
Toronto’s Union Station, undergoing a multi-year renovation, partnered with A&C to help bring its vision, new brand, and programming to life. The agency developed a strategy that ensured sponsors would create value-adds and enhance the overall experience, ultimately securing TD Bank.
Among PR firms, A&C sees itself as unique. It’s a public relations shop that’s also a sponsorship and partnerships agency, with an eye on brands looking to make a better world.
Although the Toronto-based boutique has focused on PR since 2006, its do-good mission goes back 50 years, to when its primary business was securing sponsorship for arts and culture organizations.

A&C worked with Indigenous Fashion Arts on sponsorship for its return to an in-person festival in 2022. The agency developed a strategy to maximize sponsorship opportunities while upholding the integrity and vision of IFA and its communities. Partnership discussions resulted in A&C securing Rogers as presenting sponsor.
That background goes far in explaining why A&C (which once stood for Arts & Communications) approaches its PR and media relations projects with a unique lens, says president Bonnie Hillman, who acquired the agency soon after she began working for it in 2000.
“We see the media as partners, not as the other side of a transaction,” Hillman says, noting A&C has a long history of cultivating mutually beneficial relationships with media. “Because we were a sponsorship agency that worked on commission, as we still do, we have a sales mentality that serves us in the PR and communications side of our business.”

A&C announced Alo Food Group’s ready-to-drink cocktail Espresso Martini Fizz with a “Night Luxe” themed launch party. The subsequent integrated PR and communications campaign leveraged the cocktail’s popularity to sustain interest through content creation, media hits, influencer product seeding and partnership opportunities.
Hillman says that while A&C works with brands looking to give back in addition to selling what they’re selling, it also has a diverse clientele – ranging from the City of Toronto to several alcohol, beauty and lifestyle brands.
“Because we’re small and work in arts and culture and with municipalities [also including Calgary], people come to us. We’re taking on more community-oriented projects and looking at the greater good that can come out of them,” she says.
Case in point: A&C helped the Indigenous Fashion Arts Festival find major corporate partners such as Rogers and Simons for its latest edition in June 2022.
“There’s a lot of interest from the corporate sector to participate in something like that, given the importance of highlighting Indigenous voices in all spheres,” she says. “It was as much about fashion as it was about elevating Indigenous voices, which is very relevant for corporate Canada.”
While many A&C staffers have media relations backgrounds, they’ve also worked in marketing, sponsorship, and philanthropy. “We funnel this variety of skill sets to think about how we can get media to pay attention, or get the right influencers to partner with us. It’s a mindset that makes us different,” Hillman says. The agency has 12 employees, which Hillman says is ideal. Senior staffers are on hand throughout the entire process, from pitch to project completion.
“We like being nimble and effective and working with clients that are the same,” says Hillman. “There’s always going to be a new TikTok, so we approach projects with a clean slate.” A&C recently collaborated with the Ontario Sports Network, handling media and influencer partnerships for “This is Your Sport,” a campaign aimed at sparking conversation about the barriers many people face in sports and recreation.

Kids Up Front Toronto breaks down access barriers to arts, sports, and cultural events for deserving kids across the GTA. To help drive awareness and individual donations, A&C enlisted inspiring Canadians for a campaign video in which they explain why entrance to these experiences is “#MoreThanATicket.”
“Our goal was to contribute to a meaningful conversation around the barriers that hinder people’s participation – from discrimination, accessibility and safety to worries about COVID-19,” Hillman explains. The influencer-led campaign partnered with notable athletes – including Olympic decathlon champion Damian Warner and Brock McGillis, one of the first openly gay men’s pro hockey players – and garnered coverage in the Toronto Star and Sports Illustrated. It earned 12.9 million impressions, far exceeding KPIs.
Kids Up Front Toronto teamed up with A&C to build awareness for its organization, which gives tickets for arts, sports and cultural events to kids who otherwise wouldn’t be able to attend. The campaign included a video featuring well-known Torontonians recounting the first event they attended and the impact it had on their lives.
A media relations campaign for ArtworxTO – Toronto’s 2021- 2022 year of public art that brought work by local artists to all corners of the city – gained about 50 million impressions.
Meanwhile, Hillman sees her team taking on a much greater leadership role. “I’m encouraging them to be a collective and have some ownership in this,” she says. “I’m excited to see what they will create.”
CONTACT:
Bonnie Hillman
President
bonnie@acteam.ca
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