THE SID LEE STORY

THE SID LEE
STORY
Who we are and what we do

Dear readers,

Our goal through this magazine is to share with
our clients and collaborators a peek info life in
our ateliers and, more importantly, the passion of
the artisans that work in them.
You will possibly notice that we call our ma-
gazines “fanzines.” The word fanzine comes from
the combination of “fan” and “magazine.” A fan-
zine is a DIY artisanal publication created by a
person passionate about a certain subject. Gene-
rally published at irregular intervals, fanzines are
printed in small quantities and distributed to a
select audience. We call our magazines this since
they are done in a similar spirit of editorial free-
dom and exploration. Sid Lee artisans are free to
create fanzines about their projects and interests
which are then distributed to the relevant
audiences. They are written, designed and prin-
ted internally.
Many other Sid Lee fanzines present addi-
tional aspects of our organization: our work, our
Sid Lee Collective incubator, the cities that we
have ateliers in (Montréal, Amsterdam, Paris and
Toronto), etc. Feel free to ask for any of them or
go online at sidlee.com for electronic versions and
related videos.

The Sid Lee team

NOM DE LA SECTION NOM DE LA SECTION
- 2 - - 3 -

The sid lee
story
Who we are and what we do

Sid Lee in a nutshell - 8

I was there! - Jean-François Fortin - 16

Here’s to us! - olivier Moreaux - 20

No boundaries - Jean-François Bouchard & Bertrand cesvet - 22

Skype is the limit - niels van de Walle, harM sas & lukas derksen - 26

Post-it - PhiliPPe Meunier - 28

Organizing chaos - ronald tanguay - 32

Interviewer interviewed - laurent laPierre - 34

Growing family - Martin gauthier, george giaMPuranis, Pétula Bouchard & kariM kendJouh - 36

Sid Lee Architecture - Jean Pelland & Martin leBlanc -40

Sid Lee in Paris - sylvain thirache -42

Sid Lee in Toronto - vito Piazza -44

Creative nomads - alex Pasini, Julie Provençal -46

Are your palms sweaty? - François lacoursière - 50

Sex will get you anywhere - Pétula Bouchard - 54

Manager in for questioning - daniel Fortier - 56

Lunch is served - gianMarco colannino - 60

Contact - 62

NOM DE LA SECTION
- 5 -

- 6 - - 7 -

Sid Lee in a Nutshell basic information
Year founded: Ateliers: Montréal
1993 75 Queen Street, Suite 1400
Here is a basic overview of our company. please Number of professionals:
450

Montréal, Quebec
H3C 2N6

visit WWW.sidlee.coM for more information Ownership:
Independent, privately held
Phone: +1 514-282-2200
Amsterdam

about our team and tHe work we do. Area of expertise:
Leveraging creativity to attain commercial
Gerard Doustraat 72
1072 VV Amsterdam
The Netherlands
objectives Phone: +31 (0) 206 623030
Websites: sidlee.com Paris
sidleearchitecture.com 12, rue du Sentier
jimmylee.tv 75002 Paris
Contacts: France
New Business: jfbouchard@sidlee.com Phone: +33 (1) 44 88 83 90
Human Resources: cv@sidlee.com Toronto
Media Relations: media@sidlee.com 55 Mill Street
Building 5, Suite 500
Toronto, Ontario
M5A 3C4
Phone: +1 416-421-4200
Austin
Suite D-102
3601 South Congress
Austin, Texas 78704
United States
Phone: +1 647-283-3357

SID LEE IN A NUTSHELL
- 8 -

wHo we are wHat we do
We conceive and communicate brand experiences. We offer commercial creativity services.
Commercial creativity is how we define our service offering, since it encompasses all forms of business-
Sid Lee develops brand experiences—by creating products, services and spaces—and markets them related creative disciplines without the traditional boundaries and silo thinking between different crafts.
through advertising, experiential marketing, branded content, and interactive communications.
What makes us unique is the fact that we have been refining this approach for 10 years, long before it was
To embed brands, products, spaces, and services with more meaning and more resonance, we have fashionable to do or say so. We modestly think we have gained a tremendous head start in this evolved
assembled one of the most multidisciplinary creative teams in the world under one roof. way of managing brands.
Our group is led by a team of more than 25 partners. This democratized approach to management Broadly speaking, our services consist of helping clients conceive brand experiences (products, services
has allowed Sid Lee to recruit and retain some of the best talent in different fields. It has also bene- and spaces) and communicate them (branding, advertising, interactive and experiential marketing).
fited our clients by keeping teams decisional and entrepreneurial.
More specifically, our services include:

Conceiving brand experiences
wHat’s our reputation – Architectural and retail design
– Entertainment and attraction design
A few of the distinctions we’ve received – Industrial design
– Canadian Agency of the Year 2009 & 2010 – Marketing Magazine Communicating brand experiences
– Best International Agency in the World finalist 2009 – Ad Age – Branding
– Advertising
– Agency of the Year Nominee (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008) – Strategy Magazine
– Interactive marketing
– Canadian Interactive Agency of the Year 2005 – Experiential marketing
– One of the 50 Best Managed Companies in Canada – National Post – Branded content
– Best of Show (2001, 2004, 2006) – Canadian Digital Marketing Award
– More than 300 creative awards from around the world
wHere we work
We work in more than 12 cities around the world.

Our ateliers are based in Montréal, Amsterdam, Paris, Toronto and Austin but our clients are based
all over the world. Our teams travel regularly to North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia
to visit clients and work with suppliers.

Our head office is located in Montréal, an emerging international creative city that bridges North
America and Europe with its singular mix of French-speaking culture and its multicultural fabric.

NOM DE LA SECTION SID LEE IN A NUTSHELL
- 10 - - 11 -

How we work wHo we work witH

COnCEIvIng
One of the most multidisciplinary teams We work with like-minded people
in the world. and companies.
We leverage the power of multidisciplinary thin- Sid Lee enjoys long-term relationships with top-
king by assembling artisans from different fields to tier clients in more than 10 cities around the world.
an extent previously unheard of.
Big, small, local or international, our ideal clients
Brand Experiences

+
Here is a sample of the talents we have working as share one commonality: forward thinking.
unified teams under the leadership of generalist
thinkers:

– Art Directors

COmmunICaTIng
– Architects
– Strategists
– Industrial Designers
– Programmers
– Analysts
– Illustrators
– Editors
Brand Experiences

=
– Writers
– Screenwriters
– Producers
– Motion Designers

COmmERCIaL
– Information Architects
– Interior Designers
– Graphic Designers
– Content Managers
– Experiential Producers
– Directors
Creativity™

SID LEE IN A NUTSHELL
- 12 -

Marketing Magazine, Keith Degrace,
2009/2010 red Bull canada’s vice-President oF Marketing

Agency of the year “They’ve done some amazing creative work that
they’ve been recognized for, but the most important
aspect of our relationship is that we really engage
them in our business. They challenge us and pro-
Ad Age, vide us with different angles of thought, which is
2009 ultimately what you look for in an ideal agency par-
tner, beyond just the straight creative.”
Agency finalist for International Agency of the year

