck. Give back– it’s karma! Once you’re a big shot, or at least got your feet wet for a few years, mentor a student or two. Volunteer at the Fall Studio Tour or speak at a Weekly Guest Lecture. NEVER AVOID HELPING OUT OTHERS!

8. If you’re not enjoying the what and where, then it’s time for a change– You have to love where you work. This keeps you loyal and motivated. Sure, you will have to pay your dues at a couple of shitty places, but chances are you will find the right fit. If you find yourself waking up from bed dreading to go to work then that’s a good sign you should polish off your resume. You’re doing yourself a favor.

9. Booze is your friend– When times are tough, I schedule a meeting with my buddy and life coach, Jack Daniels, to get me through the week of nagging PMs and impossible deadlines. When Jack isn’t around, I’ll call up his European counterpart, Heineken. Alcohol is widely excepted in our industry, but how visible it is during business hours differs from shop to shop.

10. SOCIAL MEDIA– do I even need to mention how important it is to stay connected?

Sultan of Beard revealed!