CASE STUDIES

These selected works showcase multi-layered creative development and cross-disciplinary coordination, shaping campaigns that scale from intimate local moments to full national impact.

RedBull Music Academy  / Montreal

Role:

Talent Recruiter (Mr. X) · Cultural Consultant · Creative Director · Event Producer

 

Overview

Rooted in underground culture, this project aimed to bridge emerging musical talent with globally established artists through mentorship, collaboration, and live public experiences. Backed by Red Bull, the initiative sought to create a culturally meaningful event that transcended genres, generations, and traditional brand activations—while remaining authentic to the underground ecosystem.

Context & Challenge

 

As part of the Red Bull Music Academy framework, select cultural influencers from around the world were recruited and trained to act as undercover talent scouts—known internally as Mr. X. Following an intensive strategy and training session in Denver, Colorado, the mandate was to return to our respective cities and:

 

• Identify emerging local talent with strong creative potential

 

• Connect them with established international artists and producers

 

• Design a mentorship-driven experience that could organically evolve into a public-facing cultural event

 

The challenge extended beyond talent curation. The project required transforming an underground-driven initiative into a large-scale, accessible event—without compromising credibility, artistic integrity, or cultural relevance.

Strategy

The approach focused on coherence, credibility, and cultural impact:

1 Talent Curation

  • • Scouting emerging artists across multiple genres
  • • Pairing them with internationally respected musicians and producers
  • • Structuring workshops and collaborative sessions rooted in mentorship

2 Creative Direction & Brand Integration

  • • Developing an event identity aligned with Red Bull’s philosophy while maintaining underground authenticity
  • • Ensuring brand presence felt organic, subtle, and culturally embedded rather than overtly commercial

3 Event Architecture & Production

  • • Selecting and transforming multiple venues to host workshops, performances, and experiential moments
  • • Designing a fluid program that allowed education, experimentation, and celebration to coexist

Execution

Key responsibilities included:

  • • Full event branding and creative direction
  • • Strategic promotion balancing underground credibility with broad public reach
  • • Venue sourcing, transformation, and technical coordination
  • • Artist booking, logistics, travel, and accommodations
  • • Programming, production oversight, and on-site supervision

Featured Artists & Contributors

The final lineup reflected a deliberate mix of disciplines, generations, and musical perspectives:

  • Dan23 (FRA) — Live musical portraiture and graffiti performance
  • Bernard Purdie (USA) — Legendary James Brown drummer, live drum workshop
  • Daz-I-Kue (UK) — Producer from Bugz in the Attic, studio workshop
  • Fred Everything (CAN) — DJ and producer, evening performance
  • Tortured Soul (NYC) — Live band, closing performance

Results & Impact

  • • Successfully connected emerging artists with globally recognized mentors
  • • Delivered a multi-day cultural event celebrated for its authenticity and diversity
  • • Strengthened Red Bull’s positioning as a genuine contributor to underground culture
  • • Established long-term creative relationships—many collaborators continue to work together today

Years later, this project is still regarded as one of Montreal’s most culturally impactful music initiatives—demonstrating how thoughtful brand integration, when executed with respect and vision, can leave a lasting imprint on a city’s creative landscape.

Hershey's  / Canada

Role:

Creative Strategist · Experiential Designer · Creative Director

 

Overview

 

Working with globally iconic brands is a rare privilege, particularly when the objective is not to introduce a product—but to reinforce cultural dominance. Hershey’s, already a household name worldwide, commissioned a national notoriety campaign designed to remind audiences why the brand continues to define chocolate nostalgia across generations.

 

Mandated by Gearwerx, an experiential marketing agency based in Ville-Saint-Laurent, Quebec, the challenge was to design a campaign capable of generating organic, user-driven promotion through memorable real-world experiences.

Context & Challenge

 

Notoriety campaigns are among the most delicate forms of brand communication. When a brand’s image is already pristine, any misstep risks dilution rather than amplification. Beyond this inherent pressure, the campaign faced three major operational challenges:

 

  • Creating a bilingual (French / English) messaging system adaptable across Canadian provinces

 

  • Managing the physical distribution of chocolate bars during high-temperature summer conditions

 

  • Ensuring Hershey’s presence remained unmistakable while avoiding overt or intrusive branding

 

In parallel, Hershey’s supplied 1,400,000 chocolate bar samples for national distribution, significantly increasing both the campaign’s reach and logistical complexity.