Claude Foisy,
Guy Laliberté,

WHaT pEOpLE SaY
videotron’s vice-President oF Brand ManageMent
Founder cirque du soleil and content

“Two words: they rock.” “We can talk to Sid Lee about social networks,
mobile apps, creativity in our sponsorships, tradi-
tional advertising, content integration – everything.
Here is a sample of what our Lee Clow,
It would be much more difficult to execute at the
same level without this kind of model. At the end of
clients and the press say about us chairMan and gloBal director tBWa WordWide the day, we measure our success in sales. Sid Lee
is not only cretive but also knows that what tey
“They’re a very special kind of a new breed of ad- do is execute our brand mission and values to help
vertising model. They understand the entertainment customers experience and ultimately buy our
aspect of new media and are not just technologits. products. And the results are there.”
They’re creative communicators, using a lot of
different media to put brands out there with some
very imaginative stuff. They’re really growing the
right model and I admire what they’ve done so far.
Michel-André St-Jean,
Everything now blurs together and I think it’s the saq director oF Marketing
reality of the future of our business. Anything that
touches the audience is advertising. They come at “Wine is a lifestyle product so you have to be
it from a very different angle than we do but I present in consumers’ lives – not only in print, but
believe they’re totally on the right track in terms of online and mobile and Sid Lee was the driving force
how you need to serve brands today.” behind that idea. As a marketer, you’re not looking
at just what the next campaign should be, you take
all the points of contact – from a print ad to point-
of-purchase – into consideration. If you look at
Nicole Vollebregt, the brands that do it best, like Apple for example,
adidas vice-President gloBal Brand Marketing the brand integration between their retail store and
sPort style online offering is the king of consistency you aim
for. And Sid Lee has been very good at that for us.”
“Adidas is a very diverse brand spanning hardcore
performance to high-end fashion and Sid Lee has
shown a willingness to embrace the brand and use it
as the starting point of the creative. The work speaks
more clearly now about who we are. This year we
gave them Sport Performance and they were quick
to prove to us that they understand how to bring that
side of the brand to life as well.”

NOM DE LA SECTION WHAT PEOPLE SAY
- 14 - - 15 -

I was “We Were
the underdogs

there! in the advertising
World.”
Jean-François Fortin is vice-President and Partner at sid lee.

Tell us your story… I come from Quebec City clients, money or even experience—but you could
and moved to Montréal. I was working in the re- sense its strong potential. I immediately noticed
tail field, in the operations sector, for San Fran- the huge contrast with the ad agencies I had visi-
cisco Group. I was in charge of the male fashion ted in the past.
department and that’s how I first met Jean-Fran- Jean-François called me back that afternoon
çois Bouchard, at a Les Ailes de la Mode boutique and invited me to come by for an entire day of
in Brossard. Jean-François must have been about tests on Word, Excel and PowerPoint. He then
25 or 26 years old, and he bought himself a white gave me a text on Generation X, which I had to
Giorgio Armani suit for 1,500 bucks (laugh)! At summarize and then present in English and
the time, he was mostly the intellectual type, in French. Me, the guy from Quebec City… My
with his thick glasses, and he had chosen the ty- English wasn’t that great. I invented a huge excuse
pical actor’s suit. I never saw him wear it again to gain an extra week and have time to learn. I
after that! found books on the softwares I would be tested
When I was looking for a new job, I contac- on. I borrowed a computer and practised every
ted him and we made an appointment at his office night after work. Finally, D-Day went off without
for 7 a.m.! I wasn’t quite familiar with Montréal a hitch. I didn’t do my English presentation
yet and I left home at 5 a.m., from Saint-Lambert, and I was chosen. Jean-François offered me a
on the South Shore. I, of course, got there at 5:20 co-ordination internship, which I accepted.
a.m. My girlfriend had given me notes on the gra- When I started, I was the twelfth employee.
phic production chain and graphic design. I had At the time, it was more of a design studio. We
time to go over them. I stepped into a somewhat had barely started doing any advertising. Looking
disorderly building at the corner of Beaubien and back, I realize we were actually a branding agency
Du Parc. At the end of a dusty hallway, I pushed before the term even really existed.
the door open at 6:50 a.m., falling into the sound Besides Jean-François Bouchard, I was the
of jazz music, and Jean-François welcomed me only one working in the account group. Everyone
saying (imitating him), “how about an espresso?” else was a creative.
I was immediately charmed. We had a very plea- Along with Philippe Meunier, we teamed up
sant conversation during which print production with very complementary partners. We acted like
never even came up. experts in fields we knew absolutely nothing
I had more experience working in large orga- about! Nothing was handed to us on a silver plat-
nizations, but here, I felt at ease. The details spo- ter, but it enabled us to develop tools of our very
ke to me: I was touched by the offices, with the own. At the time, we were the underdogs in the
pool table, the baby-foot table, an open area, and advertising field. We had C-class clients and we
a small espresso machine. You could already feel were attracting very courageous customers who
a certain culture, a collegiality. People spoke to were looking to stand out. For example, Sleeman
each other. It was difficult to know who did what, beer: the biggest hurdle we had overcome in Quebec
since everyone pretty much did everything. I was was that it came from Ontario. So we capitalized
really attracted by this and especially by the on this by using the boss as the spokesperson,
people who worked there. It was obvious that the even though he couldn’t speak French. And it
firm didn’t start out with much—not really any really worked!

I WAS THErE! NOM DE LA SECTION
- 16 - - 17 -

Sid Lee’s
We also made quite a few mistakes! Since
none of us had ever worked in a firm—not even

