Our Origin Story
It all began with a realization: traditional agencies often miss the mark in truly understanding the people behind the brands. Braden Douglas, while at Frito-Lay, experienced this disconnect firsthand when his VP of Marketing pointed out, "Braden, these guys just don’t get our business." Inspired by this, Braden envisioned an agency that wouldn’t just work for brands but would truly partner with the people behind them. This vision led to the creation of Crew—a name that reflects our commitment to Character, Relationships, Execution, and Wow.
Our Leadership Team
As the founder of Crew, Braden is a visionary, mentor, strategist and relentless supporter of our team and clients. His experience at Procter & Gamble, Frito Lay, and Power to Change has helped shaped the agency we have today. His passion is having an impact in the lives of others through our work and as an author and speaker.
“Leaders have the ability to impact the world more profoundly than any other group on the planet. It’s such a privilege of ours to help them succeed and see it happen.”
Gerald’s shelf of national and international creative awards includes Gold Lions, Gold Pencils and a lot of little gold M’s. He’s been recognized for excellence in every medium and brings that talent to every project. His food/bev clients have included Coke, Sleeman, Crown Royal and Little Caesar's.
“People are so passionate about food and drink, that it leads to the best and most insightful creative.”
Nate’s entire career has been in food, working on brands for McCain and Parmalat. With a deep understanding of consumer habits, campaign development and P&L improvements in the food space, he plays a key role and leads our efforts for growing and maturing food brands.
“Marketing shapes the world. I like shaping it in a positive and lasting way.”
Josh started his career in experiential with clients like Microsoft, Rogers, Sunoco and Ford before jumping into Crew in 2014. His passion for people and desire to grow brands and make an impact has been a driving force for him since.
“Impact starts with people and I'm fortunate to work in an industry where brands have the opportunity to interact with people everyday.”
A former GM, Sujina leverages her expertise as VP of Agency Operations at Crew, adding significant value to the company. She plays a vital role in elevating Crew's name and image, and supporting the health of our agency. Sujina takes great pride in her work, and her strategic vision and leadership in agency operations are a great benefit to the company's overall growth and success.
“Five years from now, I think it’ll be rare to see a product not trying to do good in some aspect; be it with ingredients, CSR or sustainable packaging.”
Michelle is a seasoned Marketing Communications professional with 20 years of experience, working with renowned brands like Save-On-Foods, TELUS, Boston Pizza, and Best Buy. As a dedicated Account Director at Crew, she excels in creating customer-centric campaigns and delivering exceptional results for clients while cherishing her loving family, including two kids and three beloved fur babes.
“Even if we're only one piece of the huge pie our clients are creating, I feel grateful to be a part of it.”
With over 15 years of experience as a multidisciplinary designer and Art Director with a core focus on brand strategy, Rachel is a creative leader with a determined passion for big ideas and critical thinking. She has lead and developed a number of successful brands at Crew including Om Organics, Kazoo and Carrick Bros.
“Food brings people together and has the power to create communities with lasting impact. Being a part of that, a part of people's everyday lives gets me excited.”
Jessica got into marketing in 2011 while still at St. FX where she was a CIS University hockey champion. She gets what it looks like to play on a winning squad, she brought that spirit to Crew in 2015 and she hasn’t looked back.
“I love helping brands to weave social consciousness/responsibility into their stories.”
Impact drives our work.
Building brands is our craft, but our true mission is to impact lives.
We aim to make a positive difference in consumers’ lives through our clients. It’s about forging meaningful connections and creating value that endures.
This is our why.