Today in our ongoing series, “Two Minutes With”, we're talking to Elettra Account Manager Lorna Allen.  

Favourite quote:

I love inspirational and witty quotes so it’s hard for me to pick just one. But here are two I like and think of often.

Mark Twain: A person who won’t read has no advantage over one who can’t.

Anais Nin: Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.

Somebody wise also once told me to remember to "be the you that you know you are" which I always try to remember.

Favourite place to visit:

Top of my list is the South of France especially the Cote D’Azur. I used to go to Cannes and Antibes every spring when I lived in Europe and I thoroughly enjoyed the food, the Kir Royals, and the beautiful coastal scenery.

I also have a very special place in my heart for Hong Kong.  Truly the most colourful and vibrant city I have ever had the pleasure of visiting.  It has it all: beautiful beaches, world class shopping, the world’s cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant, and that iconic cityscape. 

Favourite author:

Daniel Woodrell – the novelist who penned Winter’s Bone, Tomato Red, Give Us a Kiss and many more. I really enjoy his “country noir” style and think he is very underrated.

Oxford comma: Yay or nay?

I’m an Oxford comma convert.  But only since moving to Canada.  My English teacher did not believe in it and my punctuation habits were deeply ingrained.  My colleagues at Elettra have made me see the light on this one though and I think it definitely clarifies meaning when listing things.

If you didn’t work in PR, what would you choose to do?

I would be a full time film journalist.  I dabbled in this field when I lived back in the UK and the highlight of my year was attending film festivals, working red carpets and interviewing actors and directors.

Why do you choose to live in Vancouver?

I fell in love with Vancouver back in 1999 when I lived here on a temporary working visa. It is such a beautiful city and I love how accessible everything is.  I made up my mind to come back and live here again and 14 years later I finally did just that.

What’s the #1 most played song on your iPod?

I go through phases.  At the moment it is probably either Hello by Adele or Fairytale of New York by The Pogues.  It is nearly Christmas after all!

Fun fact about you:

I once had drinks with George Clooney and Brad Pitt in Venice

If you could witness any event past, present or future, what would it be?

It would be to go back in time and be present when Martin Luther King delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech at the Lincoln Memorial. His words have inspired so many people over the years and I think it would have been incredible to have been present to hear and witness it first hand.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you choose?

Hmm…my love of cinema brings a lot of people to mind.  But sadly my favourite film characters don’t always meet the most pleasant of ends.  For that reason, I think Elizabeth Bennett from Pride and Prejudice would be preferable. However, my friends would probably say I’m more like Bridget Jones (in fact they have done so...many times).

Today in our ongoing series, “Two Minutes With”, we're talking to talented graphic and web designer, Michael Young.  In addition to being an in-demand designer, Michael is also exceptionally handy with a camera. In fact, he's Elettra's go-to photographer for shooting building interiors/exteriors for our PR campaigns.

Check out Michael's online portfolio here.

Favourite publication: Montecristo is simple, tasteful, and always interesting.

Favourite quote:  Creative work can often go under-appreciated. Hemmingway sums it up nicely with..  "There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed."

Favourite food: There is nothing better to eat in the world than a carefully loved and lightly seasoned, grilled Wagyu steak with a peppercorn cream sauce on the side, paired with a dark full bodied stout.

Favourite font: The obvious choice - Helvetica is perfect when kerned and used properly and obviously boring when not. In graphic design, it separates the amateurs from those who care.

Best piece of career advice you have received? Get paid doing what you love and you'll never work a day in your life. Sounds cliché but I'm very happy that I took it to heart, I love what I do and wouldn't change it for the world.

Why do you choose to live in Vancouver? It's home, I was born and raised here. It wasn't until I left that I truly appreciated how beautiful it is.

What’s the #1 most played song on your iPod? It's always changing but right now, anything by Mø.

What is your favourite PR campaign (local, national, or international): Sony (allegedly) acted as though Kim Jung Un was going to engage in war due to The Interview film. The buzz that came from this was enormous. 

Michael Young shooting for Mahony & Sons Stamps Landing

Michael Young shooting for Mahony & Sons Stamps Landing

Welcome to our ongoing series, “Two Minutes With”. We’re getting to know a little more about the Elettra team, our clients, and our partners/suppliers. Today we chat with Elettra Account Coordinator, Leanne Kedrosky.