story
for ten minutes—we often reinvented the wheel
or learned things the hard way… I remember that,
at the very start, Jean-François thought an account
manager was responsible for the firm’s accounting.
Let’s just say we had a lot to learn!
from 1993 to today
Luckily, right after me, very competent people
like Bertrand Cesvet, François Lacoursière, Martin 1993 _ Two students launch Sid Lee (called Diesel
Gauthier and Daniel Fortier joined the team, back then). First client: Greek restaurant around
which gave us a bit more rigour. the corner.
I also remember that, 13 years ago, we had a
webmaster. Honestly, besides playing video games, 1996 _ Bertrand Cesvet joins. He was one of the
I don’t know what the guy did, but at the time, we first clients.
already believed in it. We were the only ones to
believe in the Internet. 1997 _ First large-scale campaign for Sleeman is a
What started off with 12 employees has now runaway hit in Quebec. Puts Sid Lee on the
evolved to 400. I went through some great and advertising map.
some terrible times, namely when the interactive
bubble burst and we had to let go up to fifty 1998 _ Agency ventures more aggressively into
people. What stood out most in all that wasn’t a interactive marketing and merges with Stratégo,
matter of money, but rather the bonds we forged. an interactive Web firm (partners are still with
Fifteen years later, we’re not “tourtières” Sid Lee 10 years later).
from Lac Saint-Jean anymore, but the culture has
remained! At the time, I was in charge of hiring 2000 _ Interactive grows exponentially, and
everyone in the account group and what was most Sid Lee wins Cirque du Soleil interactive assignment
important wasn’t necessarily their skills, but rather against 5 international shops.
how they fit in. We were looking for people who
would match our culture. And that’s still true 2001 _ The .com collapse hurts Sid Lee badly.
today: we’re driven forward by this cohesion that Partners forgo salaries to keep shop alive and decide
people have with one another. It’s surely one of to put more effort into advertising.
the secrets behind our culture. No one can
reproduce it. Our love for the product is real and 2002 – 2006 _ Sid Lee is back with a vengeance.
that’s no bull. Wins numerous advertising accounts (Loto-Québec,
I changed along with Sid Lee, developed Gaz Métro, Tourisme Montréal, IGA, etc.) and
other skills, a raison d’être, and a new way of awards while being a leader in interactive.
acting, too. I do less advertising now. I do Web, Interactive Agency of the Year in 2005. More and
experiential and event marketing… more assignments from abroad (MGM Mirage,
But I’m sure that we’d still hire a Jean-François Wines of France, etc.). Staff grows from 50 to 150.
Fortin with as little experience as I first had.
We try to combine lots of people with atypical 2007 _ Sid Lee drops the name Diesel. Wins
paths, to not cut our ties with them—on the numerous new assignments in retail design,
contrary. architectural design, advertising and interactive.
Looking back, I’m not really nostalgic, even Sid Lee Collective is launched as a creative incu-
though the first years of my career were remarkable. bator. Wins $20M Société des Alcools du Québec
At the beginning, everything had to be built from (SAQ) account.
scratch. Now, we’re entering a new era, with very
large clients. It’s different. It’s moving forward. 2008 _ Sid Lee wins global adidas Originals
Today, I’d make the same choices again account and prepares launch of Amsterdam atelier.
without a moment’s hesitation. If it were with the
same people, Jean-François, Philippe, Bertrand 2009 _ Sid Lee opens a shop in Paris and is selected as
and the others, I’d do it all over again without one of the top 4 international agencies (Ad Age).
looking back.
2010 _ Sid Lee now launches in Toronto,
inaugurating a new office in the storied Historic
Distillery District.

NOM DE LA SECTION I WAS THErE!
- 18 - - 19 -

Here’s “having Fun
is Part oF
to us! their culture.”
Olivier Moreaux is President oF soPexa north aMerica.

was their creative approach. They were a bunch
you started doing Business With sid lee in 1997. can of happily crazy folks with a lot of audacity, but
you tell us What tyPe oF Mandate it Was For? _ Well, also with a realistic look into the future. They are
my first pitch with Sid Lee was in 1996, for a pro- bold visionaries. Their international success is
duct called Floc de Gascogne. The project never proof of that today. Sid Lee is an incubator for
saw the light of day, but this initial contact was strategies and creativity. You walk in, then walk
very interesting. At the time, their offices were on out completely enlightened.
Saint-Paul Street and when you entered the buil-
ding, you really felt a shift in dynamics. The presi- is there a link BetWeen Wines oF France and the Par-
dent was referred to as the chief pump attendant. ties that take Place at sid lee? _ Before working with
There was a Texaco gas pump at the reception, the them, they were already well known for their par-
front of a Mercedes sticking out of the wall in the ties. I remember a memorable party they had or-
conference room… It piqued people’s curiosity, ganized at Stereo. There were dancers behind a
and that’s why I went back to them. The first large white veil who were playing with fire and
contract carried out was a Wines of France cam- then, all of a sudden, the veil caught on fire. I got
paign in Ontario. We were looking for a firm with really scared and asked myself, “what kind of firm
a global vision of Canada and not simply focused is this?”
on Quebec, and Sid Lee had anglophones working Another anecdote about an intense moment
in-house. The selected campaign was very strong, with Sid Lee: we were at the kick-off party
with nothing ordinary about it and with very for Zumanity in Las Vegas, on the roof of the
deep black and white. New York-New York hotel. Around 5 a.m.,
Then, starting in 2000, we were looking for Bertrand Cesvet got me in a judo hold, just for
worldwide solutions for Wines of France. We’re fun. I flew right over him and fell flat on my back.
an international corporation based in Paris and He laughed, saying, “I just threw a client on his
we decided to create the interactive platform in back, I just threw a client on his back!” It’s part of
Montréal. We entered via the Web and then crea- their culture to have fun—there’s no hierarchy in
ted the graphic platform, the brand and the iden- that culture.
tity in 23 languages. At the time, this was not a Sid Lee enables individuals to express them-
traditional approach. It was already one of Sid selves. There’s a structure, but it’s not a traditio-
Lee’s strengths to have well understood the “com nal one. Individuals are respected for their exper-
and .com” relationship and to have integrated tise, regardless of their position. There is no
these two. notion of “top to bottom.” The communication
channels are well respected.
you Weren’t aFraid oF Working With PeoPle Who
didn’t have Much exPerience? _ What I saw in them

- 20 - - 21 -

Jean-François Bouchard is the President oF sid lee While
Bertrand Cesvet is its chairMan, senior Partner. they ansWer No reJecting
Borders
BOun BetWeen
a FeW questions aBout their Journey at sid lee and Where
the coMPany is heading.

disciPlines
DaRIES and PeoPle. the years. Therefore, our aim was
hoW did you guys Meet? quite simple: we wanted to anticipa-
J.-F.B. _ More than ten years ago, te and provoke change to be ahead
I had a meeting to show our portfo- of consumers and marketers instead
lio to a company located deep in of the omnipresent lagging that we
the Quebec countryside. When I observed in traditional agencies.
got there, I realized that another im- J.-F.B. _ This was both very wise and
portant beverage company was also completely naive! With our youthful
headquartered in the same remote energy, we did not realize how much
area. From its parking lot, I cold-cal- of an effort we would have to make
led Bertrand, who was heading mar- to deliver on such a bold ambition.
keting there. To my surprise, he im- We had to take huge risks. Talking
Blow up mediately agreed to meet me. When
I got to his office, he was in a mee-
the talk is one thing, walking the
walk is a different matter entirely.
borders ting with several collaborators but
interrupted everything to look at
B.C. _ The matter was further com-
plicated by the fact that most of us
our work. I thought it was a real sign had never actually set foot in an
of interest on his part but I later agency! Plus, our clients were not
found out that Bertrand cannot sit exactly top-tier… When I joined,
still in a meeting for more than 20 Jean-François and Philippe had as-
minutes. I was simply a welcome dis- sembled a motley crew of greasy
Mix the traction in his usual chaotic meeting
management!
spoon restaurants, plumbers and the
like… Needless to say, we had a lot of
unmixable B.C. _ I did like your stuff, though.
We ended up working together and
account collection to do.
J.-F.B. _ Those very humble begin-
we came to realize that we had a nings were very formative. We reali-
similar vision of the future. zed rapidly that it was much easier
to criticize what others did than to
What Was your vision at the tiMe? do better. The truth of the matter is
B.C. _ We believed that agencies did that our work was not that good at
not get what was coming. In the ’60s the time. Other agencies proba-
and ’70s, agencies used to act as bly—and rightly so—had a good
beacons to guide their clients into laugh at some of our attempts at
the future. We felt that this leader- reinventing the wheel! But the un-
ship advisory role had been lost over derlying thinking was sound and

