PORTFOLIO.YVR Business & Entrepreneurs Magazine | Volume 2 | Issue 5 | 2024

BUSI NESS & ENTREPRENEURS V OLUM E 2 | I SSUE 5

PORTFOLI O.YV R

A NTHONY GREEN JENNA HERBUT K A V I TA M OHA N FRA NK I E CENA PRI K A SI A SA RA H M A WJI Z A HI R RA JA NI LEEA NN FROESE A NDY CHU

BUSI NESS & ENTREPRENEURS V OLUM E 2 | I SSUE 5

PORTFOLI O.YV R

0 0 1 PUBLISHER' S M ESSAGE: HELEN SIWAK 0 0 3 AN THON Y GREEN : FOUN DER & SECURITY EVAN GELIST 0 15 JEN N A HERBUT: CON SCIOUS LAB & M AKE- IT 0 25 KAVITA M OHAN : KAVITA M OHAN EVEN TS 0 35 FRAN KIE CEN A: FDT ACADEM Y 0 45 PRI: M GP M EDIA & EN TERTAIN M EN T GROUP 0 55 KASIA: PRODUCER, HEALER, CREATOR 0 6 5 SARAH M AWJI: VEN TURE STRATEGIES PR 0 73 ZAHIR RAJAN I: THE SARTORIAL SHOP 0 83 LEEAN N FROESE: TOWN HALL BRAN DS 0 9 3 AN DY CHU: FM A EN TERTAIN M EN T & ARC 2 IN TERTAIN M EN T 10 1 M ASTHEAD & CREDITS

PUBLI SHER'S M ESSA GE: Ent rep reneurs a re t he hea r t of our c ommunit ies a nd t he eng ines of innova t ion in our ec onomies. They a re the d rea mers a nd d oers who crea te b usinesses, sp a rk id ea s, a nd ma ke thing s ha p p en. This issue is a ll a b out celeb ra ting tha t sp irit, showca sing ten incred ib le ind ivid ua ls who a re p ushing b ound a ries a nd sha p ing the future. Their stories a re filled with insp ira tion, a nd we ca nnot wa it for you to meet them.

Let us sta rt with Ant hony Green, a tech wiza rd from Va ncouver. Anthony?s journey b eg a n in Richmond , tinkering with comp uters a nd exp loring softwa re.

Tod a y, a s the co- found er of Op enRep , he is ma king wa ves in cyb ersecurity a nd AI- d riven ma rketing . Simila rly, Jenna Herb ut ?s story shines with crea tivity a nd p a ssion. As the found er of Consc ious La b a nd M a k e It , she ha s sp ent over 16 yea rs help ing others b ring extra ord ina ry id ea s to life.

001

For those who love b ea utifully orchestra ted events, look no further tha n Ka vit a M oha n a nd Pri ( @ia md jp ri). Ka vita , with her 25 yea rs of exp erience, is a ma stermind of b esp oke wed d ing s a nd events tha t lea ve la sting imp ressions. Mea nwhile, Pri?s exp ertise a s a n event p rod ucer a nd filmma ker ensures every d eta il is sea mless, from lig hting to log istics. Both a re p roof tha t ma g ic ha p p ens when crea tivity meets p recision.

Ed uca tion a nd emp owerment ta ke center sta g e with Fra nk ie Cena a nd Ka sia .

Fra nkie found ed the Fost ering Deb a t e Ac a d emy (FDT Ac a d emy), a n institution tha t ha s help ed thousa nd s of stud ents world wid e b uild confid ence a nd communica tion skills.

O n the other ha nd , Ka sia , a multifa ceted entrep reneur b ehind Bloom, Ka si Ba mb oo, M yst ic M ed it a t ions, KASIA, a nd ZHI Rec ord s, b lend s sp iritua lity, music, a nd a ca d emics to ma ke the world a b etter p la ce. Her work is a ll a b out lifting others up a nd ma king mea ning ful imp a cts.

In the world of b ra nd ing a nd storytelling , Sa ra h M a w ji a nd Leea nn Froese a re setting the sta nd a rd . Sa ra h, the C EO of Vent ure St ra t eg ies PR, is a p owerhouse in med ia a nd p ub lic rela tions, ensuring her clients?voices a re hea rd loud a nd clea r.

Leea nn, co- found er of Tow n Ha ll Bra nd s, lea d s a b outiq ue a g ency tha t crea tes unforg etta b le ca mp a ig ns a nd connections for her clients. Tog ether, they show us how p owerful storytelling ca n b e.

For lovers of timeless cra ftsma nship a nd crea tive enterta inment, meet Za hir Ra ja ni a nd And y Chu. Za hir, the force b ehind The Sa r t oria l Shop , ha s b roug ht new life to luxury b esp oke clothing , continuing a leg a cy of eleg a nce a nd p recision. And y, the visiona ry b ehind Arc 2 Int er t a inment a nd FM A Ent er t a inment , d elivers excep tiona l content a cross television, film, a nd live events, p roving tha t innova tion a nd a rtistry g o ha nd in ha nd .

These ten Va ncouverites insp ire us with their d etermina tion, crea tivity, a nd p a ssion.

Their stories a re a remind er tha t with vision a nd p ersevera nce, a nything is p ossib le. As you flip throug h this issue, we hop e you find yourself a s ca p tiva ted a nd motiva ted a s we d id while b ring ing it to life.

k a w i S n e l e H

A NTHONY GREEN: FOUNDER & SECURI TY EV A NGELI ST Ant hony Green, a Va nc ouver- b a sed c yb ersec urit y p rofessiona l, is a lea d er a nd innova tor sha p ing the tech ind ustry.

Ra ised in Ric hmond , he d evelop ed a p a ssion for technolog y ea rly, b uild ing comp uters a nd exp loring softwa re. Before p ivoting to IT a nd cyb ersecurity.

As C EO a nd co- found er of Op enRep , Anthony is red efining org a nic ma rketing with AI- d riven solut ions. His p rofessiona l journey b eg a n a t Lond on Drug s, where he tra nsitioned from technica l sup p ort to ma na g ing ma jor security initia tives like PCI DSS comp lia nce. C urrently, he lea d s security op era tions a t the Cha r t ered Professiona l Ac c ount a nt s of Brit ish Columb ia (CPABC) , where he b uilt a nd now ma na g es a tea m of cyb ersecurity sp ecia lists while mentoring emerg ing ta lent.

003

As a long - time instructor a t UBC?s Ex t end ed Lea rning d ep a rtment, he d evelop ed a micro- cred entia l in Cloud Sec urit y Fund a ment a ls.

At Va nc ouver Communit y Colleg e, he lea d s curriculum d evelop ment for the Governa nc e, Risk , a nd Comp lia nc e p rog ra m. His g lob a l imp a ct includ es tra ining instructors a t the Bla c k b err y Cyb ersec urit y Cent re in M a la ysia .

In a d d ition to his ed uca tiona l work, Anthony d rives g rowth a s Direc t or of Business Develop ment a t Eurek a Dev Sec Op s a nd revita lized ISACA Va nc ouver, Western C a na d a ?s la rg est cyb ersecurity community.

He cha mp ioned initia tives like She Lea d s Tec h a nd youth schola rship s, fostering d iversity a nd mentorship.

As a n a mb a ssa d or for C a na d a ?s cyb ersecurity cluster, In Sec M , Anthony connects loca l sta rtup s to g lob a l ma rkets.

Whether mentoring p rofessiona ls, b uild ing communities, or d riving innova t ion, he is d ed ica ted to a d va ncing the cyb ersecurity ecosystem loca lly a nd interna tiona lly.

005

I N HI S WORDS "I a m Ant hony Green, a cyb ersecurity p rofessiona l, entrep reneur, a nd community b uild er b a sed in Va ncouver.

My ca reer ha s never followed a conventiona l p a th, a nd I ha ve a lwa ys b een d riven b y a d esire to p ush b ound a ries a nd emp ower others. My journey throug h t ec hnolog y, ed uc a t ion, a nd innova t ion b eg a n to ta ke sha p e d uring my first yea r of p ost - sec ond a r y ed uc a t ion when I rea lized I ha d a n ent rep reneuria l mind set . At the time, I noticed a n op p ortunity in the d ig ita l ma rketing sp a ce? esta b lished a g encies were cha rg ing hig h fees for web d evelop ment a nd online ma rketing services. I knew I could d eliver b etter results a t a fra ction of the cost. With two close friend s, I b eg a n b uild ing web sites a nd imp lementing sea rc h eng ine op t imiza t ion st ra t eg ies. Tha t exp erience p roved to me tha t I could tra nsform my technica l skills into rea l va lue for clients, sp a rking the entrep reneuria l fire tha t continues to g uid e me.

"My ea rliest ventures, however, sta rted long b efore I set foot in hig her ed uca tion. As a young teena g er, I found myself selling ?ha c k s? for a n online g a me throug h sp ecia lized forums. While it d id not ma ke me a fortune, for a 13 or 14- yea r- old, the stea d y strea m of income felt like a wind fa ll. More imp orta ntly, it ta ug ht me a p owerful lesson: if you ca n id entify a ma rket need ? even one hid d en in a n online g a ming community? a nd meet it with a solution, you ca n crea te va lue from a lmost nothing .

"Tha t simp le insig ht la id the found a tion for the entrep reneuria l mind set I ca rry to this d a y.

"Not every venture I p ursued led to success. In 20 18, I took a d eep d ive into c r yp t oc urrenc y, initia lly wa tching my investments soa r b y over 10 0 0 %.

However, like ma ny, I fell into t he t ra p of g reed , p ouring my g a ins into sp ecula tive ?meme c oins? a nd ultima tely losing nea rly everything . Thoug h the exp erience wa s p a inful, it ta ug ht me critica l lessons a b out d isc ip line, risk ma na g ement , a nd d isting uishing b etween technolog ica l fund a menta ls a nd ma rk et hyp e. Desp ite my skep ticism towa rd cryp to- sp ecula tion, I rema in a b eliever in b loc k c ha in's tra nsforma tive p otentia l.

Ea ch setb a ck ha s ta ug ht me ca ution, a nd every success ha s fueled my a mb ition.

"O ver time, my entrep reneuria l journey merg ed with my p a ssion for cyb ersecurity. My ea rly interests were in p syc holog y a nd k inesiolog y. For nea rly a d eca d e, I coa ched senior b oys? b a sketb a ll, a role tha t ta ug ht me how to lea d , mentor, a nd insp ire? skills tha t ha ve b een inva lua b le in my tra nsition to the technolog y sector. When I shifted focus a nd enrolled a t BC IT, I d iscovered tha t cyb ersecurity p erfectly a lig ned with my a na lytica l mind set, love for continuous lea rning , a nd d rive to ma ke a community imp a ct.

"My ea rliest cyb ersecurity role wa s a t Lond on Drug s. I sta rted in a technica l sup p ort p osition, working closely with ha rd wa re, b ut q uickly tra nsitioned into a full- time security a na lyst role. I led ma jor initia tives like Pa yment Ca rd Ind ust r y Da t a Sec urit y St a nd a rd (PCI DSS) comp lia nce? p rojects tha t req uired stra teg y, p recision, a nd foresig ht. This role g a ve me a solid found a tion in corp ora te security culture a nd the a b ility to influence it from within."

"It a lso p roved tha t effective security solutions could come from loc a l t a lent , not just g lob a l c onsult ing firms. By the time I left, I ha d g a ined a nua nced und ersta nd ing of how to integ ra te security into a comp a ny?s op era tions while ma inta ining its b usiness ob jectives.

"Tod a y, I lea d security op era tions a nd comp lia nce for the C ha rtered Professiona l Accounta nts of British C olumb ia (C PABC ). When I joined , there wa s no forma l cyb ersecurity tea m? just me. O ver the p a st five yea rs, I ha ve b uilt a d ed ica ted security unit from the g round up. We a re now a t ea m of four sp ec ia list s ta ckling comp lex security cha lleng es. Und er my lea d ership , C PABC d oes more tha n meet comp lia nce sta nd a rd s; we set new b enc hma rk s, d emonstra ting tha t p rofessiona l memb ership org a niza tions ca n ha ve rob ust a nd sc a la b le c yb ersec urit y stra teg ies. Mentoring is a key p a rt of my a p p roa ch, a nd I ta ke p rid e in help ing junior tea m memb ers g row into skilled p rofessiona ls who ca n na vig a te the ra p id ly evolving threa t la nd sca p e.

"I owe a lot to ind ivid ua ls who sha p ed my p a th. In cyb ersecurity, p rofessiona ls like Just in M a lzew sk i, M ic ha el Arg a st , M a r y Ca rmic ha el, a nd Rit c hie Po p rovid ed mentorship , g uid a nce, a nd sup p ort. They encoura g ed me when cha lleng es a rose a nd offered inva lua b le feed b a ck on stra teg y a nd g rowth.

007

"O n the b usiness front, mentors like Jona t ha n N ied na g el a nd Serg ey Bhuk a rov ta ug ht me how to p itch more effectively. Their a d vice on a p p roa ching investors a nd a rticula ting my vision in a concise, comp elling ma nner wa s tra nsforma tive. Without their b elief in my ca p a b ilities, I mig ht not ha ve ha d the confid ence to ta ke these b ig lea p s.

"When I took lea d ership a t ISACA Va ncouver, the g roup ha d b een d iminished b y the p a nd emic. Initia lly, our events ha d 20 - 30 a t t end ees, b ut b y the end of my term, we sa w nea rly 30 0 a t our AGM on Ama zon?s Post rooft op . This wa s not just a numerica l a chievement; it rep resented a cultura l shift in how Va ncouver?s cyb ersecurity p rofessiona ls viewed their p otentia l.

"Und er my lea d ership , ISACA Va ncouver emb ra ced inclusivity, mentorship , a nd d iversity. Initia tives like She Lea d s Tec h a nd yout h sc hola rship s insp ired the next g enera tion to p ursue cyb ersecurity ca reers. By fostering networking , workshop s, a nd events, I help ed tra nsform ISACA Va ncouver into a vib ra nt hub in Western C a na d a ?s cyb ersecurity ecosystem.

"My p a ssion for ed uca tion is eq ua lly evid ent in my tea ching roles. I wa s the first d ed ica ted cyb ersecurity instructor a t UBC?s Ex t end ed Lea rning d ep a rtment, where I ha ve b een tea ching for over three yea rs. I d evelop ed a micro- cred entia l p rog ra m in Cloud Sec urit y Fund a ment a ls a nd the At t a c k er?s M ind set , ensuring stud ents receive cutting - ed g e tra ining a lig ned with ind ustry need s. At Va nc ouver Communit y Colleg e (VCC), I serve a s Lea d Curric ulum Develop er for the Governa nc e, Risk , a nd Comp lia nc e (GRC) p rog ra m, the first of its kind in BC. "By integ ra ting b usiness p rincip les into cyb ersecurity ed uca tion, the GRC p rog ra m offers a comp rehensive a p p roa ch tha t p rep a res g ra d ua tes to excel in b oth stra teg ic a nd technica l a sp ects of the field .

"My influence is not confined to the loca l cyb ersecurity scene. My tea ching work ha s ta ken me interna tiona lly, includ ing tra ining instructors a t the Bla c k Berr y Cyb ersec urit y Cent re in M a la ysia ."

009

"As the Direc t or of Business Develop ment for Eurek a Dev Sec Op s, a Va ncouver- b a sed cyb ersecurity sta rtup , I contrib ute to sha p ing the next g enera tion of technolog ica l solutions b y offering stra teg ic a d vice a nd b uild ing key p a rtnership s. Ad d itiona lly, I serve a s a n a mb a ssa d or for In- Sec - M , C a na d a ?s c yb ersec urit y innova t ion c lust er, where I help connect Va ncouver- b a sed sta rtup s a nd sca le- up s with interna tiona l ma rkets a nd op p ortunities. Throug h tra d e missions, a d visory roles, a nd thoug ht lea d ership , I work tirelessly to ensure tha t Va ncouver?s cyb ersecurity sector ea rns its rig htful p la ce on t he g lob a l st a g e.

"This multifa ceted involvement in cyb ersecurity? sp a nning technica l lea d ership , community b uild ing , curriculum d evelop ment, a nd g lob a l a d voca cy? und erscores my commitment to emp owerment. I b elieve Va ncouver, often oversha d owed b y la rg er tech hub s, ca n shine a s a b ea c on of cyb ersecurity innova tion. By mentoring new ta lent, g uid ing sea soned p rofessiona ls, a nd crea ting ed uca tiona l fra meworks for d iverse communities, I ha ve help ed eleva te Va ncouver?s security p rofile, ma king it a p la ce where c ut t ing - ed g e id ea s t hrive.