​Favourite place to visit: My favourite place I have been is Positano, off the Amalfi Coast of Italy. It is incredibly beautiful and calm.

Favourite food: Banana milkshakes – what a treat.

Morning beverage of choice: Black coffee to kick my mornings up a notch.

Favourite social media site: Pinterest – there is so much inspiration! Whether it’s what to cook for dinner, new makeup tricks, or how to make a bookshelf from pipe (tried it, love it!).

If you didn’t work in PR, what would you choose to do: Ideally, I would be a pirate. Realistically, I would be a professional equestrian.

Natural talent you wish you had: I’ve always wished I could sing – you don’t want to hear my family sing Happy Birthday. We are the most out of tune bunch.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you choose?

Thor! Ability to fly, manipulate weather, have super strength and agility, and be incredibly intelligent? Yes please! Plus, being friends with the rest of the Avengers would be a great time.

Welcome to our ongoing series, “Two Minutes With”. We’re getting to know a little more about the Elettra team, our clients, and our partners/suppliers. Today we chat with Meetingmax's Community & Marketing Manager, Kelly Heesterman.

​Alma Mater: BCIT Marketing Communications. And soon to be graduate of The Institute of Holistic Nutrition.

Favourite restaurant or food: Mexican! Salsa and Agave is right around the corner from my office. They were sold out of guacamole today… I was devastated.

Favourite author: Louise Hay, Shawn Achor, Brene Brown

Morning beverage of choice: Green Juice! Today was lemon, ginger, cucumber, dandelion greens, and an apple. Lately I’ve also being starting the day with a glass of water and bentonite clay to flush out toxins. That’s right, I willingly drink dirt…

Favourite spot in Vancouver: Lighthouse Park in West Vancouver.

Favourite font: Calibri, 10.5

Best piece of career advice you have received? That failure is okay. Failure to change however is not okay.

If you didn’t work in marketing, what would you choose to do? Holistic Nutrition or Interior Design.

What are you most proud of in your career? Several of the Meetingmax crew recently went to the SXSW Festival in Austin, TX to exhibit at the Interactive tradeshow and to connect with our client (SXSW). It was pretty surreal to see that our reservation technology was powering such a substantial event. Not to mention the housing team was able to spend time with us in the evenings, something almost unheard of in prior years as they would often have to work late into the evenings. I love knowing that our software can actually enhance our clients’ personal lives by improving processes and giving them the gift of time.

What characteristic do you value most in your work colleagues? A positive attitude.

Why do you choose to live in Vancouver? It’s my hometown.

Natural talent you wish you had: Public speaking

What is something you learned in the last week? Every month our team reads a book together, currently we’re reading Leadership and Self-Deception by the Arbinger Institute. In a nutshell, self-deception occurs when we hold on to a certain belief and then justify our actions to fuel that belief. It brought on a lot of self-reflection and is changing the way I interact in certain situations and relationships. It’s a goodie.

What is your favourite PR campaign (local, national, or international): There’s a lot of cool stuff going on. Here’s a couple that caught my attention:

• Volkswagon and DDB Russia recently launched a Think Blue campaign which encourages people to recycle their old batteries in exchange for small tokens - http://www.psfk.com/2015/04/volkswagen-vending-machine-batteries-money-think-blue-campaign.html
• Burger King is paying for the wedding of Mr. Burger and Ms. King…. Clever - http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/burger-king-to-pay-for-wedding-of-mr-burger-and-ms-king-in-illinois/article23826308/

This is the fourth post in our ongoing series, “Two Minutes With”. We’re getting to know a little more about the Elettra team, our clients, and our partners/suppliers. Today we chat with Elettra Managing Partner, Gwen Hardy.

Alma Mater:  UVic

Favourite restaurant or food: For dinner, Chambar. Specifically the Moules Congolaise. Possibly the only dish I have ordered there but it’s hard to deviate when you know you love something. For lunch, whenever I have time to walk a few extra blocks, I head to India Abroad on Hornby. Their vegetarian dishes are full of flavour, their naan is fresh, and they have a side salad with an inexplicably spicy yogurt sauce that just works. Heaven.

Morning beverage of choice: Typhoo tea to ease me into the day, followed by black coffee at work.

Favourite spot in Vancouver: On the water in Howe Sound.

Oxford comma: Yay or nay? Yay. The infographic featuring strippers, JFK, and Stalin pretty much sums it up for me. (Do a Google image search. You’ll get it.)