NO BOUNDArIES NO BOUNDArIES
- 22 - - 23 -

slowly brewing. Through good and to put together teams of multidi- chitectural and industrial design. for example. As many as 50 project
bad times, we remained focused on sciplinary talents led by strategists When it comes to marketing pro- teams can coexist since our 120 crea-
the approach we had chosen… And with a holistic vision. Most agencies ducts and services, we assemble all tive professionals (out of a staff of
we perfected it. today say they do that because of the communication skills: adver- 250) belong to a number of different
it is in vogue but they do not have tising, design, interactive, and expe- teams, depending on their skills.
What Was this aPProach? those 10 years of painstaking mista- riential marketing to name but a few. This way of working has allowed
J.-F.B. _ The first thing we realized kes and continuous improvements. We define our services as com our clients to benefit from holistic
very early on was that consumers Some clients have said to us, “others mercial creativity. It is the best moni- thinking and to steer clear of ego-
think differently than agencies and say the same thing as you do, but you ker we have found to describe what driven creative types. Jean-François
many marketers do, even to this day… have actually done it.” Needless to we do. Basically, our aim is to offer once said to a very talented guy, “you
When is the last time that you, as a say, that’s music to our ears. all forms of creativity that can help are possibly one of the best players I
consumer, said, “oh, great piece of di- corporations attain commercial ob- have seen.” The young man was ob-
rect marketing” while opening an en- What is sid lee today? jectives. viously flattered by the compliment
velope on your doorstep, or “this is B.C. _ People have a hard time ca- It is a departure from the current and beaming at the thought of the
clever interactive marketing” when tegorizing us. Evolved ad agency? state of affairs. Right now, when beloved awards he felt he had won
visiting a website, or “nice direct-res- Multidisciplinary design team? In- corporations need business-related single-handedly that year. Then,
ponse 30-second ad” while watching teractive Web developer? Creativity creativity, they go to separate firms Jean-François added, “the problem is
TV? Consumers don’t think like that. corporation? Innovation consultants? for architecture, industrial design, you play golf and we happen to play
To them, those are all interactions It is a bit complicated to box our branding or advertising. Some of hockey here.” Eventually, he quit.
with a brand. They don’t categorize company into a current field. But it those professionals are not versed in
or compartmentalize like the indus- is rather simple to explain what we marketing and do not use the un- What’s next For sid lee?
try does. Therefore, our core idea was do. Essentially, we do two things: we derstanding of consumers as the J.-F.B. _ The company is becoming
to be customer-centric and embrace help clients conceive brand expe- starting point of the process. The more and more multicultural and
whatever means we had to in order to riences and we market them. We end result is incoherence in the we now work in more than 12 cities
connect with consumers. strongly believe that companies brand experience. To be fair, I must around the world. We now have close
J.-F.B. _ In 1995, we were amongst must embed their products, services admit some clients avoid such inco- to 20 languages spoken and we hire
the first to truly embrace interactive, and spaces with more potent story- herence by acting as the connecting great people from all over the globe.
for example. In 2001, it almost killed telling. What we are saying, in ef- glue between the parts – but that’s a It has already started to transform
us, but we refused to let go of the ex- fect, is that the product itself is part tall order and it often fails. our culture. We need the simulta-
pertise even when we were bleeding of the message and that communica- neous translation services when we
badly. We could have gone under but tion specialists should be instrumen- hoW do you Manage such a diverse do our agency-wide training sessions!
we knew that consumers were into tal in crafting more meaningful ex- grouP oF talents? I think we haven’t even begun to feel
the Web even if clients and financial periences that consumers will want B.C. _ Our core competency is ma- the impact of what I call “interna-
markets were temporarily trying to to make a part of the personal narra- naging diverse creative talents. We tionalization from within.” New ideas
get out of it! Today, it represents a tive to drive word-of-mouth. In a believe creativity is a team sport and will flourish, different sensibilities
staggering 50% of our staff. world of diminishing mass media ef- we act accordingly. For each assign- will impact our view of the world,
B.C. _ Two things have defined how ficiency, this is becoming more im- ment, a team is assembled to fit the and new ways of doing things will
we work today: a complete rejection portant than ever. The days of chur- task at hand. The team is led by a emerge. I think that’s fascinating.
of the traditional silos and bounda- ning out undifferentiated products strategist and creative director who B.C. _ I think change is what’s in
ries between disciplines and a refu- and buying your way out of trouble act as generalists. Then, the required store for us. We have a quasi-obses-
sal of the advertising-centric model. with mass media are simply gone. specialized talents are brought to- sive thirst for change. When things
It took us almost ten years to effecti- gheter. Therefore, a writer might be are going great for us and the sailing
vely mix disciplines as varied as inte- hoW do you do that? matched with a director, a multime- becomes smooth, we try new things.
ractive, architecture, industrial de- J.-F.B. _ To develop brand expe- dia artist and an architect if the assi- I hope we will challenge the status
sign, advertising, design, and many riences, we leverage brand strategy, gnment involves creating branded quo for as long as we exist.
more. Our strength lies in our ability experiential marketing as well as ar- interactive projections in a hotel,

NO BOUNDArIES NO BOUNDArIES
- 24 - - 25 -

SKYpE
is the LImIT
“sid lee Brings its oWn vision, Which is not dutch.”
skyPe intervieW With niels van de Walle, harM sas and lukas derksen. niels and harM Joined the ranks at
sid lee in aMsterdaM tWo years aFter their dutch colleague, lukas, BecaMe a MeMBer oF the Montréal
teaM, aFter having decided to Move in Pursuit oF a Pretty queBecker.

migrants and students. Over the last five years, it
Why choose aMsterdaM as the First Foreign oFFice? has become home to many artists and small busi-
Harm _ There are three reasons, I think. The nesses. We’re the first international agency to set
first reason is that the Montréal firm wanted to up shop here, with a very different approach. The
offer new opportunities for its talents, in order to spaces are very small, between 30 and 45 square
keep them. We can offer them this experience meters. Our office will occupy 600 square meters,
here, at the other end of the globe. At the same which is very rarely seen in this neighbourhood.
time, Amsterdam has a large pool of tremendous Lukas _ In the centre are the boutique, the gal-
talent, which makes creative exchanges between lery and the bistro and our offices are all around.
offices possible. The second reason is that Sid Lee It’s an open space for everyone. We’ll be working
already has clients in Europe, such as adidas and in front of the public, which is very unusual. We’ll
Cirque du Soleil. A local presence will therefore be able to brainstorm in the gallery while visitors
be very useful. The third reason is purely based read a magazine.
on the meeting we had, on the feeling we shared.
It has nothing to do with any development plan. dutch design is aFraid oF no one. hoW does sid lee
What’s most surprising are the similarities Plan on standing out?
between Quebec and Holland. We are used to Niels _ Sid Lee brings its own vision, which is
dealing with very different cultures, such as not Dutch. Yes, Amsterdam is a creative hub, but
between the Dutch and the Germans, or the our offer is still completely unique. It is a combi-
French, all less than one hour away. But we feel nation of disciplines on a level that is not standard
very close to Quebeckers. We are two emerging practice here and that’s what makes the difference.
countries, we are used to travelling, to setting up
shop in foreign countries. do you really Bike to Work?
Lukas _ As for me, I was very happy to be able to Harm _ I have two transportation modes. The
visit the family! But seriously, we had wanted to first is a small boat, which I use to get to the office
work together for years. by way of the water canals and the other is
my bike.
What Will your oFFices look like? Niels _ As for myself, I have three ways of get-
Harm _ I don’t think it’s ever been done in the ting around. The first is my bike, the second,
past. It’s an office but also a boutique, a gallery when I’m late, is my race bike, and the third is a
and a bistro. The district we’re located in is excep- large bike with seats for my children.
tional. It’s called De Pijp (the pipe); it’s a sort of Lukas _ I must be the only Dutchman who hates
Latin district in Amsterdam. It was very popular bikes. My friends mock me, but I prefer my car.
10 years ago and was mostly inhabited by im- Maybe that’s why I live in Montréal!