"However, my a mb itions extend b eyond cyb ersecurity. I a m a lso the CEO a nd c o- found er of Op enRep , a n AI- p owered org a nic d ig ita l ma rketing p la tform d esig ned to d emocra tize ma rketing in the sa me wa y Ca nva revolutionized g ra p hic d esig n. Before tools like C a nva , crea ting p rofessiona l- g ra d e visua l content req uired exp ertise in comp lex softwa re like Ad ob e Phot oshop or Illust ra t or. C a nva elimina ted these b a rriers, ena b ling a nyone to crea te stunning d esig ns with intuitive tools.

O p enRep a ims to a chieve a simila r tra nsforma tion in the world of org a nic ma rk et ing .

"Tra d itiona lly, effective socia l med ia ma rketing a nd sea rch eng ine op timiza tion (SEO) d ema nd ed sp ecia lized skills. Businesses often need ed to hire full- t ime ma rk et ers or p a y a g enc y fees to crea te imp a ctful content. The technica l lea rning curve for ea ch p la tform, comb ined with the cha lleng e of cra fting messa g es tha t resona te a uthentica lly with a ud iences, wa s a sig nifica nt b a rrier. O p enRep a d d resses this b y simp lifying the p rocess: users p rovid e a few b ullet p oints, a nd the p la tform g enera tes p la tform- sp ecific ca p tions ta ilored for Link ed In, Tw it t er, Inst a g ra m, a nd other cha nnels. Those sa me b ullet p oints ca n even b e tra nsformed into long - form, SEO - op timized a rticles rea d y to ra nk on Goog le a nd Bing .

"In essence, O p enRep b rea ks d own b a rriers tha t ha ve long p revented sma ll b usiness owners, consulta nts, thoug ht lea d ers, a nd non- ma rketers from confid ently b uild ing their d ig ita l p resence. By d istilling comp lex ma rketing ta sks into a n a ccessib le, AI- d riven w ork flow , O p enRep emp owers users to focus on their core exp ertise? whether running a loca l ca fé, ma na g ing a b outiq ue la w firm, or d evelop ing cutting - ed g e cyb ersecurity solutions? while ma inta ining a consistent, p rofessiona l, a nd eng a g ing online p resenc e.

"The timing for O p enRep could not b e b etter. With AI tools evolving ra p id ly, O p enRep showca ses how a utoma tion a nd ma chine lea rning ca n b rid g e the g a p tha t often hold s b usinesses b a ck from rea lizing their full p otentia l. Much like I once a utoma ted p rocesses a t my d ig ita l ma rketing comp a ny a nd la ter used G PT technolog ies to op timize workflows, O p enRep levera g es a utoma tion to elimina t e c omp lex it y."

"C urrently, my tea m a nd I a re ra ising a p re- seed round for O p enRep , with p la ns to la unch a g o- t o- ma rk et st ra t eg y in Ja nua r y 20 25.

"O ur focus is on refining the p rod uct, onb oa rd ing initia l customers, a nd collecting va lua b le feed b a ck to g uid e further d evelop ment.

"By the end of 20 24, I envision O p enRep a s a p olished , va lid a ted p la tform with a d ed ic a t ed user b a se. With those p roof p oints, we a im to ma ke a ma jor p ush in 20 25, solid ifying O p enRep ?s p osition a s a n ind isp ensa b le tool for p rofessiona ls a nd b usinesses looking to a mp lify their d ig ita l p resence without need ing a ma rketing d eg ree.

"This b lend of entrep reneuria l vision, technica l exp ertise, a nd community focus reflects t he synerg y of my ent ire c a reer.

My journey is a b out more tha n p ersona l a chievements; it d emonstra tes how ind ivid ua ls ca n help sha p e entire ecosystems.

"In c yb ersec urit y, I help ed tra nsform Va ncouver?s community from a mod est g a thering of p rofessiona ls into a thriving , recog nized entity tha t sup p orts its memb ers a nd influences ind ustry trend s.

"In ed uc a t ion, I ha ve d evelop ed cutting - ed g e curricula , b uilt ta lent p ip elines, a nd eq uip p ed rising p rofessiona ls with the tools a nd knowled g e they need to secure our d ig ita l future.

"As a b usiness lea d er, I a m reima g ining d ig ita l ma rketing to ma ke it a ccessib le to everyone.

013

"Va ncouver is on the verg e of sig nifica nt g rowth in technolog y a nd cyb ersecurity, a nd I a m p roud to ha ve contrib uted to la ying the g round work.

"Tod a y, the city's cyb ersecurity events d ra w la rg e crowd s, t op - t ier sp ea k ers, a nd a strong sense of excitement. Loca l sta rtup s no long er need to rely on Silic on Va lley or Toront o for mentorship ; these resources a re increa sing ly a va ila b le here, sup p orted b y lea d ers who b elieve in Va ncouver?s p otentia l a s a g lob a l cyb ersecurity hub.

Stud ents g ra d ua ting from UBC a nd VCC now enter the workforce with b oth technica l skills a nd a comp rehensive und ersta nd ing of success in comp lex, reg ula ted ind ustries. C omp a nies tha t once strug g led with their d ig ita l p resence ca n turn to O p enRep for a cost- effective solution.

"My journey? from t eena g e sid e hust les to b uild ing a d ig it a l ma rk et ing firm, from setting cyb ersecurity sta nd a rd s a t C PABC to revita lizing Va ncouver?s la rg est cyb ersecurity a ssocia tion, from tea ching interna tiona l a ud iences to la unching a p la tform tha t d emocra tizes ma rketing ? ha s b een a continuous evolution. It is a story of rising t o c ha lleng es, find ing wa ys to innova te, a nd sha ring knowled g e so others ca n d o the sa me.

"As 20 24 d ra ws to a close, my g oa ls a re clea r. I wa nt O p enRep to sta nd a s a b ea con of a ccessib le ma rketing technolog y. I wa nt Va ncouver?s cyb ersecurity scene to continue flourishing , a ttra cting more ta lent, investments, a nd recog nition. I wa nt my st ud ent s a nd ment ees to step confid ently into their futures, a rmed with the wisd om a nd skills I ha ve help ed them d evelop. Ultima tely, I wa nt to p rove tha t a city like Va ncouver, often oversha d owed b y la rg er tech hub s, ca n p rod uce w orld - c la ss lea d ers, ed uca tors, innova tors, a nd entrep reneurs who lea ve a la st ing ma rk on the g lob a l sta g e!"

AN THON Y

GREEN

FOUN D ER

& S E C U R IT Y

E V A N G E L IS T

JENNA HERBUT: CONSCI OUS LA B & M A K E I T Jenna Herb ut is a n entrep reneur with over 16 yea rs of ex p erienc e in b uild ing successful b usinesses tha t emp ower others to live extra ord ina ry lives.

015

As the found er a nd CEO of M a k e It , one of the la rg est cra ft fa irs in C a na d a , Jenna ha s crea ted a p la tform for hund red s of crea tive entrep reneurs to thrive b y selling t heir ha nd ma d e, uniq ue p rod uc t s. Und er her lea d ership , Ma ke It ha s b ecome a hub for a rtisa ns a nd d esig ners to showca se their work, tra nsforming their p a ssion into p rofita b le ventures.

In a d d ition to her work with Ma ke It, Jenna is the found er of Consc ious La b, a sa nctua ry d esig ned to insp ire ind ivid ua ls to ta p into their full p otentia l a nd b ring their uniq ue ma g ic to life. Loca ted in a stunning , historic b uild ing in the hea rt of Ga st ow n, C onscious La b ig nites the crea tive sp a rk within ea ch ind ivid ua l.

The exp osed b rick, a rched wind ows, ha rd wood floors, orig ina l ra d ia tors, a nd hig h ceiling s crea te a sp a c ious a nd a ut hent ic environment tha t fosters lea rning , huma n connections, a nd p ersona l g rowth.

The sp a ce serves a s a hub for ind ivid ua ls to feel fully a live, exp ressed , a nd a wa ke, a llowing them to sha re t heir g ift s a nd d o the work they a re mea nt to d o in the world .

As the a uthor of M a k e It Ha p p en, Jenna sha res her entrep reneuria l insig hts, lessons lea rned , a nd p ersona l exp eriences to help others a lig n with their va lues a nd unlock the energ y tha t d rives their success. A p a ssiona t e ment or, sp ea k er, a nd ma g ic ma k er, Jenna is d ed ica ted to help ing others shine b rig hter tog ether a nd co- crea te tra nsforma tive exp eriences tha t eleva te b oth their lives a nd b usinesses.

017

I N HER WORDS "I a ccid enta lly b eg a n my entrep reneuria l journey a t a g e 11. I loved cra fting , a nd my school sup p lies were a lwa ys the wa ckiest I could find . O ne d a y, insp ira tion struck: I ma d e b ookma rks out of ja zzy d ivid ers, scissors, a hole p uncher, a nd ya rn p om- p oms.

These b ookma rks were unlike a nything I ha d seen, a nd I wa s excited to show them off. I sta rted with p rototyp es for my fa mily, b ut soon, the id ea of selling them ca p tiva ted me. My young er b rother, Cha nd ler, a nd I b eg a n p rod ucing b ookma rks in a ssemb ly- line style.

"We need ed a wa y to sell them. Without a ca r or much a d ult involvement, I d ecid ed we would sell d oor to d oor in our Ed mont on neig hb ourhood , like Girl Guid es selling cookies. Armed with a shoeb ox of b ookma rks, a ha nd ma d e sig n, a nd my nervous yet ea g er b rother, we a p p roa ched our first house.

"M rs. St a nley, the mother of C ha nd ler?s friend , g reeted us wa rmly. When she a sked the p rice, I p a nicked a nd b lurted out two p rices. She g ently exp la ined tha t I need ed a sing le p rice covering my costs a nd yield ing p rofit. Her a d vice cha ng ed how I thoug ht a b out b usiness.

She b oug ht two b ookma rks, a nd thoug h our sa les tha t d a y were mod est, the exp erience sp a rked a p a ssion tha t sha p ed my future.

"At 12 yea rs old , I p rod uced my first event. I wa s p a ssiona te a b out d a nce, thea tre, a nd the p erforming a rts, with The Pha nt om of t he Op era lea ving a la sting imp ression on me a fter seeing it with my mom.

"The music a nd p erforma nces sta yed with me, a nd I d rea med of b eing on a g ra nd sta g e somed a y.

"It wa s the ea rly 19 9 0 s, a nd g low- in- the- d a rk items were a ll the ra g e. My room wa s d ecora ted with sta rs, I wore g low ing Ked s, a nd my b rother C ha nd ler ha d g lowing Const rux t oys.

"O ne d a y, insp ired b y my love for Pha ntom, I d ecid ed to crea te my own p la y. I p itched the id ea to our neig hb ours, three b oys close to my a g e.

At first, they thoug ht I wa s cra zy, b ut I convinced them to join me.

"I d irected the show in our friend 's b a sement, c horeog ra p hing d a nc e rout ines since I wa s ta king d a nce cla sses. The twist? Everything ha d to b e g low - in- t he- d a rk! The b oys a g reed , esp ecia lly when I p romised they would ma ke money from ticket sa les.

"After selling tickets to our p a rents a nd neig hb ours, we were rea d y to p erform.

The show, a mix of d a nce, a crob a tics, a nd ra nd om p rop s like C onstrux toys, wa s uniq ue a nd cha otic. We d ivid ed the p rofits eq ua lly, a nd thoug h the sna cks were ?b orrowed ? from our p a rents? p a ntries, they could not help b ut a d mire my crea tivity.

"My fa mily lived on the 14th hole of a g olf course in Ed monton. My p a rents a nd b rother were a vid g olfers, a nd I p la yed too, mostly b eca use I ha d no choice.

However, living on a g olf c ourse op ened up exciting entrep reneuria l op p ortunities for my b rother a nd me.

"A few times ea ch summer, we would trek into the ra vines, c ollec t ing d ozens of g olf b a lls tha t ha d b een mis- hit off the tee. We would clea n them a t home, a nd my p a rents sup p orted this routine since they never ha d to b uy g olf b a lls."

"O ne summer, I ha d a n id ea . With so ma ny b a lls, why not sell them b a ck to the g olfers? Since we lived on the 14th hole, we could ea sily set up a sta nd . I convinced my b rother C ha nd ler to join me, found a n old ta b le, a nd c rea t ed a " $1/ b a ll" sig n with my nea t p enma nship.

The next d a y, we set up shop.

"Sa les were slow a t first, so I thoug ht of a nother id ea : sell d rinks. G olfers often stop p ed a t t he sna c k sha c k, a nd b y the 14th hole, they would b e thirsty a g a in.

The next d a y, I filled a cooler with d rinks from our p a ntry. Sa les p icked up q uickly? until our p a rents found out.

When my d a d a sked where the b eer ha d g one, I confessed . He wa s b oth ma d a nd imp ressed , b ut I lea rned a va lua b le lesson a b out p rofit ma rg ins.

JEN N A' S JEWELLERY "Jewellery ha s a lwa ys b een a p a ssion of mine, so it wa s only na tura l tha t I would eventua lly sta rt ma king my own. As a child , I loved visiting b ea d st ores a nd would b eg my mom to ta ke me so I could stock up on colourful seed b ea d s a nd fishing line. I q uickly a ma ssed so ma ny b ea d s tha t I could ha ve ma d e neckla ces for the entire school! My a llowa nce wa s entirely sp ent on this hob b y, b ut it b roug ht me immense joy.

019

"After crea ting countless neckla ces, b ra celets, a nd a nklets, I d ecid ed to sell them. O ne d a y, I p a cked a b a g with my b est p ieces a nd visited a consig nment store in d owntown Ed monton. By then, I wa s in hig h school, a nd my sa les skills ha d imp roved since my b ookma rk b usiness d a ys.

"The store owner a g reed to sell my jewellery on consig nment, which felt like my first rea l entrep reneuria l success. She a sked for a n ord er form, a concep t I ha d not consid ered . My d a d , ever the b usiness exp ert, help ed me crea te one.

"I na med my b usiness Jenna ?s Jew eller y Co., d esig ned a log o with scissors a nd g lue, a nd p rint ed ord er forms. The sa les were mod est, b ut I lea rned va lua b le lessons in p a cka g ing , p ricing , a nd trend s.

La ter, I p a rtnered with a store owner a t the Universit y of Alb er t a ma ll, which led me to p rod uce ma cra mé jewellery with help from my fa mily. Tog ether, we met the g rowing d ema nd .

BOOTY BELTZ "In 20 0 3, I sta rted my first ?b ig g irl? comp a ny, Boot y Belt z, a s a p roject for a ma rketing cla ss a t the Universit y of Alb er t a . A Booty Belt wa s a simp le yet stylish sca rf b elt with a b uckle, ma king it ea sy to ta ke on a nd off.

"At the time, it wa s a trend y a ccessory, a nd a fter crea ting a b usiness p la n for it, I wa s filled with p a ssion. Up on g ra d ua tion, I d ecid ed to p ursue the id ea full- time, ig noring a ny d oub ts or fea rs.

"I b eg a n b y visiting loca l stores in Ed monton, showing b uyers my b elts a nd p itching the p rod uct. As the d ema nd g rew, I exp a nd ed to Ca lg a r y, M ont rea l, Toront o, a nd Va nc ouver. Within a yea r, Booty Beltz were sold in more tha n 30 st ores a c ross Ca na d a . At 24 yea rs old , I wa s ea g er to b uild a fa shion emp ire, so I took a hug e step a nd sig ned up for the M AGIC tra d eshow in La s Veg a s, the la rg est a p p a rel show in the world .

"The first few d a ys of MAG IC were d iscoura g ing , with no ord ers. But on the fina l d a y, my b rother C ha nd ler worked his ma g ic, a nd a d ep a rtment store from Ja p a n p la ced a n ord er for 6 0 loca tions.

"This wa s a g a me- cha ng er, a nd I q uickly sca led up p rod uction, moving from a sma ll crew to a fa ctory in Ed monton.

"However, a s trend s shifted , sa les b eg a n to slow. Then, I wa s invited to sha re a b ooth a t a n a rt festiva l in Ed monton."

"Selling d irectly to customers wa s a revela tion. It wa s exciting , a nd the exp erience reig nited my p a ssion for the b usiness. I sta rted tra velling a cross C a na d a to c ra ft fa irs, music fest iva ls, a nd more, ultima tely selling more tha n I ha d when Booty Beltz wa s in 120 st ores.

M AKE IT "In the mid - 20 0 0 s, cra ft fa irs were not consid ered the trend y events they a re tod a y. However, I noticed the rise of ha nd ma d e, DIY c ult ure a s Et sy g a ined p op ula rity a nd sa w a n op p ortunity to reva mp cra ft fa irs to a ttra ct a young er crowd . A few months la ter, a friend a nd I la unched our first show, comp lete with live music a nd a b a r.