Best piece of career advice you have received? Contribute. In every meeting, on every conference call, and in every interaction make sure that you add value to the conversation.

What are you most proud of in your career? Striking out on our own and starting Elettra.

Why do you choose to live in Vancouver? The water. I love visiting other places, but I feel claustrophobic when I can’t get to a beach or get on a boat. Makes the mortgage payments worth it. Almost.

Which news story were you most captivated by in the past year? I would have to say the ongoing Federal election campaign. Unlike with a snap election call, fixed election dates mean that the electorate gets to take a good, long look at their candidates. Hopefully this will result in more substantive discussions around the issues.

Where would we typically find you on the weekend and what would you be doing? Chasing after my kids, aged two and four.

What is something you learned in the last week? That oysters boost your serotonin levels. Margaret Trudeau was the keynote speaker at the Kettle Society’s Making a Difference luncheon last week. She shared her personal story and talked about how important diet is in maintaining mental health.

This is the third post in our ongoing series, “Two Minutes With”. We’re getting to know a little more about the Elettra team, our clients, and our partners/suppliers. Today we chat with Jenna Anderson, who has been on the Elettra team since September 2014 as a Tour Guide at Vancouver International Airport. Jenna is now moving into a Community Relations Coop position at YVR. Best of luck in your new position, Jenna!

Favourite quote: “Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage” - Anais Nin

Favourite place to visit: New Zealand. It has gorgeous scenery, lovely people, and amazing activities like canyoning!

Favourite author: George R. R. Martin, he created a captivatingly detailed universe in A Song of Ice and Fire and I cannot wait for him to finish the Winds of Winter.

Morning beverage of choice: First, orange pekoe tea then an hour later a cup of coffee.

Best piece of career advice you have received? Take initiative, triple check all of your work, and always arrive 15 minutes early.

Why do you choose to live in Vancouver? Where else can you hit the slopes, go hiking, go to the beach, and then get some of the best sushi all in one day.

Natural talent you wish you had: The ability to gracefully walk in high heels.

This is the second post in our ongoing series, "Two Minutes With”. We're getting to know a little more about the Elettra team, our clients, and our partners/suppliers. Today we chat with our friend and partner, Lisa Edward, Art Director/Owner of  Studio Chartreuse.

​Favourite publication:Paper Mag

Favourite social media sites or blogs: Design Milk, My Modern Met, and Dwell

Favourite quote: You miss 100% of the shots you don't take. —Wayne Gretzky

Role model: Barbara Kruger

Favourite place to visit: Cannon Beach Oregon is my favourite beach along the Oregon coast. Tons of fond memories from family vacations here throughout the years. Cannon Beach is one of those places you wished were part of your everyday walk. Incredible rocky coast with miles of sand to walk while you listen to the waves crashing…

Favourite restaurant or food: Spicy and ethnic are my go-to’s: La Mezcaleria has an amazing atmosphere and the most amazing Mescal Margaritas! Kin Kau is a new one in my neighbourhood. The combination of excellent spicy Thai food with a relaxing modern interior is the perfect combination for me.

Favourite author: Stephen King (specifically ‘The Shining’)

Morning beverage of choice: Bulletproof Coffee - gives me so much more energy throughout the day without making me jittery

Favourite spot in Vancouver: Too many to list, but one of my ‘new favourite spots’ is the new Convention Centre. I can’t get enough of the stylized 3D stack of lumber walls throughout. Did you know that there are over two acres of wood feature walls!

Oxford comma: Yay or nay? Depends on which font I’m using ;)

Favourite font: Univers Condensed, Gotham Black, HelveticaNeue-UltraLight.

What are you most proud of in your career? Being one of three women who completed the design of the Scitech Technology Center in Al Khobar Saudi Arabia.

Why do you choose to live in Vancouver? It is such a beautiful city with oceans, mountains and is the exact perfect speed for me. Not too fast, and not too slow. I worked six months in Toronto and realized that even though I often work late, I definitely relate better to the west coast speed of things.

Fun fact about you: I’m quite the computer geek and love all things technology. Whether it’s installing a better Wordpress plugin for my clients site, or setting up a VOIP telephone system so I can work internationally with clients in different countries - I love learning so much and it gives me a great sense of achievement when I’ve mastered something I knew nothing about a few hours ago.