Hires
Digital agency Index has hired Stéphane Espinosa as its director of SEO. Over the course of his career, Espinosa has worked on web accounts for clients including La Redoute, Alstom, Renault and France Telecom.
A number of new hires and promotions have joined communications firm Tact. New faces include Chu Anh Pham and Laurence Myre Leroux as senior advisors, Laurence R. Fortin as a consultant, Samuel Bouchard-Villeneuve as a coordinator and Guillaume Boivin as a designer. The firm has also promoted Marie-Pier Côté, Isabelle Verge and Samuel Tremblay to senior advisor and Malika Paradis to advisor.
Didier Charette has joined the roster of directors at Quebec production house Cinélande. Charette’s recent work includes ads for brands including McDonald’s, Kijiji, Keurig and Tourism Montreal.
New business
Toronto’s Republic has picked up new business with Cannabis Growth Opportunity Corporation, an investment corporation focused on the cannabis industry. The agency will develop branding, content plans and channel planning with the goal of educating and providing value to potential investors in the cannabis industry. Last month, the agency also picked up work with premium lifestyle cannabis brand Muskoka Grown.
PR agency Charming Media has three new recent assignments. For body care brand Fruits and Passion, it will handle PR for its Cucina line of products, as well as the launch of a new, to-be-announced line. For Canadian Men’s Health Foundation, it will be leading influencer relations for its “#DontChangeMuch” initiative. Finally, it will be leading PR for lifestyle and personal care brand Unwrapped Life, which creates unpackaged products as part of its environmental and sustainability efforts.
RIDEAU, an association representing those in the arts and culture events space in Quebec, has awarded its account to Orangetango, which will handle the redesign of its visual identity and production on digital platforms.
Media
Instagram has introduced IGTV, a new app that will showcase videos up to an hour in length, and some industry experts have thoughts on its potential (for Media in Canada subscribers).
Sean Dixon has moved from OMD to the broader Omnicom Media Group, taking on the new position of managing director of marketing science (for Media in Canada subscribers).