021

"Within a yea r, the event g rew from 25 t o over 10 0 ex hib it ors. Encoura g ed b y the g rowth, I wa nted to exp a nd to other cities, b ut my b usiness p a rtner a nd I p a rted wa ys. At the time, my b rother Cha nd ler, who ha d sta rted his own T- shirt comp a ny, Ole Orig ina ls, to ca ter to men d ra g g ed to cra ft fa irs, showed a keen interest in my b usiness.

We joined forces in 20 0 8 a nd la unched M a k e It .

M AKE IT: THE BOOK "For a long time, I d rea med of w rit ing a b ook to sha re my journey a nd the lessons I ha ve lea rned a long the wa y.

"Eventua lly, I d ecid ed to commit to the p roject a nd turn it into rea lity. Writing a b ook turned out to b e fa r more cha lleng ing tha n I exp ected .

"While I enjoyed b ra inst orming , interviewing interesting p eop le, a nd sha ring id ea s, there were d ifficult moments when the writing simp ly would not flow. Sitting a t a comp uter for hours, esp ecia lly on sunny d a ys, b eca me p a inful.

"The ed it ing p roc ess wa s a nother hurd le, a s I sent my work to someone who help ed refine it, often q uestioning my id ea s.

"Pub lishing a b ook a lso exp osed me to p ot ent ia l c rit ic ism, a d d ing to the p ressure. Yet, d esp ite the ma ny rea sons to q uit, I knew I would a lwa ys wond er wha t could ha ve b een. I p ushed throug h, emb ra ced the cha lleng es, a nd ma d e my b ook ha p p en.

CON SCIOUS LAB

"O ur first Va ncouver event a t the Round house Communit y Cent re wa s a success, a nd we moved to the Croa t ia n Cult ura l Cent re for the next three yea rs. In 20 13, we ma d e a lea p to the 45,0 0 0 - sq ua re- foot PN E Forum, a ttra cting over 15,0 0 0 visit ors.

"In 20 17, I visited my friend Ashley Wra y a t her office in Ga st ow n. I wa s immed ia tely ca p tiva ted b y the sp a ce on Ric ha rd s St reet . The comb ina tion of exp osed b ricks, hig h ceiling s, a nd curved wind ows ma d e it feel like a ma g ica l p orta l.

"In 20 16 , a Toront o comp a ny offered to b uy Ma ke It, b ut I ha d a cha ng e of hea rt. C ha nd ler wa s rea d y to sell, so I b oug ht him out in the winter of 20 16 .

Since then, I ha ve p oured my p a ssion into Ma ke It, exp a nd ing to new cities a nd venues, includ ing Ed mont on, Ca lg a r y, a nd Va nc ouver, a nd g rowing the b ra nd with ea ch step.

"At tha t time, my Ma ke It tea m wa s working out of a sma ller sp a ce nea rb y, a nd I ha d not consid ered moving to a la rg er office. However, when Ashley mentioned she wa s trying to find someone to t a k e over her lea se, I knew it wa s mea nt to b e. I d id not ha ve a concrete p la n for the sp a ce, b ut I felt d ra wn to it."

023

"In ea rly 20 20 , I d iscovered I wa s p reg na nt. My fia ncé, Orson, a nd I ha d b een trying for a b out a yea r, a nd we were excited to b e exp ecting our b a b y in Oc t ob er. But then, the p a nd emic hit.

O ur sp ring Ma ke It show in Ed monton wa s ca ncelled , a nd a week b efore it wa s sched uled , the na tiona l shutd own wa s a nnounced . It wa s d eva sta ting b ut a lso a relief.

"We q uickly p ivoted , la unching the M a k e It Box fea turing items from our Ma kies. Just d a ys a fter our son Arlo wa s b orn on Oc t ob er 8, I wa s cura ting items from my b ed while O rson p a cked a nd ship p ed nea rly 1,0 0 0 b ox es b efore the holid a ys.

"In 20 21, la rg e events were still hea vily imp a cted b y g overnment ma nd a t es.

O ne d a y, g a thering s were a llowed , a nd the next, they were not. It wa s a p reca rious time for the events ind ustry, b ut we d ecid ed to hold on to the lea se for C onscious La b.

"Persona lly, it wa s a wond erful esca p e? a sp a ce to d rea m a b out the future. Sometimes, I would b ring my Ra g d oll ca t, Bisc uit , who loved curling up in the p la nts a nd med ita tion cushions.

"During the shutd own, O rson a nd I slowly refined C onscious La b , comb ining our skills to up d a te the sp a ce. As the world b eg a n to reop en, d ema nd for C onscious La b g rew.

"We sta rted receiving more b ooking s, a nd it b eca me clea r there wa s a strong need for sp a ces where p eop le could g a ther a nd connect. Soon, C onscious La b wa s hosting b rea t hw ork , med it a t ion, a nd t ra nsforma t ive event s, b ecoming a well- known hub for community.

"Moving forwa rd , C onscious La b is evolving into a memb ership community for entrep reneurs who wish to g row b oth their b usinesses a nd themselves. I b elieve entrep reneurship is a sp irit ua l journey, a nd the most imp orta nt a sset to invest in is yourself. From my exp erience a nd seeing others, I know how intense the journey ca n b e.

Susta ining p ersona l g rowth while connecting with others on a simila r p a th is essentia l.

"I envision C onscious La b a s a hub for found ers, visiona ries, a nd ent rep reneurs to sha re id ea s a nd lea rn from ea ch other. It will offer long - t a b le d inner p a r t ies, imp a c t ful sp ea k ers, w ellness event s, a nd a ma st ermind c omp onent to excha ng e wisd om a nd na vig a te the hig hs a nd lows of b usiness.

"Thoug h ma ny memb ership club s exist, few focus on the mind - b od y- sp irit c onnec t ion. Neg lecting yourself ca n hind er even the b est b usiness mod els.

Burnout is a lea d ing ca use of b usiness fa ilure, a nd I know firstha nd tha t overcoming it req uires a strong community.

"In five yea rs, I see C onscious La b ex p a nd ing g lob a lly with sp a ces in multip le cities. It will b e a sa cred sp a ce where entrep reneurs ca n b e a ut hent ic , a c c ess resourc es, a nd enjoy eng a g ing event s. We a lso envision integ ra ting fa mily life into C onscious La b , includ ing c hild hood ed uc a t ion init ia t ives tha t emp ower child ren to turn their id ea s into rea lity? fostering entrep reneurship from a young a g e is more vita l tha n ever."

JEN N A HERB UT FOUN D ER & CEO

K A V I TA M OHA N: EV ENT PRODUCTI ON With over 25 yea rs of exp erience in event p la nning , Ka vit a M oha n ha s esta b lished herself a s a lea d er in crea ting b esp ok e w ed d ing s a nd event s tha t smoothly b lend crea tivity with p recision.

Her journey b eg a n with a b a ckg round in the c orp ora t e w orld , where she honed her skills in org a niza tion, b ud g eting , a nd lea d ership.

In 20 0 7, she found ed Ka vit a M oha n Event Pla nning , d riven b y a p a ssion for cra fting unforg etta b le exp eriences tha t reflect her clients' uniq ue visions.

025

Ka vita 's a p p roa ch comb ines meticulous a ttention to d eta il with innova t ive d esig n, a llowing her to b ring even the most c omp lex id ea s to life. She works with a select numb er of clients ea ch yea r to ensure every event receives her und ivid ed a t t ent ion a nd exp ertise.

Her strong rela tionship s with top - tier vend ors a nd her a b ility to d eliver excep tiona l events in Va ncouver a nd b eyond ha ve solid ified her rep ut a t ion a s a trusted exp ert in the ind ustry.

Ka vita Moha n Event Pla nning offers a stress- free wed d ing p la nning journey committed to excellence a t every sta g e.

Ka vita ensures every d eta il is thoug htfully cra fted to eleva te her clients' love stories. The " All t he Tiers & N o Tea rs" p a cka g e p rovid es a n a ll- inclusive p la nning exp erience, from initia l coord ina tion to d a y- of sup ervision, d elivering eleg a nt a nd sop histica ted celeb ra tions.

From g a la s a nd milest one c eleb ra t ions to holid a y p a rties, she b ring s p rofessiona lism a nd crea tivity to every corp ora te event. O ffering custom- d esig ned p a cka g es (Dia mond a nd Pla t inum tiers), ea ch event is executed fla wlessly, a d d ing a touch of sop histica tion a nd ensuring sea mless execution from sta rt to finish.

027

I N HER WORDS "My fa mily immig ra ted from Fiji to Va nc ouver in 19 74 when I wa s 4 yea rs old . My p a rents, like ma ny Ind ia n p a rent s a t the time, soug ht b etter op p ortunities a nd chose Va ncouver for its cold er clima te. G rowing up in Ea st Va nc ouver, I a ttend ed the sa me schools a nd b uilt lifelong friend ship s with my b est friend s from a n ea rly a g e. O ur weekend s were sp ent with extend ed fa mily, c eleb ra t ing milest ones a nd sha ring mea ls in a tig ht- knit, sup p ortive community.

"We ha d a strict up b ring ing ? no sp orts tea ms, a fter- school a ctivities, or ma keup until a fter hig h school.

Ironica lly, I d rea med of mod elling a nd la ter wa lked in a few fa shion shows in my 20 s. As a child , I often d a yd rea med a b out c rea t ive p ursuit s like d a nc ing or sta rting a b usiness. These ea rly a sp ira tions p la nted the seed s for my ent rep reneuria l sp irit , even a s I followed a tra d itiona l p a th, st ud ying a c c ount ing a nd b riefly exp loring fit ness, journa lism, a nd other ca reers.

O ver time, I d iscovered I wa s mea nt for a ca reer tha t comb ined crea tivity, ind ep end ence, a nd sha p ing my success.

A LIFE SHARED "My husb a nd a nd I went to the sa me hig h school b ut never sp oke. I wa s the ?C olors of Benetton/ Ma d onna ? typ e, a nd he wa s the ?Storm Rid er/ AC / DC ? g uy. We crossed p a ths a g a in a t the g ym in 20 0 1, a nd rea lized we ha d sha red the sa me friend s our whole lives.

"After we b eca me a coup le, in 20 0 5, we b oug ht our first home in N or t h Burna b y.

"After rea d ing Ea t , Pra y, Love, I b eca me ob sessed with g etting ma rried in Ba li. True to his ?isla nd time? na ture, he took his time p rop osing , so I b oug ht my wed d ing d ress a nd hid it for months!

In 20 11, we tied the knot in Ba li a fter 10 yea rs t og et her? it rema ins one of our b est memories. Sa d ly, we were una b le to ha ve child ren. After a coup le of misc a rria g es, we d ecid ed to let life unfold na tura lly a s the emot iona l t oll of trying b eca me too much.

"I ha ve a lwa ys loved tra vel. As a child , my fa mily would g o on roa d trip s to Ca lifornia , exp loring p la ces like the Sa n Dieg o Zoo a nd visiting rela tives in Sa c ra ment o a nd Sa n Fra nc isc o. As I g rew old er, I tra velled further: N a p a Va lley, M ex ic o, La s Veg a s, LA, Aust ra lia , Fiji, N ew Zea la nd , a nd Cop enha g en. I ha ve enjoyed a d ventures with my husb a nd to M ex ic o, Belize, M ia mi, Ja ma ic a , Por t la nd , Sea t t le, Whist ler, a nd Va nc ouver Isla nd .

A BUDDIN G EN TREPREN EUR "In 19 9 1, a fter two yea rs in the a ccounting d ep a rtment a t 7- Eleven Ca na d a Inc ., I moved into a n Ad min role in Op era t ions, where I d iscovered my p a ssion for p la nning .

"Sta rting with meeting s a nd d ep a rtment events, I found joy in org a nizing a nd help ing others, which soon sp illed into my p ersona l life. I b eg a n p la nning fa mily d inners, outing s, a nd sma ll events for friend s, q uietly nurturing a n interest in w ed d ing p la nning .

"By 20 0 4, I tra nsitioned into a M erc ha nd ising a nd M a rk et ing role, where I p la nned na tiona l meeting s a nd conventions, exp a nd ing my exp erience."

"In 20 0 7, a friend a sked me to p la n her wed d ing - my first event in 20 0 8? for just $50 0 ! Seventeen yea rs la ter, I a m p la nning her d a ug hter?s wed d ing in a ca stle in Sc ot la nd .

"While b uild ing my wed d ing p la nning b usiness, I continued working a t 7- Eleven, g a ining exp erience a cross three d ep a rtments. However, b y 20 14, I felt unfulfilled a nd rea d y for a cha ng e.

At 45, a fter 24 yea rs, I left my sta b le ca reer to p ursue my d rea m. Ma ny thoug ht I wa s ta king a risk, b ut I knew I would reg ret not trying . Shortly a fter, 7- Eleven hired me to p la n their a nnua l vend or meeting , which led to org a nizing a 1,20 0 - p erson c onvent ion in 20 19 .

"Thoug h the convention wa s a milestone, it c la rified my d esire to focus on wed d ing s a nd socia l events. I cra ved the crea tivity, p ersona l connections, a nd fun these events b ring , steering a wa y from corp ora te setting s.

029

"Ea rly in my ca reer, I sig ned up for Wed d ing Wire, a p la tform connecting eng a g ed coup les with wed d ing p rofessiona ls. A p ivota l moment ca me when I received a n inq uiry from the Presid ent of Fruit ic a na , a sking me to p la n his 25t h w ed d ing a nniversa r y c eleb ra t ion. I wa s honoured a nd nervous, feeling like the universe wa s telling me I wa s on the rig ht p a th.

"The event a t the Fa irmont Pa c ific Rim wa s ma g ica l a nd rema ins one of my fa vourite p rojects. The fa mily?s wa rmth led to a cherished friend ship tha t ha s g rown over the yea rs. Tha t inq uiry wa s a turning p oint, a ffirming tha t my ha rd work a nd p a ssion could b uild a successful b usiness.

A N EW CHAPTER "By the end of 20 19 , I ha d just celeb ra ted my 50 th b irthd a y. My b usiness wa s thriving , I felt a ma zing , a nd life wa s a t its p ea k. Then, the p a nd emic hit, turning everything up sid e d own.

With no income, I fa ced severe p erimenop a use symp t oms? nig ht swea ts, memory loss, insomnia , mood swing s, a nd crip p ling a nxiety.

"In 20 21, my d a d p a ssed a wa y, a nd my w orld c rumb led . G rief a nd reg ret consumed me. At the sa me time, I strug g led to find stea d y emp loyment, with rejec t ion a ft er rejec t ion erod ing my confid ence.

"By 20 22, I p ushed forwa rd , d elivering some of the b est events of my ca reer.

But 20 23 b roug ht new cha lleng es: a misd ia g nosis of d ep ression, a n eventua l d ia g nosis of Gra ve?s Disea se, a nd a lop ec ia . While trea tments help ed , they ca me with sid e effects like weig ht g a in, lea ving me self- conscious.

"Throug h a ll of this, p erimenop a use rema ined relentless, ma king it ha rd to feel like myself. In Sep temb er, I ha d a n ?AHA? moment, a ccep ting the losses, cha lleng es, a nd cha ng ing rela tionship s of recent yea rs.

"I sha re this b eca use mid life a s a n ent rep reneur? esp ecia lly a s a woma n? is ra rely d iscussed .

Perimenop a use, g rief, a nd cha ng ing rela tionship s ca n feel overwhelming , yet we a re exp ected to ca rry on.

"These strug g les ha ve ma d e me st rong er a nd more d et ermined to show up for myself a nd my b usiness."

TWO KEY ACTION S "O ne of the key a ctions tha t p ushed my b usiness to the next level wa s refining my d esig n p roc ess. I tra nsitioned from simp ly p la nning events to d esig ning them with g rea t d eta il. I b eg a n crea ting c omp rehensive mood b oa rd s tha t ca p tured every event element? d éc or, flora ls, st a t ioner y, c olour p a let t es, floor p la ns, food a nd b evera g es, a nd more. This meticulous a p p roa ch b eca me my b luep rint for success, ensuring clients a nd vend ors ha d a clea r, sea mless und ersta nd ing of the vision.

"O ver the yea rs, I ha ve continua lly fine- tuned this p rocess to ma ke it smoother a nd more c olla b ora t ive. I a m a lso a firm b eliever tha t knowled g e is p ower. Therefore, I consta ntly seek to exp a nd my skills a nd sta y current with trend s a nd innova tions in the ind ustry.

C ontinuous lea rning , g row t h, a nd imp rovement a re vita l to my success.

031

"The second p ivota l a ction wa s reb ra nd ing my b usiness a t the end of 20 20 , d uring the heig ht of the p a nd emic. Ra ther tha n sitting id le, I sa w this a s the p erfect op p ortunity to eleva te my b usiness p resence. I p a rtnered with the ta lented tea ms a t Elim Kw ok M a rk et ing a nd Va nessa Buc c eri Bra nd & Web sit e Desig n, who help ed b ring my vision to life with a fresh, sop histica ted web site a nd b ra nd id entity.