SkYPE IS THE LIMIT SkYPE IS THE LIMIT
- 26 - - 27 -

Post-

IT
Philippe Meunier is creative chieF
and co-Founder oF sid lee.

(Each of his answers comes with a Post-it note
on which he sums up his explanation.)

ded messages that are very wate-
What does coMMercial creativity red-down. Competition results
Mean in your Work? _ Simple. I’ll in copycat products in the diffe-
draw it for you on a Post-it in rent categories, and we lose the
just a sec. Commercial creativity DNA of a brand. Too many si-
is having ideas and bringing gnals are sent. When you align
those ideas to consumers. Until all these signals, you help consu-
recently, people in our industry mers understand the foundation
just had to create ads, but now, of the brand.
clients have to come to us a lot As companies become in-
earlier in the process. We jump creasingly global, they get co-
in the game sooner and start by pied, which makes it hard for
defining the idea behind the consumers to understand their
product or service. Then we de- values. A company that’s done a
sign the product, the packaging great job is Apple. From their
and the environment in which it brochures to their interface, they
will appear (such as the store it always use the same font. From
will be displayed in). Only then the design and the engineering
do we start work on the mass to the stores and the ads, every-
and interactive communications. thing revolves around the same
The brand should always be pre- story. One of the worst examples
sented consistently, using a uni- are American car companies.
que approach and the same kind They put 32 models on the mar-
of language every time. That ket and each has a different in-
way, the different specialists tention. Consumers don’t know
working on the project won’t who they are dealing with any-
each interpret the main idea more. Their cars don’t have much
differently. At Sid Lee, all the personality.
disciplines get involved, but
they always tell just one story. Why is MulticulturalisM iMPor-
tant? _ For me, the creative group
are all Brands ready to get on is like this enormous garden.
Board With you? _ They should We can plant a row of carrots
be. Currently, the biggest pro- next to a row of potatoes next to
blem is that consumers are han- a row of turnips. Carrots will

POST-IT POST-IT
- 28 - - 29 -

“ cross-Pollinate
always be carrots, but the smells Concordia. Then we combine
of the different vegetables com- these folks with staff from else-
bine and the soil changes. Cultu- where. We’ve had a lot of people
re is transmitted and new fla-
vours are created. The fact that
we have people from around the
come up from the United States
and France, due to the fact that
it is easier to get them work visas.
our local sPecies
world at Sid Lee generates a new
culture. We make a point of pu-
We looked at the best schools:
Pasadena Art School in Los An- to create neW tyPes
oF creatives.”
tting these people together to geles, Creative Circus in Atlan-
invent something new. Without ta, Miami Ad School, Rhode Is-
this multiculturalism, we would land School of Design, Parsons,
not produce the same quality Portfolio Center. And since last the problem in front of them which is laid out on a long scroll.
work. It would be impossible. year we’ve also done some scou- and they try to solve it. The At that point, we invite the
ting in Europe at École Natio- walls have charts and screens client to the atelier so they can
Why do you have such Multidisci- nale des Beaux-Arts in Lyon, with wireless access. So it’s pri- come and see what we’ve done.
Plinary teaMs? _ Multidisciplina- Hyper Island School of Digital marily a physical space inspired Then, in the third phase, we
rity is directly linked to com Media in Sweden and Konst- by the greats of the Renaissance bring in the computers and do
mercial creativity. It allows us to fackskolan. The Internet lets who shared atelier spaces with the design. Finally, when eve-
approach problems from diffe- us view creative portfolios their young apprentices. Eve- ryone agrees, we go into produc-
rent angles. The typical adverti- from around the world and is a ryone participated, but the work tion. That’s how the rock is cut
sing trilogy — creative director, huge help to our recruiting pro- was signed by the head of the to become a diamond.
copywriter and art director — cess. We like to seek out unk- workshop. After each project,
tends to always see issues from nown “species” from the U.S. or we take down the atelier and put What’s the story Behind your Post-
the same angle. When you work Europe and try to cross-pollina- up another one. There’s always a it sketches? _ It’s such a small and
with an industrial designer, te them with our local “species” beginning and an end. People simple thing, and you can only
architect, historian or clown, to get new types of creatives. It’s are nomadic. write one thing on it. In com-
you get radically different points kind of like California wine. Our creative work has four munications, if someone is able
of view. Classical communica- They use French grapes, but phases. The first is planning. to understand an idea on a
tion work always produces the since their growing conditions The leader of the creative atelier, Post-it, it’s a good idea. For me,
same cake. Sometimes it’s a ba- are totally different, the Ameri- the strategic planner and the ac- it helps summarize my ideas,
nana cake, sometimes straw- can vintners crossed their local count director work together to whether it’s a management issue
berry or maple… If we’re lucky it’s grapes with the foreign ones — delimit the territory, much like or an ideation process. Once a
chocolate. But it’s always a cake. like alchemists — to make an archaeologists do. If you go into year, I give everyone in the
In our case, though, someone all-new kind of wine. That’s what the atelier during that phase, creative team a Post-it with a
around the table will suddenly we’re doing here at Sid Lee. you’ll notice that the walls are drawing or a word on it. It’s
suggest making soufflé. Then covered with images of global supposed to remind them of
everyone starts talking to each What’s an atelier? _ It’s a new developments in that category, their goals. It’s simple, it’s clear,
other, saying, “it looks like a working approach for the crea- as well as what’s being done in it’s sticky… It’s perfect!
cake, but it’s not a cake. It’s really tive process at Sid Lee. French other industries. For the second
good!” This is what brands need. for “workshop,” an atelier is a step, which is creation, six mem-
This approach is a big plus. And place where ideas are born. It’s bers of the creative team are
the time is right for us to do this. where we put things up, we draw, called in to pick through the
we ask questions. Our atelier ground for “rocks,” which repre-
Where do you recruit eMPloyees? _ space is about 60 square meters, sent ideas. During that phase,
Like all good farmers, we first with a maximum of 6 people sta- we’re just down to paper and
look to see what’s growing lo- tioned there. Each individual pencils. Then we choose the
cally. Montréal is chock-full of has to bring a specialty to the best “rock” and each specialist
talent. We go to the creative project. There is a centre table goes to work in their area of
schools at all the universities that the different specialists sit expertise. We push the idea and
around here: UQAM, McGill, around. Then we literally place put together a presentation,

POST-IT POST-IT
- 30 - - 31 -

Organizing “they’re over the toP.
they have great ideas,
CHaOS But they’re all
over the Place.”
Ronald Tanguay is a Jack-oF-all-trades at sid lee.

with documents is lying around on the floor, we
What is your exact title at sid lee? _ I’m a jack-of-all- need to know if we have the right to throw it out,
trades. At one point, Jean-François Bouchard had archive it or shred it. The information cannot be
given me the title of omnipotent technician, as a disseminated just anywhere. It has to be kept a bit
joke. It’s a big name, but I feel more like a jack-of- of a secret. But I haven’t encountered any such in-
all-trades. It’s what I do best. cidents yet.

