Ryan Semeniuk

My main responsibility was in charge of making Edelman Vancouver (a public relations firm) competitive with other advertising agencies. During my duration, I both art directed and creative directed projects for Western Canada (Vancouver and Calgary offices).

As part of the Vancouver leadership team, I collaborated with team leads to establish new processes with working with the creative department. This meant reviewing existing processes and establishing new ones including redefined roles and responsibilities, a new creative brief and creative review process. As part of the change I pivoted the creative structure from being a “Creative Service Studio” to a “Creative Department”. With this change came strategic hires where I led, mentor and managed a team of 8 (art directors, graphic designers, web designers, copywriters, and production artists, resource manager). Along the way I also created a creative on-boarding presentation and set up one-on-one sessions on marketing fundamentals.

I played a key role on several new business pitch wins in the Vancouver and Calgary offices while building relationships with existing senior clients that lead to organic business growth. In doing all this, I increased the creative department’s YOY revenue 10% within my first year.

Lastly, as part of Edelman’s Global commitment to diversity, I helped establish Vancouver’s Indigenous Internship Program; a first in the Canadian communications marketing industry. The first creative intern started in the summer of 2017.

For nearly 6 years, I conceptualized, designed, presented, pitched, executed and produced brand identities and integrated brand campaigns for local, regional and national clients.Clients include: BC Hydro, Alberta Motor Association, TELUS, Phillips Brewery, BC Casinos, Vancouver Aquarium, Save-On-Foods, Dairy Farmers of Canada, Westminster Savings.

Promoted to the Toronto office to creative and art direct national campaigns, with increased leadership responsibilities and face-to-face presenting to senior clients.

Creative and art directed small- and large-scale interactive and advertising projects, liaise with clients, direct photographers, illustrators, 3D animators, flash developers and backend programmers.

Developed conceptual products in a team environment focusing on client, market and user drivers, and the products or services that fit. Products included conceptual information/interactive designs, rapid prototypes and user trials.

Researched in a team environment to develop creative insight, performed field research and rapid prototyped into the nature and emergent properties of trends.