Hires and promotions
Marketing and communications firm AdFarm has hired Mike Meadus as its ECD, working out of its Calgary office. Meadus previously spent more than a decade in the creative department at McCann Canada, most recently as its creative director.
Harisson Santos was appointed creative director at Toronto ad studio, King Ursa. King Ursa brought on Harisson to help with the agency’s analysis, strategy, content creation and amplification. Additionally, King Ursa made the following two hires: Sasha Abrams, director project management and Dorian Burns, director, brand partnerships. Previously, Abrams consulted for RBC as a senior PM in the implementation of its new in-house design system. Burns, meanwhile, has experience leading some of the nation’s top brands, such as Ikea, Telus, and P&G.
Cher Lee and Sarah Jones are joining Citizen Relations as senior account directors. Lee previously led global communications at Destination Canada and will now work on Citizen’s new Parq Vancouver account (see below) and Rocky Mountaineer. Jones joins the team from London, where she has spent the last nine years working for both heritage brands and start-ups across multiple sectors. Citizen also named Olivia Bradford as account manager from Jive PR + Digital in Vancouver.
Montreal full-service agency Braque announced the appointment of Andrea Berroyer to its digital team as its new content marketing specialist. Berroyer has previously worked with TC Media and Piknik Electronik.
New Business
Agnostic has been named the new Canadian agency of record for ASUS Computers. Agnostic, a former digital agency that has been diversifying into a full service offering, rebranded earlier this year and appointed Sarah Crabbe as its new president.
As mentioned above, Citizen Relations was recently appointed agency partner for Parq Vancouver, supporting the hotel and casino’s position as an entertainment destination through earned media, influencers and brand partnerships. The agency has also picked up new work with Pursuit Collection and renewed its assignment as North American AOR for Tourism Australia.
Orangetheory Fitness Canada has selected Ketchum Canada as its PR AOR following a competitive review. Ketchum’s mandate will include events, influencer engagement and media relations.
Boutique PR agency Elevator Communications announced a partnerships with Purdys, the chocolatier with 84 stores nationwide. It will assist with new product launches and building its customer base via media relations and influencers. Elevator also announced it’s helping launch Thirsty Naturals’ natural hygiene and skin care line for teens, and building awareness for Chatters, a hair product retailer based in Alberta.
The Influence Agency announced Consultus Digital as a new division within its offering. Consultus will offer digital services such as search engine optimization, paid search, content strategy, social media advertising and website development. The Influence Agency is an influencer-focused shop that has previously led campaigns for brands such as New Balance, Pride Toronto and Universal Music.