What is your role? _ I take care of the order and the We’re in a sPecial sMall rooM right noW. could you
mess in the company, which is very well organized Please exPlain Where We are? _ The famous Collec-
in terms of processes, but often chaotic where the tivo room. It looks like the crooked house at Bel-
workspace is concerned. For example, we had set mont park, back in the day. It’s a small chaotic
up a temporary room for a large international room with a door that’s too low and everything
project. There were 12 employees, who must’ve the creative staff needs to create to their heart’s
spoken 8 languages, all working in this room. I content. The room, which was very nice at first,
have no idea how they were able to understand became an exceptional workroom, so I no longer
each other! At first, everything was all neat and take care of it, housekeeping-wise, because we
tidy, and then the chaos set in—holes in the walls, like its messy look. There are crooked shelves,
fruit thrown all over the place, pistachio shells, walls punctured with holes, splashes of paint… It’s
Smarties and orange peels on the floor. People kind of wild, but the creative staff appreciates it.
were letting themselves go creatively, so I had no-
thing to say, except that I had to make sure that that Means the rest oF sid lee is too neat and tidy? _
they were happy and that the work was moving No, the firm isn’t too neat and tidy. There’s always
forward. But we still had to maintain some type something stirring up somewhere. The people
of order, to keep them under control, or things work hard and things never stop around here.
could’ve gotten even worse. They call it an atelier. I think it’s the right term for
it, even if it means that I keep tidying the place up
Who is Messier, the creative staFF or the consulting all the time!
staFF? _ The creative staff. They’re over the top,
they have good ideas, but they’re all over the i heard they Write Just aBout anyWhere… _ Yes, on
place, like Marie-Élaine Benoît, the art director. the white boards, on the blackboard doors, on the
In her small space, she works 7 days a week, windows… From time to time, we have to remove
12 hours a day, I think. I always see her here when what’s written on the windows, so I’m the one
I come over during the evening and on weekends. who cleans them. But I always ask for permission
Her desk is complete chaos, but there’s a personal before erasing anything, even if it’s been there for
order to it. I’ve never touched it, even though it’s four or five months, just in case.
the busiest desk in the entire company, and I’m
very proud of her, because I believe it’s an organi- Who exactly is sid lee? _ A very cultivated teenager.
zed mess for her. She knows her way around it. Crafty, bursting with imagination and energy.
Kind of like a delinquent graffiti artist. Yeah,
sid lee isn’t aFraid oF esPionage? _ If a box filled that’s about right.

- 32 - - 33 -

Interviewer
interviewed
Laurent Lapierre Ph.d.

In 2007, Laurent Lapierre, Ph.D. and holder of made up of the combination of 15 firm partners,
the Pierre-Péladeau leadership chair at HEC who shape Sid Lee into what they collectively
Montréal, did an interview with one of Sid Lee’s want it to be. This aspect appealed to us, regar-
leaders. When it saw how in-depth and accurate dless of how many potential readers the book had.
the text was, the team realized that Laurent La- That said, they tell me it’s a best-seller at Sid Lee!
pierre and faithful sidekick Jacqueline Cardinal
were peerless interviewers, because of their pas- What struck you? _ Sid Lee seemed to be a new
sion for the ties between creativity and entre- kind of organization. The leadership it displays as
preneurship. A seed was sown. What if the duo an organization does not come from a single lea-
were to explain the company’s history and thin- der who can mobilize his troops, as could be des-
king to new recruits? cribed in a traditional biography, nor is it the out-
come of several stakeholders working in the same
What is the Book Who is sid lee? _ It’s a big iconic sector in different companies. Instead, it comes
book, almost 150 pages long, that plunges the rea- from coordinating individual leaderships that are
der into the Sid Lee world. It is unique because exercised on an ad hoc basis by the creators and
there is only one copy of it and it’s kept under artisans in a single firm. That’s quite rare.
lock and key in a special room. The artisans who
join Sid Lee read it over the first two days at the do you like Being intervieWed? _ Not at all. I like it
firm. It’s a bit of an initiation ritual. the other way around!
a rookie iMMerses herselF
Why did you agree to Write a Book that Would only in sid lee’s culture
and thinking By reading
have one coPy? _ We were particularly interested in Who is sid lee?
the case of Sid Lee: it represents group leadership

INTErvIEWEr INTErvIEWED INTErvIEWEr INTErvIEWED
- 34 - - 35 -

Growing
family
Martin Gauthier
is a vice President and senior Partner.

George Giampuranis
is creative director and Partner.

Pétula Bouchard
coo, Partner

Karim Kendjouh
is vice President technology
and innovation and Partner.

“Make it Work!”
Martin, George, Pétula and Karim
pose for Montréal photographer Carl Lessard
to celebrate the 10th anniversary
of Sid Lee’s successful marriage of technology
and communications.