"This reb ra nd wa s a g a me- cha ng er. It b etter rep resented the level of work I wa s p rod ucing a nd help ed me connect with my id ea l c lient s. The new b ra nd id entity set the tone for the future d irection of my b usiness, la ying a strong found a tion for continued g rowth.

"I a m d eep ly g ra teful for the unw a vering sup p or t of my husb a nd , fa mily, a nd friend s, who ha ve b een my cheerlea d ers a nd source of streng th when I need ed it most.

"I ha ve b uilt mea ning ful rela tionship s within the ind ustry with ta lented p rofessiona ls? p la nners, d ec ora t ors, florist s, DJs, a nd venue t ea ms? whose colla b ora tion a nd p a ssion insp ire me d a ily. I a m a lso fortuna te to ha ve ha d incred ib le clients who trusted me with their most imp or t a nt moment s, a nd their b elief in me ha s b een instrumenta l in my journey.

"A recent tra g ed y in Novemb er, when our b est friend s lost their 21- yea r- old son in a mot orc yc le a c c id ent , b eca me a p rofound moment of introsp ection for me. I step p ed in to help my friend s however I could ? something I could d o to show my love a nd sup p ort d uring such a hea r t b rea k ing t ime. It remind ed me how imp orta nt it is to b e there for the p eop le I love while still p ursuing the work tha t fulfills me.

THE EXPERT APPROACH "At Ka vita Moha n Events, I cra ft b esp ok e w ed d ing s a nd event s tha t reflect my clients?visions. With over 30 yea rs of ex p erienc e p la nning meeting s, celeb ra tions, a nd sp ecia l occa sions, I work with a select numb er of clients ea ch yea r to ensure every d eta il is infused with ca re, crea tivity, a nd p recision.

"From c onc ep t t o c omp let ion, I a m d eep ly involved , cura ting every element? from d esig n a nd d écor to log istics a nd execution? while p rovid ing my clients with a sea mless, st ress- free ex p erienc e."

033

"Wha t sets Ka vita Moha n Events a p a rt is a refined a p p roa ch, d eca d es of exp ertise, a nd st rong rela t ionship s with t op - t ier vend ors world wid e. Whether a n intima te g a thering or a multi- d a y celeb ra tion, I b ring g lob a l rea c h, crea tivity, a nd a d ed ica tion to excellence tha t tra nsforms life?s most cherished moments into timeless, unforg et t a b le ex p erienc es.

"To thrive over the next two q ua rters, my b usiness need s g rea ter visib ility a nd rea ch? on a loc a l, na t iona l, a nd g lob a l sc a le.

"This mea ns investing in st ra t eg ic ma rk et ing init ia t ives, includ ing eleva ted content crea tion, socia l med ia ca mp a ig ns, a nd more sub sta ntia l fea tures in ind ustry- lea d ing p ub lica tions like Forb es, Vog ue, Ha rp er?s Ba za a r, Tow n & Count r y, a nd b usiness event outlets. Exp osure in these sp a ces a lig ns p erfectly with the level of work I p rod uce.

"I would a lso like to ex p a nd my c orp ora t e a nd c ha rit a b le event offering s. These events cha lleng e me to think crea tively while d elivering mea ning ful exp eriences tha t lea ve a la sting imp ression? a multi- d a y conference, a fund ra ising g a la , or a n intima te b ra nd la unch.

"Cha rit y w ork a lso hold s a sp ecia l p la ce in my hea rt, a s I a m p a ssiona te a b out events tha t g ive b a ck to the community a nd ha ve a g lob a l imp a ct.

My exp erience a s a Commit t ee M emb er, Déc or Lea d er, a nd Event Coord ina t or for the CF Ga la hig hlig hted the imp orta nce of p la nning mea ning ful fund ra isers.

"Recently, I d ed ica ted six d a ys to cra fting a p rop osa l for a n a nnua l c ha rit y fund ra iser for a n org a niza tion whose core mission p rofound ly resona tes with me.

"Ad d itiona lly, I wa nt to g row my network of colla b ora tors g lob a lly, from t op - t ier venues to d esig n a nd flora l p rofessiona ls who sha re my vision for sea mless, eleva ted events. Streng thening these p a rtnership s will further p osition my b usiness a s a lea d er in wed d ing s, corp ora te exp eriences, a nd cha rita b le events.

"And la stly, I a m rea d y to sc a le my t ea m. Ad d ing ex c ep t iona l t a lent will a llow me to ta ke on la rg er, more comp lex p rojects while ma inta ining the hig h level of ser vic e a nd a t t ent ion t o d et a il I a m known for.

"Big d rea ms a nd even b ig g er g oa ls? I ha ve a lwa ys b elieved tha t the p ossib ilities a re end less when you p ut yourself out there. I a m a lwa ys thinking a b out imp roving my b usiness a nd reflecting on cha ng es tha t need to b e ma d e. 20 24 ma rks 10 yea rs of running my b usiness full- time, with the ma jority of my focus on wed d ing s a nd socia l events.

"It is a lmost the end of 20 24, I a m p roud to ha ve b een fea tured on M SN , in St yle M e Pret t y' s Lit t le Bla c k Book, Wezoree, a nd # 1 in two of the Best of Va nc ouver lists.

"While I ha ve loved t his journey, I ha ve rea lized it is time for a shift, I ca nnot continue to d o everything myself! As I turn 55 this Decemb er, my p riorities a re evolving .

"More tha n a nything , I wa nt to st rik e a b a la nc e: crea ting extra ord ina ry events tha t ma ke a n imp a ct a nd a llowing myself more sp a ce to focus on w ha t t ruly ma t t ers? my fa mily, friend s, a nd the moments we sha re."

K A V IT A

M OHAN

EVEN T

PL AN N ER

035

FRA NK I E CENA : FOSTERI NG DEBA TE TA LENT (FDT) A CA DEM Y FDT Ac a d emy is d ed ica ted to help ing young p eop le d evelop the skills to a rg ue effectively for their b eliefs, d iscover their p a ssion for Deb a t e, a nd cultiva te the a b ility to view issues from multip le p ersp ectives.

By joining the a ca d emy, stud ents b ecome p a rt of a community of d riven p ub lic sp ea kers committed to working ha rd , honing their skills, a nd excelling in Deb a te comp etitions world wid e.

With over 350 a c t ive st ud ent s a nd more tha n 3,0 0 0 a lumni from a round the g lob e, FDT Aca d emy is the p remier Deb a te a nd Sp eech institution in Brit ish Columb ia .

The a ca d emy sta nd s out for its stud ents, ma ny of whom ha ve b ecome memb ers of b oth the Ca na d ia n N a t iona l Deb a t e Tea m a nd the Ca na d ia n N a t iona l Sp eec h Tea m. O ver 40 FDT st ud ent s ha ve ea rned sp ots on these p restig ious na tiona l tea ms, setting a n unp reced ented record in Ca na d a .

Stud ents a t FDT Aca d emy g a in a comp etitive ed g e in their universit y a p p lic a t ions, with numerous a lumni g oing on to a ttend top - tier universities, includ ing Ha r va rd , Ox ford , St a nford , a nd Ca mb rid g e.

FDT?s comp rehensive a p p roa ch to tra ining eq uip s stud ents with the skills necessa ry to succeed in a ny field .

037

M EET FRA NK I E Deb a te ha s b een a lifelong p a ssion for Fra nk ie Cena , the found er of FDT Ac a d emy, b eg inning with his first comp etition in 8t h g ra d e. By g ra d e 12, he sta rted volunteering a s a Deb a te coa ch a t their hig h school, a role they continued for five yea rs.

During this time, the school b eca me a p rominent force in the Deb a te world , a nd the found er witnessed ma ny young lives tra nsformed throug h the p ower of Deb a te. Fra nkie q uickly recog nized a sig nifica nt g a p in the a va ila b ility of Sp eec h a nd Deb a t e op p ortunities, with coa ching typ ica lly reserved for p riva te schools a nd their stud ents. By volunteering in a p ub lic school, he wa s a b le to p rovid e op p ortunities to stud ents who otherwise mig ht not ha ve ha d a ny.

This insig ht led to the crea tion of FDT Aca d emy, with the mission to ma ke Deb a te more a ccessib le to a ll stud ents.

Since its found ing in 20 16 , FDT Aca d emy ha s rema ined committed to offering stud ents the sa me enriching exp eriences tha t the found er?s first g roup of stud ents ha d ? lea rning a b out imp orta nt issues, t ra velling g lob a lly, b uild ing c onfid enc e, a nd d evelop ing inva lua b le skills. The a ca d emy?s d yna mic tea m of instructors, ma ny of whom a re former stud ents, works tirelessly to ensure tha t every stud ent a chieves their full p otentia l. The g oa l is for ea ch stud ent to lea ve FDT Aca d emy more c onfid ent , a r t ic ula t e, a nd p rep a red to eng a g e mea ning fully

I N HI S WORDS "My ea rliest memories of entrep reneurship come from when I wa s a kid . I think a lot a b out the Toot h Fa ir y, a nd I rememb er a lwa ys wa nting to wheel a nd d ea l with them? collect my money a nd neg ot ia t e for more money, a s we d id not ha ve a ton of money g rowing up.

When my p a rents d ivorced , they ha d to sell the house a t a loss, which mea nt I lived in fina ncia l circumsta nces I d id not exp ect.

"I sha red a b ed room with my d a d a nd sister a nd then lived in c oop era t ive housing with my mother.

"I rememb er, for my b irthd a ys, I never a sked for thing s; I a sk ed for c a sh.

Ever since I wa s little, I a sked my entire fa mily for money instea d of g ifts b eca use I wa nted to choose wha t to d o with the money? whether sa ving up for something b ig or b uying lit t le t hing s of my choosing ."

"When I wa s 16 , I sta rted volunteering a s a d eb a t e c oa c h a t a loca l hig h school. When I wa s hired for my first job a s a full- time d eb a te coa ch a t a p riva t e sc hool, I ha d a eurek a moment : I could sta rt a comp a ny solely d ed ica ted to d eb a te. I sa w a g a p a nd a n unt a p p ed ind ust r y a nd knew I could fill it.

"As a hig h school d eb a te coa ch, I p ursued tha t p a ssion a nd turned it into a full- time job , a b usiness, a nd , eventua lly, a w hole new ind ust r y. I found ed one of the world 's first p ub lic sp ea king a nd d eb a ting schools.

"My entrep reneuria l sp irit a nd unwa vering d etermina tion b roug ht me to where I a m tod a y. I a m the p roud owner of Fost ering Deb a t e Ta lent Ac a d emy a nd a 30 Und er 30 winner.

We now tea ch over 40 0 st ud ent s from a round the world , from g ra d es K? 12, with 20 inst ruc t ors, five full- t ime st a ff, a nd every title in every comp etition.

"Throug h the a ca d emy, I cultiva te a sense of confid ence a nd self- worth in my stud ents. Dra wing from my own exp eriences a s a kid , I ma ke sure the stud ents know tha t their w ins a nd losses d o not d efine them b ut should motiva te them to overcome ob sta cles.

039

"I a m a self- ma d e entrep reneur a nd p roud of my journey. I continue to work on b ecoming a b et t er t ea c her a nd p erson every d a y.

"My journey ha s b een wild . I d id not think I would b e a n entrep reneur? I thoug ht I would b e a la w yer, then a p olit ic ia n, a nd eventua lly the Prime M inist er of Ca na d a . Tha t wa s a lwa ys the p la n.

"I went to universit y, went to b usiness sc hool, a nd wa s p la nning to g o to la w sc hool when I d ecid ed to p ursue d eb a te a s a full- time job. I emp loyed my sister a nd mom full- time, a nd now we ha ve a comp a ny tha t ha s b een incorp ora ted since 20 18. So, the journey wa s d efinitely unexp ected .

"Tha t sa id , it wa s not a n ea sy journey.

There wa s no formula t o emula t e or a comp a ny to mirror. I ha d to trust my instincts a nd slowly g row my comp a ny.

I need ed to foster g enuine, loya l c onnec t ions with my stud ents, their p a rents, tea chers, a nd others I met a long the wa y. It wa s vita l tha t they trusted my vision in crea ting FDT a nd joined me on the journey.

"My first p riva t e lessons with a few stud ents were in t he b a sement of my home, b ut tha t loya lty is how I ha ve kep t g rowing .

"We now tea ch stud ents from a ll a round the world throug h virtua l cla sses tha t took off d uring the p a nd emic. We ha ve t w o p hysic a l b uild ing s in Va ncouver where we tea ch in- p erson cla sses a nd host tourna ments."

041

"All my instructors were p a st stud ents, a nd ma ny of my current stud ents showed interest in working for me. My fa mily works with me, a nd tha t is wha t keep s me g oing .

"G etting our first offic e sp a c e, rea ching our first 10 0 - st ud ent ma rk , a nd receiving my first invest ment were a ll moments where I thoug ht this could b e it.

"It is incred ib ly rewa rd ing to witness shy c hild ren tra nsform into confid ent, self- a ssured sp ea k ers who g o on to cha ng e the world . As a coa ch, I ha ve the p rivileg e of seeing young p eop le g enuinely come into their own. We t ra vel t he g lob e, a chieve c ha mp ionship vic t ories, a nd celeb ra te their rema rka b le g rowth? it is d eep ly fulfilling .

"Beca use we g rew q uickly, I ha d to d evelop g a me p la ns immed ia tely. I g ot a whole tea m tog ether, a ssig ned sp ecific roles, a nd the p ieces ca me tog ether. We t ook on invest ors, hired a n Op era t ions Direc t or to eleva te everything , ensured tha t instructors were sup er ha p p y, a nd kep t consta ntly d evelop ing p rog ra mming .

Ultima tely, we focused on d elivering a fa nt a st ic p rod uc t . When I wa s coa ching b y myself with just five stud ents, the p rod uct wa s excellent, a nd we wa nted to ma inta in tha t level of q ua lity a s w e sc a led up .

"Tha t wa s my initia l motiva tion to work ha rd a t wha tever I d o, which is why I still work ha rd for my comp a ny. I d id not wa nt my b a ckg round to stop me from a chieving my d rea ms. As a kid , I wa s in a n interna tiona l b oys' c hoir, d id music a l t hea t re, wa s on the st ud ent c ounc il, joined the d eb a t e t ea m, a nd ea rned a full- rid e sc hola rship to university.

"I think b a ck, a nd there a re a few key moments when I knew this would work.

I think the first wa s b eing p a id a n hourly wa g e for coa ching d eb a te, a nd I wa s like, "O h my G od , I ca n ma ke this much money d oing this?"

Then, my a unt , who I love d ea rly a nd my ha ird resser a t the time, would ta lk with me a b out the b usiness. She sa id there mig ht b e something here a nd tha t I ha d to fig ure out how to ma ke this work a nd t urn it int o a c omp a ny, not just a job. Cha ts like tha t help ed me think of the b ig g er p icture.

"Being a b le to emp loy my mom a nd sist er full- t ime ha s b een p ivota l. It is my fa vourite p a rt to celeb ra te in my b usiness. While my life is extremely b usy, a nd I d o not ta ke a ny d a ys off, I d o it b eca use I love it a nd a m tha nkful for the life I live.

"I ha ve a lso ha d to keep hiring new instructors? loc a l, int erna t iona l, a nd online. I ha ve ha d to reloca te to new b uild ing s, crea te new ma teria ls, d evelop b ra nd ing , a nd keep up with ma rketing a nd sa les.

"O ur p ush to the next level wa s incorp ora ting vir t ua l c la sses into our p rog ra m. Tha t op ened up a n entirely new ma rk et of c lient s who could now enjoy our p rog ra m from a nywhere in the world ."

"We ha ve b ecome a one- st op shop for everything : p ub lic sp ea king a nd d eb a te. FDT Aca d emy op era tes on a hyb rid mod el: in- p erson a nd online g roup cla sses, p riva te coa ching , a nd on- d ema nd courses. We a lso fa cilita te ever yt hing for t ourna ment s, includ ing tra vel, flig hts, a ccommod a tions, reg istra tion, a nd coa ching . Tha t mea ns we consta ntly communica te with inst ruc t ors, p a rent s, a nd st ud ent s to ensure they ha ve everything they need for success. We connect stud ents with elit e c oa c hes a nd offer comp rehensive communica tion, d eb a te, a nd p ub lic sp ea king tra ining .

"O ur mod el is uniq ue b eca use we ha ve d ifferent p a cka g es for d ifferent need s.

Some stud ents come for just a w eek - long d eb a t e c a mp in the summer; some join for the school term, some a re g ra nted b ursa ries, a nd some p a rticip a te with VIP p a c k a g es.