Strategy

The strategy centered on experiential immersion, visual spectacle, and organic audience participation.

1 Experiential Storytelling

Drawing inspiration from vintage mobile advertising and sideshow attractions, the campaign reintroduced street-level brand theater as a contemporary engagement tool.

2 Iconic Visual Hook

Inspired by Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, a custom vehicle was imagined featuring a monumental chocolate bar suspended mid-fall into liquid cacao—captured at the peak of a dramatic splash. This instantly recognizable visual acted as a magnet for public attention and social sharing.

3 Organic Content Generation

Rather than relying on traditional media buys, the experience was designed to encourage visitors to document and share their encounters naturally across social platforms—turning participants into active brand ambassadors.

Execution

Once the concept was approved, Design 1st (Ottawa, Ontario) was brought on to translate the vision into reality. Execution required coordination across creative, technical, logistical, and regulatory domains.

  • • Creative strategy and full experiential concept development
  • • Vehicle design, prototyping, and production oversight
  • • Distribution systems for efficient sample handouts
  • • Modular storage solutions for cross-country transport
  • • Apparel design for on-site brand ambassadors
  • • Research and compliance with road permits, highway legislation, and provincial regulations

Results & Impact

  • • High audience engagement driven by experiential novelty
  • • Strong brand recall through iconic visual storytelling
  • • Organic social amplification through participant-generated content
  • • Positive brand association reinforced through nostalgic emotional cues

This project stands as a defining professional experience—demonstrating how bold experiential design, when paired with disciplined execution, can elevate even the most established brands. Leading this vision for Hershey’s and delivering a whimsical, high-impact campaign alongside an exceptionally talented team remains a source of lasting pride.

MONTREAL CANADIENS

Role:

Creative Consultant · Designer · Experiential & Print Production Specialist

Overview 

 

Growing up in Montreal, hockey was a defining part of my identity. Like many, I dreamed of playing for the world’s most prestigious hockey franchise—the Montreal Canadiens.

 

While my early path pointed toward professional sport, a career-ending knee injury ultimately redirected my trajectory toward design, creativity, and brand storytelling. Years later, that same passion and deep cultural knowledge brought me back to the Canadiens in a creative capacity.

Context & Background

 

  • Performed competitively as a left winger and occasional centerman

 

  • Suffered a severe knee injury requiring full reconstruction and meniscectomy, ending professional aspirations

 

  • Transitioned into team sports education as a consultant and manager for the City of Montreal

 

  • Returned to school to pursue design, shifting toward a creative and intellectual career path

Strategy

The approach centered on authenticity, innovation within tradition, and multi-channel brand consistency.

1 Cultural Alignment

  • • Leveraging lifelong fandom and deep knowledge of the team’s history and mythology
  • • Ensuring all creative decisions respected the Canadiens’ legacy and emotional resonance

2 Innovation Within Tradition

  • • Introducing modern design and emerging technologies without compromising brand integrity
  • • Enhancing existing programs rather than replacing them

3 Multi-Channel Visual Consistency

  • • Maintaining cohesive visual language across print, in-arena displays, and broadcast assets
  • • Supervising all image-related elements to ensure brand fidelity

Execution

Key responsibilities and contributions included:

  • • Creative direction and design support across multiple campaigns and activations
  • • Rebranding of the Bell Centre Zamboni
  • • Development of the organization’s first augmented reality experience within print publications
  • • Print production oversight for large-scale, high-visibility materials
  • • Integration of multimedia and emerging technologies into existing brand platforms
  • • Close collaboration with production partners and internal stakeholders

Results & Impact

  • • Delivered numerous high-profile promotions, events, and experiential activations
  • • Successfully modernized brand touchpoints while preserving historical integrity
  • • Created multimedia assets still in use today
  • • Strengthened fan engagement through innovative yet respectful brand evolution

Acknowledgment

  • Gratitude to Corlab, official printer of the Montreal Canadiens at the time, for their trust and support
  • Participation in large-scale productions requiring extensive research and development
  • Experiences that proved foundational in shaping a multidisciplinary creative practice

This body of work stands as a defining chapter in my career—one that allowed me to contribute creatively to a legendary franchise that shaped my youth. It remains a powerful example of how passion, discipline, and respect for legacy can coexist with innovation at the highest level.