GrOWING fAMILY GrOWING fAMILY
- 36 - - 37 -

in 1999, your coMPany, stratégo, Martin _ Every cell of the creative types, in consulting or
Which sPecialized in interactive com and .com child had to be in architecture, they already
coMMunications, Merged With sid put together using test tube have all the key concepts. They
lee. Was it a Marriage oF conve- technology. even challenge us. They were
nience or love? George _ Yes, and then sudden- born with a video game control-
Martin _ Both. We were dis- ly, out of nowhere, we end up ler in their hands. Just think, be-
cussing to get together with getting natural results. You know, fore, we had to train employees
another company that wanted some couples struggle without on PowerPoint or explain how
to buy Stratégo, purely for finan- getting anywhere, then when to use a browser!
cial reasons. At the time, com- they back off a bit, bang! It Karim _ Web 2.0 is essential.
panies in this field were too ex- works. Now, we blend the mass Blogs, community, participa-
pensive. They were overvalued, media and interactive universes tion… it’s a given.
but people wanted to invest. Sid without a second thought.
Lee had more appeal for us be- Martin _ It took a lot of ag- the Worst MeMory oF your Mar-
cause we had been working to- gressive therapy. It took years riage?
gether since 1998 — their argu- before we were able to succeed Martin _ Black Friday in 2001,
ments were all about passion. in creating our first baby. Now, total “.com” crisis, we had to lay
But the reality was they needed Sid Lee is one of the only organi- off about 50 people. The situa-
cash. So they went to seek fun- zations in Canada – or even the tion drove us to this divorce. We
ding from the Caisse de dépôt world – that has a completely didn’t want to do it. We loved
et placement du Québec. This hybrid culture: 50% of our our employees. We’d created a
made a marriage of convenience people come from digital and beautiful family. Having to
and love a possibility. But wi- 50% from mass media sectors. break it up was agonizing.
thout the passion, we would Karim _ We really have people Karim _ A few days later,
have looked elsewhere. in both fields who work natu- Martin came to see me, saying,
Pétula _ Sid Lee has not made rally, in an inspiring way. The “Karim, there are no more inte-
any acquisitions since then. We project leads are at ease in both ractives!” It was an incredible
realized how lucky we were that areas: interactive and mass media. shock. Then we bounced back.
the marriage works! That’s very Pétula _ Let’s just say that my
unusual and very precious. Wi- the ProJects sid lee Puts out, do human resources baptism by fire
thout our passion and shared they reseMBle their creative dad almost burned me alive!
values, I don’t think it would or technological MoM?
have worked. All of Stratégo’s Martin _ If the technology is What are you Most Proud oF?
leaders are still totally involved more transparent, that means Karim _ Having joined Sid Lee
in the Sid Lee family, in one way the creativity component in- just out of curiosity and look at
or another. creases. We tell our teams, “make me now. I’ve come a long way,
it work!” It’s a big challenge for us, achieved all of these successes.
is “coM and .coM” Making For for programmers, for the pro- Martin _ I’m really proud of
great kids? duction team. our communications, with the
Karim _ That was the name we George _ We always start with partners and with the employees.
gave our approach: a blend of a creative idea. We never begin Just like a couple, that’s what
mass media and interactive com- with a technological concept. gets you through the rough
munications: “com and .com.” To spots.
achieve this, we needed a pro- Who is the neW generation?
cess, just like infertile couples Martin _ We have people who
need regular treatments if they come here, between 19 and 21
want to have kids! In the begin- years old, who’ve always lived
ning, it didn’t feel natural. It was with video games and compu-
totally dichotomous. ters. Whether they work as

GrOWING fAMILY GrOWING fAMILY
- 38 - - 39 -

sid lee noMad
Architecture: architects
Jean Pelland and Martin Leblanc
are associate architects at sid lee architecture.

favoured an approach that brings
What are your roles at sid lee together multidisciplinary pro-
architecture? _ We are both as- fessionals from various fields of
sociate architects in the firm— expertise. This kind of approach
we kind of sit at the head of the stems from a desire to create nar-
locomotive that is Sid Lee Archi- rative, rather than sculptural, ar-
tecture! chitecture.

What is your vision For sid lee hoW do you see architecture to-
architecture? _ We’re looking day? _ Architecture has always
to create an all-encompassing been held in high regard, but it is
firm with Sid Lee Architecture, changing right now as it tries to
and this vision depends on ideas be contemporary while maintai-
and input from different disci- ning its traditional benchmark.
plines that converge toward the Architecture is looking for an
architectural core. We see our identity and a purpose. It is also
discipline as an art form in itself, seeking humanity and real hu-
but we believe architecture man contact. Our firm is looking
should remain in the service of more and more to communi-
people and not the other way cate—to find places and ways to
around. This approach has pro- communicate—and we try to ful-
pelled us to create experiences fill this through architecture.
that are immersed in and around
the user. We are also concerned Which Buildings in Montréal ins-
with architecture as a communi- Pire you? _ Any building that
cation tool, because we feel that embodies a shift or progression,
in order to serve and benefit like the Orange Tulip, Habitat 67
people, we must communicate or Silo No. 5. We are much more
our ideas and experiences. inspired by a building with a
strong, unique identity than sim-
Why did you choose to Partner ply aesthetic beauty.
With sid lee? _ Because Sid Lee is
a creative agency, and one of its Why do you alWays dress in
strongest assets is its ability to Black? _ We’re dressed in black?
communicate that creativity.
Over the years, we have always

DID YOUNOM MULTIDISCIPLINArITY?
SAY DE LA SECTION DID YOUNOM MULTIDISCIPLINArITY?
SAY DE LA SECTION
- 40 - - 41 -

sid lee a startuP
Where Working
in Paris: Feels good
Sylvain Thirache is the director oF sid lee in Paris

hoW does a “tagger” BecoMe creative director? _ By chance. I’ve
always loved art. Before, I would express myself through “tags,” which
are a form of graffiti. Then I discovered graphic arts. I took some
classes before landing in advertising. I worked for several agencies.
Each time, I was the one to up and leave. I had a thing for quitting
jobs (laughs). Last year, I left DDB Paris to take a break and think
about what I really wanted to do.

Why did you choose sid lee? _ Because Sid Lee seemed to have its
head on straight. I was sick of working at soulless agencies. I really
wanted a change. Sid Lee was a revelation of sorts. I emailed Jean-
François Bouchard, president of Sid Lee, to tell him I was interested
in meeting him. It just felt right.

What do you think sets sid lee aPart FroM other agencies in Paris? _ Eve-
rything! Sid Lee is very different from other agencies because it really
is a one-stop shop. A lot of agencies claim this, but few of them
actually are. I can’t think of another agency that provides architecture
services. Nor a research and development department like Sid Lee
Collective. Plus, French agencies don’t have international clients—
they work for the French division of the larger company.

What’s your role in Paris? _ I do a bit of everything. I manage the
office, which means I take care of the clients, administration…and
plumbing! (laughs)! We’re only 10 employees who just finished setting
up shop, so everyone has to pitch in.

What’s your vision For sid lee Paris? _ I want to position Sid Lee as a
very “human” agency. Even if we’re just a little startup where
everyone works their butts off, I want the atmosphere here to be
pleasant. I want to respect the fact that my employees have a life
outside of the office. I want to stay true to the Sid Lee model
created in Montréal.

SID LEE IN PArIS SID LEE IN PArIS
- 42 - - 43 -

sid lee à Toronto :
an oFFice next door
Vito Piazza is Managing director oF sid lee in toronto and Partner

What Was your role at sid lee BeFore Being naMed general Manager oF
the neW toronto oFFice? _ I’m a partner at Sid Lee. I’ve been with the
agency for over 11 years now and have 16 years of national and inter-
national experience. I manage teams for different accounts. I oversee
the quality of my teams’ work and offer support, from strategy
to creative.

What do you think sets sid lee aPart FroM other agencies in toronto?_
We chose to set up shop in the Distillery District, an iconic, non-
traditional part of the city. We’re surrounded by boutiques, artisans,
small restaurants, but not by other agencies. We’re inspired by raw
creativity, and it’s everywhere here (in ideas, environments,
people…). It’s right on par with our philosophy and our mission as a
commercial creativity firm.