043

"I a lwa ys sa y: Find your voic e? it ma t t ers! O ur g oa l a t FDT is to help young p eop le a rg ue effectively for their b eliefs, d iscover their p a ssion for d eb a te, a nd d evelop the a b ility to see issues from multip le a ng les. By joining the a ca d emy, they b ecome p a rt of a community of p ub lic sp ea k ers motiva ted to work ha rd , hone their skills, a nd succeed a t d eb a te comp etitions world wid e.

"Currently, we ha ve 350 a c t ive st ud ent s a nd 3,0 0 0 a lumni g lob a lly, a nd hold the unp a ra lleled d istinction in BC of p rod ucing over 40 memb ers for the Ca na d ia n N a t iona l Deb a t e a nd Sp eec h Tea ms.

"O ur stud ents a chieve na tiona l recog nition a nd streng then their university a p p lica tions, often g a ining a ccep ta nce to p restig ious institutions such a s Ha r va rd , Ox ford , St a nford , a nd Ca mb rid g e.

"FDT Aca d emy is p oised for ex p onent ia l g row t h, rea d y to d oub le our stud ent b a se a nd revolutionize the world of d eb a te ed uca tion.

"With a g oa l of rea ching 1,0 0 0 st ud ent s b y t he end of 20 25, we a im to ex p a nd g lob a lly, insp iring the next g enera tion of communica tors a nd ma king d eb a te a recog nized a nd celeb ra ted sp ort world wid e. I invite you to join us a s we ta ke d eb a te ed uca tion to unp rec ed ent ed heig ht s!"

F R A N K IE CEN A FDT ACADEM Y

045

PRI : EV ENT PRODUCER & DJ Pri is a hig hly skilled event p rod uc er, fa shion show p rod uc er, a nd filmma k er, known for her exp ertise in crea ting sea mless, memora b le exp eriences for her clients.

With a keen eye for d eta il a nd a d eep und ersta nd ing of event flow, Pri excels in ma na g ing a ll a sp ects of event p rod uction, from a ud io a nd lig hting to vid eo tech a nd log istics. Her a b ility to b ring a client?s vision to life ha s ma d e her a trusted colla b ora tor for loca l, na tiona l, a nd g lob a l b ra nd s, a s well a s top ta lent in the Va nc ouver, Los Ang eles, N ew York , a nd N ew Jersey wed d ing a nd event ind ustries.

In a d d ition to her technica l exp ertise, Pri is a ta lented DJ who a d d s a uniq ue touch to events, cura ting the p erfect a tmosp here throug h music a nd sea mlessly b lend ing it into the overa ll exp erience.

Her work sp a ns a wid e ra ng e of events, includ ing w ed d ing s, fa shion show s, a nd c orp ora t e func t ions, where her excep tiona l coord ina tion skills a nd extensive network of resources ma ke her the g o- to solution for a ll p rod uction need s.

Pa ssiona te a b out connecting with p eop le, Pri b ring s a uniq ue a p p roa ch to ea ch p roject, b lend ing crea tivity with p recision to d eliver excep tiona l results.

Her love of t ra vel, c ont inuous lea rning , a nd hig h- sp eed sp or t s, includ ing mot orc yc ling a nd snow b oa rd ing , p rovid e her with the d rive a nd focus need ed to excel in the fa st- p a ced world of event p rod uction.

047

I N HER WORDS "Entrep reneurship wa s not a sud d en revela tion for me, b ut a g ra d ua l a w a k ening . I b eca me restless, stuck in roles tha t d id not a lig n with my va lues a nd g oa ls. I felt confined within systems tha t st ifled my g row t h, a nd over time, it b eca me intolera b le. I rea lized tha t to move forwa rd , I need ed to p roa ctively a lig n my life with my va lues. Letting g o of outd a ted rela tionship s a nd structures a llowed me to emb ra c e lea d ership over my life a nd work, ca rving my p a th a nd ma king a mea ning ful imp a ct.

"I b eg a n working a t 15, first a s a b usser a nd la ter a s a host in a resta ura nt, where I lea rned d ip loma cy, a d a p ta b ility, a nd how to rea d a room. I moved into ret a il sa les, where I continued to d evelop my communica tion skills a nd connect with p eop le from a ll wa lks of life. Thoug h shy, ea ch exp erience p ushed me out sid e my c omfor t zone, la ying the found a tion for resilience a nd p ersona l g rowth.

"When I worked in resta ura nts, I b eca me fa scina ted with sa les a nd the g oa l of ma x imizing t ip s. I a imed to sell $2,0 0 0 in a shift a nd ea rn a t lea st $20 0 in tip s a fter tip - out. To g a in a n ed g e, I a rrived a n hour ea rly, not for hourly p a y, b ut to cla im my section first. In one of the b usiest resta ura nts in town, a rriving la te mea nt losing ta b les to other servers, resulting in wa sted time running food instea d of serving g uests. I could sta rt working immed ia tely b y showing up ea rly, ma king a n extra $40 or $50 in tip s ea ch hour, tea ching me to ma x imize my t ime a nd st ra t eg ize for suc c ess.

"In reta il, I b eca me focused on a ccessory ma rg ins. For insta nce, if a p hone ca se cost the store $10 a nd sold for $30 , I ea rned a 25% commission on the $20 p rofit. I turned work into a g a me, c onst a nt ly c ha lleng ing myself to imp rove. My d a ys were long ? op ening the store a t 8 a m a nd working la te into the nig ht? b ut the ha rd w ork t a ug ht me va lua b le lessons a b out time ma na g ement, b usiness, a nd p ersona l g rowth.

SWITCHIN G GEARS "Becoming a DJ felt like step p ing into a whole new id entity, unlocking a p a rt of myself I ha d not met b efore. I ma d e vision b oa rd s of wha t success a s a DJ could look like, a nd for the first time, I wa s not just re- living the sa me d a y over a nd over a g a in - I wa s a ctively t a k ing st ep s t o c ha ng e the course of my life.

"Tha t shift g a ve me the coura g e to lea ve the sma ll t ow n I g rew up in a nd fina lly move into the city. The p a th wa s not stra ig ht, b ut every t w ist , d et our, a nd set b a c k ta ug ht me something I d id not know I need ed . Looking b a ck, I see how those events - b oth b ig a nd sma ll ra ng ing from b oring to tumultuous - were q uietly p rep a ring me to d esig n a life tha t felt insp iring a nd true to my sense of a d vent ure, fun, a nd p la yfulness.

"During the p a nd emic , I p ivoted b y sta rting a Sp ot ify p od ca st a nd interviewing memb ers of ma stermind g roup s a nd DJs I met on Tw it c h. It felt mea ning ful to sha re conversa tions a b out id ea s a nd p a ssions tha t ma ttered to them. I a lso la unched a Tik Tok a ccount with t houg ht - p rovok ing q uest ions a imed a t help ing p eop le reflect on who they a re a nd why they d o wha t they d o.

The a ccount g a ined tra ction over time, b ut d eep d own, I knew b oth were temp ora ry."

"When live events returned , I d id not hesita te. I shut it a ll d own a nd d ove b a ck into w ha t t ruly fuels me: the electric, irrep la cea b le energ y of in- p erson connection instea d of online connection.

Every venture - whether p od c a st ing , DJing , or p rod uc ing event s - ta ug ht me to see every step a s a b rid g e to the next, not a n end p oint.

A HARD STOP "I soon rea lized tha t a fter d eca d es of b eing on the move, I wa s b urned out , overc ommit t ed , a nd d esp era t e t o p lea se everyone. Thoug h I ha d sta b ility, the p a nd emic cha ng ed everything . My job d isa p p ea red , a nd with it, the p urp ose tha t ha d kep t me g oing .

Sud d enly, I wa s left with time a nd unc er t a int y, forcing me to confront wha t I ha d b ecome.

049

"The p a use ma d e me fa ce the truth: my lifestyle wa s unsusta ina b le. My b od y wa s a trop hying from limited movement, my rela tionship s fra yed , a nd my ca reer crumb led . But in tha t stillness, something shifted . I b eg a n a sking d ifficult q uestions: Wha t a m I d oing ? Why t his w a y? The a nswers were not ea sy b ut necessa ry. I set b ound a ries, red efined how I worked , a nd a lig ned my life with my va lues, not others?exp ecta tions.

"Tha t p eriod wa s t ra nsforma t ive. Ea ch yea r, I g rew sha rp er a nd more una p olog etica lly myself. G rowth ca me in wa ves, p ushing me to reb uild strong er.

The evolution b eg a n when I stop p ed seeking va lid a tion a nd trusted myself. I emb ra ced the d a ring ?w hy not ?? a nd everything fell into p la ce. I stop p ed p unishing myself for setb a cks a nd b eg a n loving the p rocess of p ursuing something b ig g er tha n myself.

AN IN VESTM EN T IN SELF "To p ush my b usiness forwa rd , I invest ed st ra t eg ic a lly in resources, p rog ra ms, a nd services tha t help ed me d eep en my cra ft a nd a chieve my g oa ls more q uickly.

I soug ht out ment ors, c oa c hes, a nd ma st ermind g roup s, a t t end ed c onferenc es, a nd lea rned from exp erts who help ed me a void common p itfa lls, sa ve time, a nd a ccelera te my p rog ress.

"Build ing a b usiness is more tha n just honing your skills; it is a b out connecting with the rig ht p eop le a nd und ersta nd ing the va lue you ca n b ring to others. Tha t is why I ex p a nd ed my ser vic es to includ e AV solut ions a nd other event a d d - ons a long sid e my DJ work. In d oing so, I a d d ressed a sig nifica nt g a p in the ind ustry: the misconcep tion tha t DJs a nd AV tea ms a re intercha ng ea b le. I ha ve seen firstha nd how p la nners sometimes trea t us this wa y, focusing only on the b ud g et, which ma kes our excha ng e p urely tra nsa ctiona l. But the rea lity is tha t AV p rofessiona ls a nd DJs b ring much more tha n simp ly following ord ers. We a re here to set t he t one a nd sha p e t he ex p erienc e - a n a rea where my exp ertise lies.

"While ma ny p la nners excel a t a est het ic s a nd b ud g et ing , they sometimes miss the b ig g er p icture a nd lea ve us out of crucia l conversa tions.

Tha t is when I d ecid ed to step in a nd b rid g e tha t g a p , ensuring tha t every p iece of the p uzzle fits tog ether sea mlessly.

"Ta king a holistic a p p roa ch to event p rod uction, I ha ve worked to integ ra te my DJ skills with AV technolog y, ensuring every event flows effortlessly."

"When everyone involved b ring s their b est energ y a nd exp ertise, the result is a n event tha t truly sta nd s out.

"Build ing a p rofit a b le b usiness I a m p roud of ha s req uired p ersona l g rowth letting g o of old ha b its, emb ra cing who I a m tod a y, a nd sta ying true to my vision.

"O ne of my most sig nifica nt b rea kthroug hs ha s b een resisting the temp ta tion to overthink or w a it for t he " p er fec t " moment . This mind set shift ha s a llowed me to sta y focused , rema in a g ile, a nd ta ke d ecisive a ction, which ha s b een key in sha p ing the d irection of my b usiness.

ALON G THE WAY "I a m incred ib ly g ra teful to my long - time clients, Whit ela w Tw ining a nd Wend y & Serg io Lisog a r- Coc c hia , for their unwa vering trust a nd sup p ort. Their b elief in me b ring ing their events to life ha s mea nt the world , a nd I cherish the kind ness, g enerosity, a nd hosp ita lity they ha ve shown. It is a n honour to work with such excep tiona l p eop le.

"A sp ecia l tha nks to Gla m Z Ga la for a llowing me to ma na g e AV tech, DJ, a nd colla b ora te on visua ls for ta lented enterta iners like the Ric hmond Da nc e Ac a d emy a nd XOM G Pop !

"I a lso wa nt to exp ress my g ra titud e to Aleem Ka ssa m a nd Vic t or Ka za k ov for trusting me with their wed d ing g uest exp erience. Working tog ether, we crea ted something truly sp ecia l. These exp eriences a nd rela tionship s ha ve b een p ivota l in my journey, a nd I a m b eyond g ra teful for them.

A N EW IDEN TITY

051

"I a m a n ' Ex p erienc e Arc hit ec t ,?not just a DJ or event p rod ucer; I cra ft moments tha t move p eop le - p hysica lly, emotiona lly, a nd socia lly.

"From w ed d ing s t o c orp ora t e event s, it is not just a b out music b ut a b out connection. The world feels fra g mented rig ht now, a nd my work b ring s p eop le tog ether in wa ys tha t ma tter.

"My work is luxury - ta ilored , thoug htful, a nd cra fted entirely for you. Whether your event b ud g et is $1,0 0 0 or $10 0 ,0 0 0 , the choice to g a ther is a n ind ulg ence - throwing a n event is ind ulg ent. I wa nt to ensure tha t every d olla r, minute, a nd moment counts.

"Therefore, my a p p roa c h is ex c lusive; I only ta ke some op p ortunities tha t come my wa y, a nd only some ha ve a ccess to wha t I offer. It is a p a ra d ox, b ut it eleva tes the exp erience for everyone involved .

"It is not a b out b eing exclusive for the sa ke of it - it is a b out b eing intentiona l with whom I work so tha t we ca n c o- c rea t e something extra ord ina ry tog ether.

"I ha ve a uniq ue a b ility to rea d the energ y in a ny room, und ersta nd d ifferent p ersona lities, a nd g uid e them in crea ting a p osit ive a t mosp here. It is cha lleng ing , b ut it is a t the hea rt of my work? help ing p eop le lea ve feeling up lifted .

"I work with clients rea d y to emb ra ce uncerta inty a nd invest in hig h- q ua lity events a s a stra teg ic step towa rd enha ncing their b ra nd a nd crea ting memora b le exp eriences.

"I wholehea rted ly b elieve live events ha ve t he p ow er t o t ra nsform lives. Your network is your net worth, a nd the p rop er connection a t the rig ht moment ca n comp letely shift the course of your life. You never know, the p erson you meet tod a y could b e the one who p rop els you to your next b ig op p ortunity."

053

GROWTH M IN DSET "Visib ility a nd a lig ned p a rtnership s a re key to p rop elling my b usiness forwa rd . I a m focused on colla b ora ting with visiona ries who rejec t t he st a t us q uo a nd p riorit ize innova t ion over "this is how thing s ha ve a lwa ys b een d one." My work is not just a b out crea ting events b ut cura ting tra nsforma tive exp eriences tha t shift p ersp ectives a nd d eliver la sting va lue.

"I wa nt my b usiness to insp ire p eop le to b rea k free from the fea r of sp end ing a nd show them the va lue of crea ting exp eriences tha t resona te. I wa nt to cha lleng e the b elief tha t b etter events a re out of rea ch or not worth the investment. When you invest in c rea t ing moment s tha t ma ke p eop le feel something ? joy, excitement, or connection? you a re not just hosting a n event. You a re crea ting a memory tha t la sts fa r b eyond the nig ht itself.

"I thrive with clients who und ersta nd tha t investing in q ua lity is not a luxury b ut a stra teg y. My id ea l p a rtnership s a re with hea r t - c ent red ind ivid ua ls a nd org a niza t ions tha t d rea m b ig a nd a ct b ig g er, knowing tha t imp a ct d ema nd s b old moves, fa ir p ra ctices, a nd a long - term mind set. Tog ether, we d o not wa it for p ermission. We d o not p la y sma ll.

"As entrep reneurs, this is a critica l lesson.

To g row a nd succeed , you must d evelop a hea lthy rela tionship with money. It is not just a b out how much you sp end b ut where you invest a nd why. M oney is a t ool, a nd how you use it reflects your mind set. Ask yourself, a re you d riven b y fea r of sca rcity or insp ired b y the p otentia l for g rowth?

"My focus is on tra nsforming how we think a b out events a nd exp eriences. Too often, p eop le view c eleb ra t ions a s ind ulg enc es or lux uries? something nice to ha ve b ut ea sy to cut corners on. This mind set lea d s to sa fe, p red icta b le, a nd forg etta b le g a thering s, lea ving p eop le feeling d isconnected , even in a room full of others.

"Moving into 20 25, I a m eq uip p ed with a clea r und ersta nd ing of my b usiness a nd p urp ose, a nd I a im to a t t ra c t c lient s a nd sup p liers who sha re this vision a nd und ersta nd tha t when the rig ht p eop le come tog ether, ex t ra ord ina r y t hing s a re not just p ossib le? they a re inevita b le."

"My b usiness serves a s a b rid g e for those rea d y to c ha lleng e t ha t na rra t ive. I know tha t sp end ing money on events feels risky to some, a nd there is a common b elief tha t one should b e a b le to throw a g rea t p a rty without sp end ing a fortune or p utting in too much effort.

However, the truth is, you ca nnot ha ve a nex t - level ex p erienc e without committing something ? whether it b e time, energ y, or yes, money.

