I studied english and history at University, with hopes of becoming a teacher and a writer but I dropped out just shy of graduation. The classroom and traditional curriculum bored the hell out of me and I found every waking day positively miserable. I was wild with ambition and craved a thrill that I couldn’t find in Canada. So I did what any wild child with blind ambition would do. I moved to New York City without knowing a soul, with no degree, plan B or understanding of the immigration system. I didn’t have anything shiny to point potential future employers, other than my relentless work ethic, credentials as a former national level athlete and Ford Model but I had grit, a fire in my soul and a rich desire to gain as much experience as quickly as I could and build something truly dope. I quickly realized how much I really did love learning, I just wanted to do it my way; outside of the classroom, in the real world and on the internet, where I could go as deep into any subject I wanted, at the pace that I wanted.

I met someone who knew someone who knew someone that would let me intern at their sports marketing agency, for zero dollars. I found a couch to crash on and would walk to the office as the sun rose, cold calling potential advertisers from 6-9am, before I would work the reception desk until close. As a past athlete, I loved learning about the business from executives at the NHL and Madison Square Garden, but I quickly started to feel like a used car salesman selling logos and placements that didn’t welcome innovative, fresh thinking. But I said yes to everything, absorbing every moment of it like a spunge, including any free meal since my savings would quickly run out.

During one of these meals, I got sat next to the CMO of BlackBerry who told me about a new feature that would revolutionize the way we communicated; BBM. He was hunting for innovative ways to reach people like me, those who wanted to taste the bright lights of possibility and glamor of the tech and tastemaker scene. Within two months, I moved to Los Angeles and was launched one of the first influencer marketing agencies to service BlackBerry’s launch, Xomad. Within a year, I had established multi-million dollar deals with brands like Nivea and Dove. I loved educating marketing executives on the opportunities and impact with “friend-to-friend endorsements at scale online using Influential tastemakers as “influencer" or “influencer marketing” language wasn’t widely used.

After six years my learning and growth had tapered and I craved more creative agency experience. I joined Omelet, an independent agency and it didn’t take long before I was spending evenings and weekends there, building out a social and influencer specific offering where I saw opportunities with Nike, RedBull and Paramount Pictures.

In 2016 I was contacted by IPG’s R/GA, who was looking to build a global influencer offering and asked if I would create it. I traveled around the world, teaching brands about the best ways to engage and work with creators to drive cultural relevance and engagement for their brands. I finally felt like I found my tribe, people who wanted to explore possibilities, build things and laugh like hyenas late into the night. After six years, my hunger for growth could no longer be satisfied and I made the difficult decision to leave R/GA. I was recruited to be the VP of Marketing for Pearpop, a high-profile creator marketing startup. I loved developing the brand and product marketing strategy, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough to offset the cultural environment that didn’t yin with my yang. Before I knew it I burnt right out, down to the ground.

“Ashes and debris are what’s left when it all burns to the ground. You sweep up something that once stood so tall and throw it in the garbage. While things are replaceable, you aren’t.”

So here we are. I’ve made a commitment to ruthlessly prioritize meaningful impact for people and the planet, and not to sit quietly and smile pretty assholes. I don’t know where I’ll end up, but I know right now it feels right to rebuild myself back up through a business of my own. And I must say, fuck this feels good. “Hard work is important. So are play and non-productivity. My worth is tied not to my productivity but to my existence. I am worthy of rest. “