What is your vision For sid lee toronto? _ We’d like for our agency to
be inspired by the local culture, by the diversity here, all the while
keeping an international and North American perspective. This
applies as much to the standards of our work as it does to the clients we
take on and the people we employ. We look for creatives who are
super-passionate and talented, regardless of where they’re from. This
multiculturalism brings a lot of interesting perspectives to the table.

you noW call toronto hoMe. any cool discoveries?_ Toronto is very
multicultural, with every culture out there represented. I have a lot
of fun exploring the city. I’ve discovered Italian grocery stores
where you can buy stuff you won’t find anywhere else. The other
day, I bought agnelli siciliani pasta, like my mother used to make.
Talk about a trip back in time!

do you ever go to niagara Falls? _ Not since tying the knot!

you sound American.” Montréal is halfway ble. I find that really positive. We’re hiring more

Creative
Alex Pasini between two cultures. We’ve got European va- and more people from abroad.
has Been Working at sid lee For seven years. lues and American practicality.
Why do you travel so Much in the age oF the internet? _

nomads
What countries do you Work in? _ Germany, the U.S., The Internet allows us to establish contacts all
Where are you right noW? What are you doing? _ I’m England and Holland, mainly. over and to keep in touch with our clients. But we
in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, at the adidas head still need face-to-face meetings. Human contact
office. It’s a small city in the middle of the What’s your Favourite hotel in london? _ Even though is always important, especially during the critical
countryside. I’m here for three mandates: a it’s a bit of a cliché, I like St. Martin’s Lane, which stages of a project or on key dates. Technology
In the modern economy we evolve in, our teams content project, a brand follow-up and a review was designed by Starck. It’s gorgeous. has its limits.
travel the world to meet with clients, collabora- of their brand architecture.
tors, and suppliers. We consider ourselves very What’s your Most trauMatic Business triP MoMent? _ Where do you go on vacation? do you go see your
fortunate to have such opportunities to discover Where are you FroM? What did you do BeFore Joining Getting off a plane in a wheelchair. Mother? _ No, I go to China, to Vietnam… These
new cultures and be exposed to so many diffe- sid lee? _ I’m from Montréal. When I did my mas- are completely different experiences. My last trip
rent ways of doing things. It is also a bit of a vir- ter’s at HEC, I was paired with a Belgian guy who What’s your Favourite Business triP MoMent? _ We was to Croatia.
tuous circle: the more you interact with other had a lot of offers in Europe, so I sent my resume were working on a new Brazilian concept for
cultures, the more you become relevant as a glo- to London. But since I was still a few months away MGM Mirage in Las Vegas, so I got to go to Rio you have enough Points For all that travel? _ Well, I
bal creative partner, and the easier it becomes to from completing my thesis, I wanted a summer de Janeiro to see, understand and explore the es- collected 120,000 points last year. That helped.
hire people from all over. We now have people job first. So, I met with François Lacoursière from sence of their culture.
from 20 different nationalities that speak al- Sid Lee and I started my internship.
most as many languages… Meet some of our in terMs oF the MulticulturalisM at sid lee, What does
“mile high” colleagues. What’s your Present role? _ I supervise the strate- it Mean? _ The senior partners at Sid Lee are very
gists and I work closely with our clients. Basically, Québécois and thus Sid Lee is really a Montréal
I’m here to think! company. But what I admire at this agency is its
international vision. For the last 18 months, all
What does a young strategist FroM Montréal have the meetings have been held in English, since
to oFFer on the international scene? _ I offer what there always seems to be an American, British,
people often tell me: “you look European, but Dutch, Indonesian or Chinese person at the ta-

- 46 - - 47 -

whereas in New York, where we launched Win- lucky to have a microcosm of each country in
Julie Provençal tuk, the public already knew who we were. Sid Montréal. Because we have open minds and a
Works on the cirque du soleil Mandate. Lee is able to bring an open mind and an excellent sense of well-being, we’re comfortable no matter
understanding of the Cirque brand to the table. where we are. With Montréal as our base, it’s easy
We adapt each time, but not too much. We’re to get around everywhere else.
Where are you right noW? _ We had a meeting in able to do so while respecting our client and their
Macau, so we decided to make a short stop in new market. You have to strike the right balance. your Favourite Place in vegas? _ In the “O” theatre,
Australia, because the Dralion show is opening during the show.
there soon. hoW Many countries is cirque du soleil in? _ In the
next few months, Cirque du Soleil will have
you coMe FroM Beauce, an agricultural region in que- shows in 26 cities in North America, as well as
Bec. do you Miss the FaMily FarM? _ Not really, but I Germany, England, Australia, China, Belgium,
like to go back and connect with things that are Austria, Korea, Spain, Japan, Taiwan and Swit-
real. I like to contemplate my father’s fields, which zerland.
stretch as far as the eye can see. It really helps me
in my work to know that my little village is there. hoW Many airline Points have you collected in the
When I was growing up, my parents always taught last year? _ 40,000. It’s great!
me to make do with whatever was available. These
practical values keep me grounded. What Business triP MoMent aFFected you the Most? _
Tokyo will always be the most powerful. Cultu-
do you Work For cirque du soleil only? _ Yes. Exclusi- rally, seeing the way the Japanese work to prepare
vely for the last five years. for a launch — it’s so different from the way we do
it. Everything needs to be documented, outlined,
hoW can you ProMote a shoW in las vegas or Macau organized. It’s a huge challenge and an incredible
iF you’re FroM queBec? _ Every time we launch a experience at the same time. It’s not something a
new show, there are different market factors to tourist would ever see.
consider, a new culture to understand and absorb.
In China, Cirque du Soleil is not very well-known, hoW does Montréal Figure in all this? _ We’re really

- 48 - - 49 -

are
Your
palms
Sweaty
?
François Lacoursière
is vice-President and senior Partner at sid lee.

What does a strategist do all day? _ Try to under-
stand things. Things in general. Situations our clients
are in. Understanding their clientele and the rela-
tionship between the two. I do a lot of listening,
then I try to link the bits and pieces together.

so, it’s Pretty cereBral? _ Yes, but I also like to ask
practical and concrete questions. You have to be
able to think abstractly, but you also have to be
able to come back down to earth.

you like it When your clients get sWeaty PalMs. What’s
that all aBout? _ It’s a way of saying that we should
always try to do things that have never been done
before. When you do something for the first time,
you can either be comfortable, uncomfortable, or
panicking. If you’re comfortable, you’re probably
not doing something that’s really new and you
won’t have new results. The sweaty palms thing is
a way of illustrating the fact that you have to do
something different — responsibly, with calcula-
ted risks.

does the sWeaty PalMs aPProach scare your clients? _
Not at all. It reassures them, which is a sign that
the uncomfortable zone has wide enough mar-
gins. If clients can keep one foot rooted in their
comfort zone, they won’t fall into the panic zone.

in case oF Panic, What’s the Best strategy? _ The first
thing you have to do is determine why the client
is panicking. You have to “recontextualize” and
try to understand why the decisions they were

ArE YOUr PALMS SWEATY? ArE YOUr PALMS SWEATY?
- 50 - - 51 -

THE SID LEE STORY

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

Viewers also liked

Viewers also liked (14)

Similar to THE SID LEE STORY

Similar to THE SID LEE STORY (11)

More from Sid Lee

More from Sid Lee (12)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

THE SID LEE STORY