PRI EVEN T

PROD UCER

& DJ

K A SI A : PRODUCER, HEA LER, CREA TOR "I ha ve a lwa ys b elieved I wa s mea nt to b e a n entrep reneur. G rowing up in a sma ll Sa sk a t c hew a n town, my sib ling s a nd I often d rea med up ?b usinesses.?

From selling lemona d e to running our own version of Sa nt a ?s Work shop , these ventures sp a rked the ent rep reneuria l sp irit tha t ha s sha p ed my life. Even a s a child , I loved solving p rob lems, b ring ing id ea s to life, a nd ma king connections.

055

"O ne of my ea rliest ventures wa s selling t oys d oor- t o- d oor with my sib ling s. At six, I vivid ly rememb er trying to sell a n Et c h- a - Sk et c h worth $30 . When a n eld erly ma n offered me 25 cents, I d id not know wha t a q ua rter wa s, so I a ccep ted it? only to b e d isa p p ointed when I rea lized its va lue. Tha t exp erience ta ug ht me a lesson I ha ve ca rried ever since: a lw a ys k now your w or t h a nd never und ersell yourself .

"When I wa s old enoug h to work, I emb ra ced every op p ortunity? from b a b ysit t ing a nd d elivering new sp a p ers a nd sta rting sma ll b usinesses. Peop le often commented on my w ork et hic , b ut for me, it wa s never just a b out ea rning money. I loved t he c rea t ive p roc ess a nd the sense of a c c omp lishment it b roug ht.

"Ed uc a t ion ha s a lso b een centra l to my id entity. I ha ve a lwa ys d isliked b eing jud g ed b y a p p ea ra nce? I wa nted to b e known for my int ellig enc e, w it , a nd d ep t h. I wa nted to b e someone who could hold her own in a ny conversa tion a nd b e one of the most interesting p eop le in the room. This d rive p ushed me to emb ra ce lea rning a s a p a ssion a nd work to d evelop myself into a curious, well- round ed ind ivid ua l. Tha t commitment to g rowth continues to sha p e my life tod a y."

057

"Althoug h I ha d ma ny friend s a nd wa s p a rt of t he " p op ula r" c row d , my ha p p iest moments were often sp ent a lone, crea ting . As a child , I would lose myself for hours b uild ing id ea s, w rit ing st ories, a nd d rea ming of a life fa r b eyond the b ord ers of my sma ll town. I ima g ined living in N ew York Cit y, mod elling , writing , a nd b uild ing a life entirely on my own terms. Wa tching Sex a nd t he Cit y a s a kid , Ca rrie Bra d sha w ?s ind ep end ence a nd crea tivity insp ired me? it sp a rked something in me.

"At 14, I won a mod el sea rc h, b ut my mom ma d e it clea r I ha d to finish hig h school b efore tra velling . I focused on ma inta ining a hig h GPA while b a la ncing loca l mod elling op p ortunities, a ll while p rep a ring for the future I ha d envisioned .

"By the time I g ra d ua ted , I wa s rea d y to g o. I moved to New York, b eg a n mod elling p rofessiona lly, a nd sta rted b uild ing the life I ha d d rea med a b out.

Mod elling b eca me a d efining cha p ter of my teena g e yea rs, ta king me to N ew York , M ia mi, a nd Toront o.

"Those yea rs ta ug ht me inva lua b le lessons in b ra nd ing , p resent a t ion, a nd hust le? skills tha t ha ve sha p ed every venture I?ve p ursued since. It wa s a cra sh course in resilience a nd crea tivity, la ying the found a tion for everything tha t followed .

LAUN CHIN G KASI BAM BOO "In 20 18, I wa s a full- t ime p olit ic a l sc ienc e st ud ent a t UBC , a sing le mot her to my one- yea r- old son, a nd ha d just b een a ccep ted to Ya le Universit y for a b usiness d eg ree in colla b ora tion with UBC. Ba la ncing motherhood , school, a nd the ea rly sta g es of entrep reneurship wa s no sma ll ta sk, b ut it felt a lig ned with my vision of c rea t ing a mea ning ful life for my son a nd me.

"While writing resea rch p a p ers, I b eca me p a ssiona te a b out a d d ressing the environmenta l imp a ct of fa st fa shion? a n ind ustry resp onsib le for 10 % of g lob a l ca rb on emissions a nd 20 % of wa stewa ter. I wa nted to c rea t e sust a ina b le, t imeless, a nd lux urious c lot hing , without the environmenta l toll of ma teria ls like silk .

"Between stud ies a nd ca ring for my son, I took p riva t e sew ing a nd d esig n c la sses, d etermined to b ring this vision to life.

During a yog a cla ss, the na me " Ka si Ba mb oo" ca me to me, a nd b y Dec emb er 20 19 , I ha d officia lly incorp ora ted my b ra nd . Just a s p rod uction wa s set to b eg in, the p a nd emic struck, ha lting op era tions.

"A sup p lier sug g ested crea ting b a mb oo fa c e ma sk s. Initia lly hesita nt, I d esig ned b rea tha b le b a mb oo ma sks with ma tching b a g s to red uce wa ste.

"Desp ite ea rly cha lleng es with customs, the ma sks la unched a nd sold out within a week. Sa les rea ched $122,0 0 0 , with the ma sks a p p ea ring on Ha rb our Air Pilot s, The Lea g ue t o Sa ve La k e Ta hoe, a nd even the Lond on Sub w a y.

"The p a c e w a s relent less? jug g ling 3 a .m. p a cking sessions, full- time stud ies, a nd p a renting ? b ut it b roug ht cla rity. I rea lized I ha d to choose b etween la w school a nd Ka si Ba mb oo. The b ra nd won.

"Since then, Ka si Ba mb oo ha s b een fea tured in Va nc ouver M a g a zine, BC Business, a nd more, hig hlig hting my journey to crea te susta ina b le clothing .

"Wha t b eg a n with fa ce ma sks exp a nd ed into jog g ers, t- shirts, kid s' clothing , b a mb oo b ed sheets, a nd more."

059

LAUN CHIN G M YSTIC M EDITATION S "Sp irit ua lit y ha s a lwa ys b een imp orta nt to me. G rowing up in the church, I sa ng in a nd led Sund a y sc hool, which instilled a sense of connection a nd p urp ose. Yet, I never ima g ined it would b ecome the focus of my work.

"In 20 18, I b eg a n stud ying sha ma nism throug h the Found a t ion for Sha ma nic St ud ies, initia lly to sup p ort a loved one.

Wha t sta rted a s a p ersona l exp lora tion d eep ened my und ersta nd ing of ma nifest a t ion, energ y w ork , a nd sound hea ling , forming the found a tion for the p ra ctices I sha re tod a y.

"I then d ed ica ted myself to sound hea ling a nd sp iritua l work, d riven b y a d esire to help others. Seeing a need for a ccessib le wellness, I la unched M yst ic M ed it a t ions to offer hea ling sessions tha t truly connect.

"Mystic Med ita tions ha s g rown b eyond wha t I ima g ined , merg ing with Ka si Ba mb oo to crea te a p la tform offering med ita tion a p p a rel, sound b a ths, retrea ts, a nd c er t ific a t ion p rog ra ms? a ll d esig ned to emp ower a nd insp ire.

"Accessib ility b eca me centra l to my work a fter my sister, a nurse, hig hlig hted how ina ccessib le ma ny hea ling services a re. This insp ired b y- d ona tion sound hea ling sessions, which ha ve sold out, confirming the need for inc lusive w ellness p ra c t ic es.

LAUN CHIN G ZHI RECORDS "While g rowing my b usiness, I cha nnelled my p a ssion for music into la unching ZHI Rec ord s? a la b el d ed ica ted to etherea l house a nd hea ling sound s.

Dra wing insp ira tion from my work in sound hea ling , I b eg a n infusing my music with hea ling freq uenc ies d esig ned to connect a nd eleva te.

"Performing a t fest iva ls b eca me a na tura l extension of this crea tive journey, a nd receiving the FACTOR Ca na d a Ar t ist Develop ment g ra nt wa s a mea ning ful milestone, a llowing me to exp a nd my vision a nd a rtistry.

"My journey ha s ta ug ht me resilienc e, foc us, a nd t he p ow er of t rust ing my int uit ion. Ea ch d ecision I ma d e d uring tha t time b eca me a step p ing stone, sha p ing the b usinesses a nd crea tive p rojects I?ve b uilt tod a y.

"I ha ve a lwa ys ca rried a d eep sense of k now ing ? a q uiet certa inty tha t everything will unfold exa ctly a s it is mea nt to. I d o not just hop e or b elieve thing s will work out; I trust in the p rocess, g uid ed b y p rinc ip les tha t keep me a lig ned with my vision.

"My p urp ose ha s a lwa ys b een rooted in help ing others. As a n entrep reneur b uild ing a c onsc ious a nd holist ic b usiness, my focus is not just on success b ut on crea ting mea ning ful solutions tha t g enuinely serve p eop le. I c ha mp ion t he und erd og , seek to fill g a p s with wha t?s truly need ed , a nd a p p roa ch my work a s a form of sp irit ua l a c t ivism.

"O ne g uid ing p rincip le I live b y is ?living from t he end ' ? a cting a s thoug h wha t I envision a lrea d y exists. This mind set keep s me g round ed , int ent iona l, a nd foc used on the b ig g er p icture, a llowing everything to flow na tura lly without force."

"Med ita tion ha s a lwa ys b een a t the hea rt of my life a nd work. It g round s me, connects me to Sourc e energ y, a nd remind s me tha t I ha ve the p ower to relea se resista nce a nd choose thoug hts tha t truly serve me.

"Ra d ic a l humilit y is a nother p rincip le I hold close. I remind myself tha t I a m not d efined b y my b od y, mind , or a chievements."

"G ra titud e a nd g enerosity g uid e my p a th, a llowing cha lleng es to unfold a nd resolve w it h g ra c e.

"The most p ivota l moments in my journey ha ve come throug h find ing c la rit y a nd c onnec t ing to something fa r g rea ter tha n myself. These exp eriences ha ve ta ug ht me tha t when I a lig n with p urp ose, everything I work towa rd not only succeed s b ut often exceed s my hig hest exp ecta tions.

"In my b usiness, I?ve emb ra ced b old a nd intentiona l step s to b ring my p a ssions to life. With Ka si Ba mb oo, I introd uced susta ina b le essentia ls like b a mb oo fa ce ma sks d uring the p a nd emic. I a lso tra d ema rked my a rtist na me, KASIA, a nd la unched ZHI Rec ord s, b lend ing music with hea ling freq uencies. Music, sp iritua lity, a nd sound hea ling rema in centra l to everything I d o, wea ving p urp ose a nd crea tivity into every p roject.

LAUN CHIN G BLOOM "O n Dec emb er 9 t h, I la unched Bloom? a virtua l p la tform tha t b ring s the hea rt of Mystic Med ita tions online.

Bloom offers sound hea ling , med it a t ion, c er t ific a t ion c ourses, a nd p ersona l g row t h w ork shop s, a ll a ccessib le from a nywhere in the world . It is the next step in crea ting mea ning ful, susta ina b le wellness exp eriences.

061

"The next two q ua rters a re a b out g rowth a nd refinement a cross everything I ha ve b uilt. For Bloom, I will b e exp a nd ing the p la tform with new workshop s a nd courses to d eep en it s c ont ent a nd rea c h, ma king hea ling even more a ccessib le g lob a lly.

"M yst ic M ed it a t ions will continue to g row throug h thoug htfully cura ted retrea ts, in- p erson sessions, a nd colla b ora tions tha t enha nce the in- p erson exp erience.

"O n the reta il sid e, Ka si Ba mb oo will evolve with p la ns to introd uce new wellness p rod ucts a nd eleva te the b ra nd ?s p resence a s a g o- to for med ita tion clothing a nd sound hea ling essentia ls.

"In p a ra llel, my music work rema ins a d istinct yet integ ra l p a rt of my crea tive journey. As KASIA, I a m focusing on new music p rod uction a nd live p erforma nces, while ZHI Rec ord s continues to g row a s a hub for etherea l house a nd hea ling sound s. I a m excited to b e p rep a ring for the Juried Sound Rec ord ing : Sing le/ EP g ra nt with FACTOR Ca na d a in 20 25.

This will further sup p ort my music p rojects? a nd I ha ve the b est p ub licist. I a m so excited to g o throug h the whole g ra nt p rocess a g a in.

"Everything I a m b uild ing reflects a clea r vision? one tha t is rooted in crea ting mea ning ful, a ccessib le exp eriences a nd st a ying t rue t o my p a ssions.

"Everything I d o is d riven b y a d esire to lea ve t he w orld b et t er tha n I found it.

For d eca d es, I ha ve d evoted myself to the stud y of sp iritua lity, a ca d emics, a nd music, b uild ing on a lifetime of lea rning a nd exp erience. It ha s b een a n honour to now sha re t his k now led g e throug h p la tforms a nd sp a ces tha t g enuinely sup p ort a nd up lift others."

"The wellness ind ustry is not p erfect.

There a re p eop le in it for a q uic k p rofit a nd others who ta ke a d va nta g e of those who a re vulnera b le. Nothing ma kes me more up set. I ha ve a lwa ys felt like I a m on a mission to d o thing s d ifferently, to offer something rea l a nd mea ning ful.

The fa ct tha t d oors keep op ening in this d irection ma kes me think I a m exa ctly where I need to b e.

"Music, for me, is d eep ly p ersona l. It is how I t a lk t o God . It is my c onnec t ion t o t he d ivine a nd the consta nt threa d in my life. Throug h ZHI Record s a nd my work a s KASIA, I g et to sha re tha t connection with others. It is not just a b out sound ? it is a b out emot ion, energ y, a nd mea ning .

"As I look a hea d , I see everything I ha ve b uilt? Bloom, Ka si Ba mb oo, M yst ic M ed it a t ions, KASIA, a nd ZHI Rec ord s? coming tog ether a s a reflection of my vision.

"At the hea rt of it a ll, my g oa l is to crea te something rea l. I wa nt to help p eop le connect with themselves, find p urp ose, a nd feel sup p orted on their p a th. This is more tha n a b usiness to me? it is a mission, a nd I a m so g ra teful to sha re it with the world . Everyone just need s to know tha t they a re worth nothing less tha n everything ."

063

K A S IA FOUN D ER & EN TREPREN EUR

SA RA H M A WJI : V ENTURE STRA TEGI ES PR Va nc ouver- b a sed b outiq ue p ub lic rela tions firm, Vent ure St ra t eg ies PR, is b uilt for the b ra nd s of the future.

Helmed b y Sa ra h M a w ji, the firm is d ed ica ted to a mp lifying the voices tha t d rive c ha ng e, innova t ion, a nd imp a c t in tod a y's fa st- p a ced world .

With a strong b elief tha t every story, reg a rd less of size, d eserves to b e hea rd , Venture Stra teg ies emp owers b ra nd s to sha re their messa g e with cla rity a nd conviction.

The firm sp ecia lizes in a ra ng e of ind ustries, includ ing t ec hnolog y, w ea lt h ma na g ement a nd fina nc e, c ommod it ies, lifest yle a nd hea lt h, ret a il, a nd more. Venture Stra teg ies offers ta ilored PR solutions for b usinesses of a ll typ es, from emerg ing st a r t - up s to esta b lished enterp rises a cross the p ub lic a nd p riva te sectors.

065

Althoug h b a sed in Va ncouver, the firm?s scop e of op era tions extend s b eyond the West Coa st , working with clients a cross North America a nd interna tiona lly.

Venture Stra teg ies ma na g es the comp lexities of p ub lic a nd med ia rela t ions, includ ing PR la unches, ea rned med ia , thoug ht lea d ership , a nd sta kehold er eng a g ement. This a llows clients to focus on g rowing their b usiness while the firm ha nd les t he int ric a t e d et a ils.

The firm?s comp rehensive services includ e ea rned med ia , med ia tra ining , p ress relea ses, socia l med ia stra teg y, rep uta tion ma na g ement, a wa rd sub missions, event a nd onsite p ress ma na g ement, a nd custom communica tions consulting . From p ress conferences to imp a ctful content crea tion, Venture Stra teg ies ensures tha t ea ch client?s messa g e resona tes with the rig ht a ud ience.

At Venture Stra teg ies, the g oa l is not just to tell a story, b ut to c rea t e mea ning ful c onnec t ions tha t eleva te b ra nd s a nd help them t hrive. If a client ha s something to sa y, the firm help s them sa y it in a wa y tha t t ruly ma k es a n imp a c t .

067

I N HER WORDS "I a m a " d o- er" b y na ture. I p refer to a void sitting a round a nd wa iting for others to ma k e t hing s ha p p en. If I ca n d o it, I a m g oing to d o it. There is nothing more sa tisfying tha n turning id ea s into rea lit y t hroug h a c t ion. If I d o not know how to d o something , cha nces a re I will lea rn. If I a m g ood a t something , there is nothing more I love tha n to ut ilize my sk ill set to ma ke a n imp a ct on others.

