Today is my last day at OSL Marketing.
After 6 marvelous years with Otis-Sauter-Léger I feel the time has finally come to gracefully exit and begin a new chapter along my career path.
John F. Kennedy once said, “Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.” Today I embrace change with open arms and begin to cultivate a new and exciting phase in the evolution of my career.
During my tenure with OSL Interactive I’ve had the opportunity to apply my creativity and passion for interactive design to innumerable campaigns running in the digital space and beyond. Thank you!
There’s been an incredibly long list of exciting work over the years for many top flight clients and brands. In fact, far too many to list here. Somewhere during all this work over the years I kept a long list of all the URLs I touched at OSL and (I think) it’s somewhere in the neighbourhood of 100+, give or take a few —but I’ve lost count.
I am extremely grateful to have worked with so many talented people who inspired me with their raw energy, drive and determination. Two individuals in particular stand out in my mind with their relentless push to do exceptional work above and beyond where the bar of expectations typically reside.
Mark Reinhardt, a mentor and tireless creative talent. Mark’s guidance and collaborative spirit helped fuel my work through many ambitious and demanding deadlines. Mark is the type of person we all ultimately want to work with: super motivated and uber positive. Mark could make even the most difficult client or project feel bearable, even fun. Thank you!
Ian Barnett, the savvy digital strategist. I have always admired Ian’s keen business sense and witty ability to frame the sometimes technically esoteric aspects of digital marketing into non-techie chunks anyone could understand. In the six years I’ve been with OSL Ian has easily been the most engaging, fun and energetic person I’ve (briefly) had the opportunity to collaborate with. Thank you!
Life at a large Ad agency—in any organization or field for that matter—is rife with perilous obstacles we must invariably navigate if we are to survive long term. The marketing field is all about relationships: friends, colleagues, clients, suppliers, and so on. Mike Duncan, OSL’s Managing Partner, always drove this point home as a major tenet of our industry and it’s something that has always resonated in my mind. Thank you sir!
Egos and attitudes come and go but nothing will ever challenge the enduring supremacy of relationships. To this end I am grateful for the relationships I’ve established through OSL.
The next chapter of this story begins with a blank canvas so-to-speak. An exploration into the old yet familiar territory of freelance work, also known as the ‘I’m wearing this hat today’ mindset. Naturally this is a bit of an old cliché, but a statement that nevertheless encapsulates the way I think about the untethered world of self-directed employment.
Admittedly, I’ve never quite fully abandoned the concept of self employment. In some ways its become ingrained into my psyche—the entrepreneurial spirit that is. Though drastically suppressed over the past few years, by the priorities set forth by the arrival of my beautiful son Zachary, family life, and the demands of a full-time position.
The reoccurring question a number of people have asked me over the past few weeks is, why are you leaving OSL? Why leave the safety and security net of a regular paycheck, paid vacation time, health benefits, and all the other perks that go along with being a full-time agency employee?
My answer is simple: change. It’s good. Complacency isn’t. The significant changes I envision can only come to fruition through a radical upheaval of the routines and patterns I’ve unconsciously adhered to in recent years.
“Without change, something sleeps inside us, and seldom awakens. The sleeper must awaken.”
—Frank Herbert
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