"I ha ve a lwa ys b elieved tha t " ea rning your p la c e is t he hig hest rew a rd ." It is a sa ying I ca me a cross long a g o tha t stuck with me a nd is something I live b y.

"As a child , I fig ure ska ted , p la yed p ia no a nd violin, a nd even a ttemp ted to tea ch myself g uita r. I p la yed soccer a nd field hockey; I swa m. I rea d . I wa s in a cro, hip - hop , a nd ja zz. I d evelop ed a n a p p et it e for life a t a young a g e, which I still hold tod a y. I a m excited a b out the end less p ossib ilities a hea d a nd in front of me now.

"I wa s a lwa ys involved in fund ra ising !

I fund ra ised for the World Pa r t nership Wa lk multip le yea rs in a row. I a lso co- cha ired the Ca na d ia n Ca nc er Soc iet y' s Rela y for Life in honour of my g ra nd p a d uring my university d a ys a t Simon Fra ser Universit y.

"We ra ised $36 ,0 0 0 throug hout the 12- hour w a lk , which took ma ny months to p la n! I co- cha ired a t ea m of 17 a nd wa s one of the p rima ry lia isons with the Ca na d ia n Ca nc er Soc iet y' s Va nc ouver Tea m.

"I d id not rea lize I wa s a n entrep reneur until I officia lly incorp ora ted my b usiness in Ja nua r y 20 23? b ut I should ha ve. There were sig ns, a nd I ha d g ra p p led with t he id ea of ent rep reneurship for a few yea rs b efore incorp ora ting it.

"My b a ckg round is in Hea lt h Sc ienc es, so how I end ed up in Pub lic Rela t ions is still a mystery ? esp ecia lly to me! I think one of the thing s I a m most g ra teful for is tha t I ha ve a lwa ys follow ed my inst inc t s.

And they ha ve not led me a stra y!

"Looking b a ck a t my tra ck record , the first ma rketing comp a ny I ever worked a t took me from Int ern t o Ac c ount M a na g er within a record time of 6 mont hs. Now, they d id not just g ive me this p romotion. I ha d to a d voca te for myself. Trust me, there wa s a lot of p ushb a c k. But they end ed up g iving me the op p ortunity a nd I d id not d isa p p oint .

"My w ork out p ut a nd revit a liza t ion of t he op era t iona l p roc esses were solely resp onsib le for p ushing the b outiq ue comp a ny w ell over t he 7- fig ure line. Not only d id I a ssist in running the op era tions, b ut I a lso sup p orted them on the b usiness d evelop ment front.

"I wa s the firm' s young est ex ec ut ive, which echoed throug hout my ca reer."

"If we ha d a conversa tion a b out my w ork hist or y, you would b e surp rised a t how ma ny d ifferent ind ustries I ha ve worked in, includ ing a g ric ult ure, c a nna b is, ma rk et ing a g enc ies, PR a g enc ies, a nd invest ment a nd w ea lt h ma na g ement .

"In these va rious ind ustries, I p rima rily took on executive roles with the function of M a rk et ing , Event s or Pub lic Rela t ions, so tha t p a rt a ll sta yed rela tively the sa me, b ut to ca rry out your role for ea ch ind ustry well, you ha ve to lea rn A LO T. "I took the lea p a nd b eca me a n entrep reneur in 20 23 a fter I help ed p ut one of Ca na d a ' s t op ind ep end ent b rok era g es on the ma p in front of a mid d le- ma rket p riva te eq uity firm b a sed in the US, from which they received a 9 - fig ure eq uit y injec t ion. Tha t tra nsa ction va lued the b rokera g e a t $425 million. It ha s d one g rea t thing s since a nd sits a t a n even hig her va lua tion tod a y.

"Being resp onsib le for d evelop ing the communica tions stra teg y a nd g enera ting the ea rned med ia ex p osure tha t led the comp a ny to this success wa s eye- op ening .

069

"It wa s the first time I ha d seen my skill set a ctua lize into something of this sca le. I rea lized I could d o this for others - help ot hers rea c h t heir g oa ls - so I left a nd sta rted my firm.

Fortuna tely, the b rokera g e b eca me my ver y first c lient .

"Fa st forwa rd to tod a y, a nd it a ll ma kes sense. My PR firm, Vent ure St ra t eg ies, sup p orts clients a cross a n a rra y of ind ustries, b e it energ y, mining , t ec hnolog y, fina nc ia l ser vic es, lux ur y fa shion, hea lt h? we a lso work with comp a nies in b oth the p ub lic a nd p riva t e sec t ors, p rima rily a cross North America (b ut not limited to!).

"I a m so tha nkful for my ca reer journey b eca use it wa s a ctive.

Beca use of it, I know wha t I love a nd d o not love to d o.

"O ne of the b ig g est ta kea wa ys from ha ving a mult i- sec t or b a c k g round is tha t there is a g ood chunk of crossover no ma tter your ind ustry.

Also, if I ha d only ever worked in one ind ustry a nd d ecid ed to op en a PR firm, we would not ha ve b een ind ust r y- a g nost ic . And I a m so ha p p y tha t we a re.

"Lea d ing up to the b irth of Venture Stra teg ies, I t ra velled a lot for w ork .

For one p eriod of time, it wa s every two weeks. I lived out of a suit c a se for a g ood sp a n, a nd when the p a nd emic hit, a ll of a sud d en, I ha d this extra time.

"During this sa me p eriod , I wa s g etting a lot of w ord - of- mout h referra ls. I would , of course, ta ke them on a s sid e hust les b eca use I ha d the extra time to d o them. I ha ve a lwa ys b een p retty g ood a t jug g ling a lot, so it wa s never a n issue for me, b ut when my PR firm Venture Stra teg ies wa s b orn, these sid e hustles b eca me some of my key clients, some of whom a re still with me tod a y."

"As my work life b eg a n to b ecome esta b lished , a nd I hired a nd g rew a t ea m (we a re a tea m of seven tod a y!), my p ersona l life a lso cha ng ed . I g ot eng a g ed in July 20 23 a nd ma rried in N ovemb er 20 24.

"Between g rowing the tea m a nd client b a se a nd p la nning a wed d ing , 20 24 ha s b een one of my b usiest yea rs. But a lso, without a d oub t, the b est yea r of my life.

"Shortly a fter I incorp ora ted , I ma d e it p ub lic (to friend s, fa mily a nd my network). Some of the conta cts in my network immed ia tely ma d e referra ls.

I wa s surp rised a t how fa st they were ma d e.

"I a m a lwa ys ha p p y to ma ke referra ls for others, b ut when they a re ma d e for you, the feeling is d ifferent. I wa s q uickly a b le to a d d a few p riva t e c omp a nies to the Venture Stra teg ies p ortfolio, b ut thing s cha ng ed when we entered the p ub lic d oma in.

"Tod a y, we ha ve just shy of 15 c omp a nies in our p ortfolio, with a tea m of seven a nd g rowing . I a m tha nkful to a ll the p eop le who vouched for us. You ca n ha ve yea rs of exp ertise, b ut when your comp a ny is new, the end orsement a nd sup p or t ma k e t he d ifferenc e - no ma tter how sma ll or b ig ."

"My a p p roa ch is q ua lity over q ua ntity.

St a r t sma ll. Deliver q ua lit y. Simp le.

This a p p roa ch ha s b roug ht q ua lity results, which ha s led to the extension of over 9 0 % of our contra cts. PR is a long g a me. It is essentia l to know a nd communica te this to clients. We a re tra nsp a rent a b out our a p p roa ch up front ? wha t is rea listic a nd wha t is not, b ut more imp orta ntly, we often move clients a wa y from " w ha t t hey w a nt vs w ha t t hey need ." The sweet sp ot is to b e a b le to d o b oth, b ut more imp orta nt is g etting the results they need .

"For those unfa milia r with the d ifferenc e b et w een PR a nd ma rk et ing , PR is rooted in increa sing your visib ility via med ia rela t ions. It is hea vily fa c t - b a sed , req uires a sig nifica nt a mount of resea rch a nd stra teg y, a nd is fa st - moving .

"La st yea r, we cha ng ed the na me from Fina l Ed it M ed ia to Vent ure St ra t eg ies. While we ha ve d one one reb ra nd a lrea d y, we p la n to und erg o a sig nific a nt t ra nsforma t ion in 20 25 to ha ve our p ub lic a ssets rep resent the ca lib re of work we d o. It is funny how sometimes you ca n p rioritize your client's need s so much b ut forg et a b out your own need s. This is a non- neg otia b le for us in 20 25.

071

"With ea rned a nd ow ned med ia a t t he forefront , we a re b uilt to lea d b ra nd s a nd org a niza tions throug h tod a y's increa sing ly c omp lex a nd c omp et it ive la nd sc a p e.

"This is our mission st a t ement . It is one we live b y. O ur mod el is ea rned a nd owned med ia first, ma king us d ifferent from a g ood chunk of current PR firms.

Ea rned med ia ta kes a lot of work to g enera te. You ca nnot b uy it, ma king it the most va lua b le form of third - p a rty exp osure. While we offer p a id med ia , 9 9 % of our clients come to us for ea rned a nd owned med ia ? a nd we d eliver.

"We ha ve p la ced clients a cross the ma jority of sig nifica nt Tier 1 p ub lica tions a nd tra d e p ub lica tions, includ ing Business Insid er, Glob e a nd M a il, Wa ll St reet Journa l, Reut ers, Forb es, TIM E, Business in Va nc ouver, BC Business, Tec hc runc h, Vent ureBea t , AI Journa l, Wea lt h Professiona l, Invest ment Ex ec ut ive, Bloomb erg , a nd so ma ny more.

"The current la nd sca p e is evolving , ma king t ra d e p ub lic a t ions just a s vita l a s Tier O ne outlets. Effective utiliza tion of this covera g e ca n sig nifica ntly eleva te our efforts towa rd a chieving our g oa ls. We excel in this a rea , a nd I a m committed to d oub ling the size of our comp a ny b y the end of 20 25. If you know a ny excep tiona l p ub lic ist s seek ing a home in a fa st- g rowing firm, I would love a n introd uction!

SA RA H M AW J I V EN TURE S T R A T E G IE S

IN C

Z A HI R RA JA NI : THE SA RTORI A L SHOP The Sa r t oria l Shop , loca ted in d owntown Va ncouver, wa s found ed b y Za hir Ra ja ni a nd is a p remier d estina tion for c ust om a nd b esp ok e c lot hing . Serving men a nd women, the shop ha s b uilt a rep uta tion for its meticulous cra ftsma nship a nd unp a ra lleled a ttention to d eta il.

The Sa rtoria l Shop offers a w id e ra ng e of b esp ok e g a rment s, includ ing suits, tuxed os, forma lwea r, overcoa ts, shirts, skirts, wa istcoa ts, a nd vests, ea ch ta ilored to p erfection.

With over 30 b od y mea surement s a nd p ost ura l not es incorp ora ted into ea ch d esig n, The Sa rtoria l Shop ?s p rocess ensures a n excep tiona l fit for every client. The shop p rovid es b oth b esp oke a nd semi- b esp oke op tions for a ll its p rod ucts, emp ha sizing true luxury cra ftsma nship.

073

Unlike ma ss- p rod uction fa cilities, The Sa rtoria l Shop ?s g a rments a re cra fted with c a re a nd p rec ision, reflecting a commitment to a rtisa na l q ua lity.

Za hir's p a rents found ed Ta sleem?s, where The Sa rtoria l Shop 's story b eg a n. Sta rting a s a sma ll M a in St reet shop offering rea d y- to- wea r clothing a nd forma lwea r, it introd uced a custom line of shirts a nd suits in 20 0 7. By 20 10 , the b usiness shifted to a referra l- b a sed , b y- a p p ointment mod el, emp ha sizing custom cra ftsma nship. This ma rked Za hir's tra nsition into a lea d ership role.

In 20 23, Za hir reop ened the storefront a s Ra ja ni Besp ok e, exp a nd ing from custom suiting to fully b esp oke offering s for the Grea t er Va nc ouver Area , a nd a lso clients a cross North America . This tra nsforma tion includ ed sourcing fa b rics from the world 's finest mills, such a s Ermeneg ild o, Zeg na , Loro Pia na , a nd Fox Brot hers, ensuring a ccess to luxury ma teria ls cra fted in Eng la nd a nd It a ly.

In Aug ust 20 24, the b ra nd re- la unched a s The Sa r t oria l Shop , a lig ning with a vision of future g rowth a nd the introd uction of even more offering s from the sa rtoria l world . Tod a y, it continues to b ring the ep it ome of lux ur y, b esp oke cra ftsma nship to its d iscerning clientele, solid ifying its p osition a s a lea d er in Va nc ouver?s custom clothing ma rket.

075

M EET Z A HI R Za hir Ra ja ni, Found er a nd Crea t ive Direc t or of The Sa r t oria l Shop , b ring s over 15 yea rs of ex p erienc e in the sa rtoria l a nd custom clothing ind ustry.

Ta iloring runs d eep in his fa mily herita g e, with b oth of his g ra nd fa thers ha ving b een skilled ta ilors in their resp ective home countries. From a young a g e, Za hir wa s immersed in the world of ta iloring , lea rning the a r t a nd p rec ision of g a rment - ma k ing und er the g uid a nce of his ma terna l g ra nd fa ther, who sp ecia lized in men?s ta iloring .

G rowing up , Za hir d evelop ed a fa scina tion with the intrica cies of d esig n a nd cra ftsma nship. He sp ent countless hours exp loring the nua nces of la p el st yles, t rouser finishes, a nd p rop er g a rment c a re? skills tha t b eca me second na ture to him. This ea rly exp osure ig nited his p a ssion for sa r t oria l ex c ellenc e a nd la id the found a tion for his future ca reer.

Za hir?s journey into custom clothing b eg a n in 20 0 7, when he levera g ed resources from his p a rents?clothing store, esta b lished in 19 84, to crea te a c ust om mensw ea r line. Wha t sta rted a s a p roject to outfit himself a nd fa mily memb ers for a series of wed d ing s q uickly exp a nd ed to includ e customers from the shop. By 20 10 , when the fa mily store closed a fter 26 suc c essful yea rs, Za hir tra nsitioned the custom clothing line into a p riva te, referra l- b a sed offering , which he ma na g ed a long sid e his c a reer in g lob a l rea l est a t e.

In 20 23, Za hir d ecid ed to return to his roots in ta iloring , lea ving his role a s a hig h- level ex ec ut ive in g lob a l rea l esta te to focus fully on custom a nd b esp oke ta iloring . After extensive resea rch a nd d evelop ment, includ ing p a r t nership s with renowned fa b ric mills a nd sup p liers from Eng la nd a nd Ita ly, he reb ra nd ed a nd reop ened the fa mily b usiness, merg ing mod ern cra ftsma nship with timeless tra d itions.

Tod a y, Za hir continues to lea d The Sa rtoria l Shop with a vision rooted in a ut hent ic it y, p rec ision, a nd lux ur y. His d ed ica tion to d elivering world - cla ss b esp oke g a rments reflects his lifelong p a ssion for ta iloring a nd his commitment to p rovid ing clients with unp a ra lleled sa rtoria l exp eriences.

I N HI S WORDS "Ent rep reneurship ha s a lwa ys b een a p a rt of my life, even b efore I b eg a n my corp ora te ca reer, which eventua lly led to The Sa rtoria l Shop. Both of my p a rent s w ere ent rep reneurs, a s were their friend s a nd severa l of my a unts a nd uncles. From a n ea rly a g e, I felt a st rong d esire to b uild something of my own? a nd here we a re.

FROM AN EARLY AGE "My fa ther owned a movie t hea t re in the mid - 9 0 s, a nd a t just 13 yea rs old , he g a ve me the cha nce to neg otia te my first contra ct. It wa s for a ma jor Bollyw ood movie tha t wa s set to relea se la ter tha t yea r a nd ma rked our first d ea ling s with a p a rticula r movie stud io."

"During our conversa tions, I sha red a few id ea s on how to a p p roa c h t he neg ot ia t ions, a nd to my surp rise, my fa ther sug g ested I ta ke the lea d . Tha t moment wa s tra nsforma tive. Not only d id I think it wa s incred ib ly cool, b ut it a lso p rovid ed me with a n ea rly op p ortunity to eng a g e in a p roc ess tha t would hea vily influence my c orp ora t e c a reer a nd , ultima tely, The Sa rtoria l Shop.

"Tha t exp erience help ed me rea lize tha t I ha d a strong a ffinity for the b usiness sid e of thing s. I enjoyed p la nning , org a nizing , ex ec ut ing , neg ot ia t ing , a nd op era t ing . As I entered the world of corp ora te rea l esta te, those ea rly entrep reneuria l lessons p la yed a sig nifica nt role in my successes. O ver time, a s I c limb ed t he c orp ora t e la d d er, I b eca me increa sing ly a wa re tha t my uniq ue ed g e? a nd wha t ma d e me sta nd out? stemmed la rg ely from the forma tive exp eriences of my up b ring ing .

BUILDIN G A FAM ILY

077

"My life took a p rofound turn in Dec emb er 20 22 with the b irth of our d a ug hter. Becoming a p a rent g a ve me a n entirely new p ersp ec t ive a nd help ed me cha rt the p a th I a m on tod a y. Ha ving the freed om t o c hoose how I sp end my time, a nd b eing a b le to b e p resent for my fa mily, b eca me non- neg ot ia b le p riorit ies. After more tha n a d eca d e working for others, I rea lized tha t my time ha d never truly b een my own? va ca tion d a ys a nd time off a lwa ys req uired a p p rova l.

"The p a nd emic b roug ht cla rity to ma ny, myself includ ed . It illumina ted the true va lue of emp loyees to org a niza tions a nd the imp or t a nc e of c herishing t ime with loved ones b efore it is too la te.

"My wife, who is a lso my tra vel comp a nion of over 12 yea rs, ha s b een instrumenta l in this journey. Tog ether, we rea lized tha t there is so much more to life tha n g rind ing a wa y in a n office.

Lea ving b ehind t he c orp ora t e w orld to emb ra ce entrep reneurship wa s one of the b est d ecisions I ha ve ever ma d e.

THE CATALYST "At one p oint, I d ecid ed to exp lore a newly la unched c ust om suit ing p rog ra m a t a well- known C a na d ia n hig h street d ep a rtment store. It wa s a n op p ortunity to ob ser ve t he ma rk et , und ersta nd wha t wa s b eing offered , a nd p otentia lly lea rn something new. At tha t time, I ha d not yet reop ened the fa mily b usiness tha t would la ter b ecome The Sa rtoria l Shop. I ord ered two suits to eva lua t e t he p roc ess a nd g a in insig ht into how the ind ustry ha d evolved .

"Ab out t hree mont hs la t er, I wa s notified tha t the suits were rea d y. However, when I tried them on, I w a s unimp ressed . After three round s of a lt era t ions a nd a d just ment s, I eventua lly b roug ht them home. Then, one morning , a s I wa s tying my shoela ces while wea ring one of the suits, t he p a nt s sp lit d own the mid d le. It wa s a frustra ting a nd unexp ected outcome, p a rticula rly a fter a ll the d ela ys a nd a ltera tions.

"Tha t incid ent motiva ted me to write to the C EO of the comp a ny. I sha red my ex p erienc e a nd offered sug g estions for imp roving their custom suiting p rog ra m.

To my surp rise, I wa s invited the next d a y to meet with the ma na g ing d irec t or of the BC reg ion."

"During our conversa tion, we d iscussed the issues I ha d encountered a nd exp lored wa ys to refine t he p roc ess for future customers.

"In our meeting , the ma na g ing d irector a sked how I ha d d evelop ed such a d eep und erst a nd ing of the custom suiting p rocess a nd wha t d efines a p ositive customer exp erience.

"Tha t q uestion sp a rked a rea liza tion: I need ed to return to something I truly loved ? reviving t he fa mily b usiness.

Around the sa me time, I d iscovered tha t one of our comp etitors wa s cha rg ing nea rly d oub le for suits ma d e from fa b rics sourced from the sa me p remium mills. I wa s stunned . The p ric e d isp a rit y seemed unrea sona b le a nd ultima tely g a ve me the p ush I need ed . I wa nted to p rovid e ex c ep t iona l q ua lit y a nd ser vic e a t a p rice tha t wa s b oth fa ir a nd a ccessib le.

"This exp erience reinforced my p a ssion a nd motiva ted me to crea te a b usiness tha t not only d elivers g rea t va lue b ut a lso ensures every customer feels g enuinely ca red for. It wa s time to return to wha t I knew b est.

THE N EXT STAGES

079

"We d ed ica ted six months to resea rc h a nd d evelop ment , refining our p rocess a nd est a b lishing p a r t nership s with the world 's lea d ing p remium fa b ric mills. I knew tha t our p rod uct ha d to b e the a b solute b est, so rushing it to ma rket wa s never a n op tion. By the time we were confid ent tha t everything wa s rea d y, we la unched on M a y 31, 20 23.

"I a m a lso p roud to sha re tha t, ea rlier this yea r, The Sa rtoria l Shop introd uced a t a iloring st yle insp ired b y a rchitectura l eleg a nce of Florenc e, It a ly.

"In 20 24, we worked tirelessly to b ring this d istinctive a nd eleg a nt ta iloring style to C a na d a a s a n exclusive offering .

"Known for its d a rt- free front p a nel, extend ed should ers, a nd simp le a esthetic, the Florent ine Cut wa s p op ula rized b y M a est ro Ant onio Livera no.

"We ha d the honour of meeting Messer Livera no a t his sa rtoria in June 20 24, which p rovid ed us with further insp ira tion for this uniq ue p iece we will soon unveil.

"Sta ying true to It a lia n b esp ok e t ra d it ions, this p a rticula r cut, offered a s a suit ja cket or sp ort coa t, will b e ha nd ma d e with a b ea utifully ha nd - sewn ca nva s a nd cra fted using p remium fa b rics from Loro Pia na a nd Dra p ers b y Vit a le Ba rb eris Ca nonic o.

"Introd ucing this cut to C a na d a ma rks a sig nific a nt milest one for our fa shion ma rket, a nd we a re immensely p roud to lea d the wa y.

"None of this would ha ve b een p ossib le without the unw a vering sup p or t of those a round us. My fa mily ha s b een instrumenta l, p a rticula rly my wife, who co- owns the b usiness with me. Without their b elief in our vision, we would not b e where we a re tod a y.

"At The Sa rtoria l Shop , we offer the finest in custom a nd b esp oke suiting ? p eriod .

From the selection of fa b ric s t o t he finished p rod uc t , our a p p roa ch to crea ting the p erfect fit is unlike a ny other in Va ncouver.

"While others cha rg e $4,0 0 0 for a suit, we p rovid e the sa me q ua lity for $2,50 0 .

If we cha rg e $4,0 0 0 , it is b eca use you a re receiving $4,0 0 0 worth of suiting ."

081

"It is simp le: we a re here to help you b ecome the b est version of yourself , a nd everything else we g a in from d oing tha t is a b onus.

"When sta rting a new venture, the hop e is tha t it will ta ke off q uickly. We a re fortuna te tha t this ha s b een the ca se for us.

"Dema nd ha s g rown ra p id ly, not only loca lly a nd a cross Ca na d a b ut interna tiona lly a s well. While this is a wond erful c ha lleng e t o fa c e, it ha s und erscored just how much our offering resona t es w it h c lient s, fa r b eyond wha t we initia lly a nticip a ted .

"To eleva te our b ra nd a nd exp a nd our rea ch, we und erwent a reb ra nd ea rlier this yea r, tra nsitioning from Ra ja ni Besp ok e to The Sa r t oria l Shop. Althoug h this wa s a necessa ry move, there a re still a few d eta ils we a im to refine in 20 25.

"Looking a hea d , one of our long er- term g oa ls includ es ex p a nd ing our a t elier, esp ecia lly to b etter serve our interna tiona l clients. We a lso p la n to intensify our efforts to ed uca te p eop le a b out wha t sets our b ra nd a p a rt.

"Everything a b out The Sa rtoria l Shop is d ifferent? from our a p p roa ch to customer exp erience to our c ommit ment t o q ua lit y.

M OVIN G IN TO THE FUTURE "In 20 25, we will focus on b uild ing g rea ter a wa reness of these d istinctions.

While we a re ea g er to exp a nd our rea ch, we will d o so thoug htfully, ensuring every d ecision a lig ns with our vision a nd va lues.

"As we continue to g row, rela tionship s rema in a t the hea rt of our success. We a re fortuna te to work with w orld - c la ss fa b ric mills b a sed in Europ e, trusted loca l p a rtners, a nd clients who ha ve b ecome our friend s.

"My nea rly two- d eca d e executive ca reer in rea l esta te a t Onni a nd the Red st one Group g a ve me inva lua b le exp erience a nd success "the corp ora te wa y." I excelled in tha t environment, b ut I eventua lly rea lized I need ed to p ursue something more p ersona l a nd mea ning ful.

"At The Sa rtoria l Shop , one p rincip le rema ins non- neg otia b le: cond ucting b usiness with a ut hent ic it y a nd int eg rit y.

"Lux ur y fa shion often ha s a rep uta tion for b eing unwelcoming . Most p eop le ha ve exp erienced wa lking into a store a nd receiving p oor service for no a p p a rent rea son? it feels terrib le.

"I ca n confid ently sa y you will never exp erience tha t with us. You ha ve my word . By keep ing our exp erience huma n, eleva t ed , a nd d ist inc t ly p ersona l, we b elieve we will continue to set ourselves a p a rt a nd a chieve our g oa ls."

Z A H IR RA JA N I T H E S A R T O R IA L

SHOP

LEEA NN FROESE: TOWN HA LL BRA NDS Tow n Ha ll Bra nd s is a b outiq ue p ub lic rela tions a nd ma rketing a g ency led b y Leea nn Froese a nd And rew von Rosen.

They a re sup p orted b y a skilled , d ed ica ted , a nd ha rd working tea m of d esig ners a nd ma rketers who sha re a p a ssion for b ring ing id ea s t o life a nd insp iring a ud iences.

083

The comp a ny na me, Town Ha ll Bra nd s, d ra ws insp ira tion from the concep t of a ?t ow n ha ll?? a p la ce where ind ivid ua ls g a ther to excha ng e a nd sha re va lua b le id ea s a nd informa tion, often p reced ing imp orta nt und erta king s. This colla b ora tive, a round - t he- t a b le a p p roa c h forms the found a tion of their op era tions a nd p hilosop hy.

The tea m is known for d elivering p rojects tha t insp ire a nd celeb ra te the g ood life. Recog nized a nd resp ected within the ind ustry, the tea m p ossesses st rong rela t ionship s a nd a uniq ue skill set tha t ena b les them to c rea t e c omp elling b ra nd s a nd p romot e c lient s effec t ively.

In 20 22, Town Ha ll Bra nd s wa s certified for excep tiona l workp la ce culture b y The Ca na d ia n Work p la c e Cult ure Ind ex , a lea d ing mea sure of workp la ce excellence in Ca na d a . This a chievement und erscores the comp a ny?s commitment to fostering a p ositive a nd colla b ora tive environment for b oth clients a nd tea m memb ers.

As med ia sp ecia lists, the tea m ha s cultiva ted excep tiona l rela tionship s with journa list s, b log g ers, a nd influenc ers. They excel a t securing med ia c overa g e, p la cing clients on t elevision a nd ra d io, a nd levera g ing d ig it a l c ha nnels to a mp lify their clients?stories. From ma na g ing socia l med ia a nd web site content to overseeing p a id med ia ca mp a ig ns, Town Ha ll Bra nd s ensures tha t ever y messa g e resona t es with the ta rg et a ud ience.

The p hilosop hy b ehind the ?town ha ll?? a p la ce for colla b ora tion a nd community eng a g ement? rema ins a c ore va lue of the a g ency.

M EET LEEA NN With over two d eca d es of exp erience, Leea nn Froese ha s b uilt a ca reer in ma rketing a nd p ub lic rela tions, working with comp a nies a nd ind ivid ua ls g lob a lly. She ha s b een honoured a s one of "10 Women in PR Tha t Lea d , Insp ire a nd Build Suc c essful Bra nd s" b y Women in Pub lic Rela tions NA a nd a s one of "Five Women Lea d ers Help ing Wineries t o Be Suc c essful" b y Wine Ind ustry Ad visor.

Wid ely reg a rd ed a s a n influentia l voice in the wine a nd lifestyle ind ustries, in 20 15, she b eca me C a na d a ?s ina ug ura l a mb a ssa d or for # winelover.

Her socia l med ia exp ertise ea rned her a sp ot a mong the "Top 40 Peop le Glob a lly t o Follow on Soc ia l M ed ia in t he Wine World " in 20 17 a nd 20 18, a s recog nized b y Soc ia l Vig nerons.

Beyond her p rofessiona l p ursuits, Leea nn is d eep ly committed to g iving b a ck. She volunteers a s a memb er of the BC Cha p t er of Les Da mes d ?Esc offier, a p restig ious society of p rofessiona l women d ed ica ted to sup p orting ca reers in w ine, food , a nd hosp it a lit y.

Known a s a connector a nd trusted resource, Leea nn is often soug ht a s a c onsult a nt , sp ea k er, a nd p a nelist .

Her insig hts a nd exp ertise ha ve ma d e her a g o- to a uthority in BC ?s wine ind ustry, where she is celeb ra ted for her c olla b ora t ive sp irit a nd d ed ic a t ion to eleva ting the community.

I N HER WORDS "From a young a g e, I wa s self- emp loyed , thoug h I d id not fully rea lize it a t the time. At t en yea rs old , I b eg a n cha rg ing my neig hb ours to b a b ysit their child ren.

085

"From there, I found va rious wa ys to ea rn p ocket money, ta king on roles a s a fruit p ic k er, d ishw a sher, a nd g a rd en w eed er. These ea rly exp eriences instilled in me a st rong w ork et hic tha t would sha p e my future.

"I worked hosp it a lit y a nd ret a il job s in my teens a nd while in school, a nd when I g ra d ua ted from colleg e, I la nd ed my first ?rea l? job.

"Within two yea rs, I tra nsitioned from living lea n to ea rning enoug h to p urcha se my first b ra nd - new ca r. My husb a nd a nd I b oug ht a Volk sw a g en Jet t a . It wa s b a sic? no p ower wind ows or a ir cond itioning ? b ut it wa s ours, ha rd - ea rned a nd new.

"In 20 13, we sta rted Tow n Ha ll Bra nd s, b ut the seed s of my ca reer journey were p la nted much ea rlier. At 24, I returned to school to st ud y ma rk et ing .

While comp leting my stud ies, I freela nc ed , writing p ress relea ses for a n a g ency a nd crea ting rep orts for a rea l est a t e c omp a ny."

087

"As p a rt of my ed uca tion, I comp leted a c o- op p la c ement with the BC Wine Inst it ut e (now Wine G rowers BC ).

Up on g ra d ua tion, I wa s hired a s a contra ctor to work with Christ ine Colet t a , the executive d irector a t the time. I sta rted a s her junior a nd b a la nced full- time work with evening a nd weekend cla sses to ea rn a d ip loma in med ia rela t ions a nd p ub lic rela t ions. I a lso took courses in event ma na g ement a nd g ra p hic d esig n.

"As my ed uca tion a lig ned more closely with my work, C hristine entrusted me with g rea ter resp onsib ilities. When she left the BC Wine Institute, she invited me to join her a t Colet t a Consult a nt s, where we ha nd led ma rketing , p ub lic rela tions, a nd events for wineries a nd wine reg ions.

"My b oyfriend , And rew ? now my husb a nd ? joined us a s a g ra p hic d esig ner. Tog ether, we b eg a n b uild ing something sp ecia l.

"We ha d a rema rka b le run in p ub lic rela tions. I ma na g ed ca mp a ig ns for Suma c Rid g e Est a t e Winer y, which wa s la ter a cq uired b y Vincor C a na d a .

From there, I took on p ub lic rela tions for the Vinc or Ca na d a Est a t e b ra nd s, includ ing Ja c k son- Trig g s a nd Innisk illin. I wa s p roud to la unch b ra nd s such a s See Ya La t er Ra nc h, N k ?M ip Cella rs, a nd Osoyoos La rose, p utting them on the ma p.

"During this time, the med ia la nd sca p e wa s vib ra nt, with d ed ica ted w ine c olumnist s a t numerous outlets.

"When Const ella t ion Bra nd s a cq uired Vincor, my work exp a nd ed to includ e their interna tiona l b ra nd s, ma na g ing C a na d ia n ca mp a ig ns for Ra vensw ood , Rob er t M ond a vi, a nd Ha rd y?s, a mong others.

"O ver time, I ha nd led p ub lic rela tions for 13 of their b ra nd s a t the sa me time, a chieving sig nific a nt milest ones: securing television fea tures, ma g a zine sp rea d s, a nd p rominent p la cements for my clients. I wrote sp eeches for CEOs, cond ucted med ia tra ining for winema kers, hosp ita lity workers, a nd chefs, a nd comp leted wine stud ies to ea rn my WSET Levels 1 a nd 2.

"In a d d ition to wine, I worked in a g riculture, la unching the now- multina tiona l Amb rosia a p p le.

"Desp ite my b usy ca reer, I p rioritized fa mily. When my son wa s b orn, I took nea rly a yea r of ma t ernit y lea ve b efore returning to work.

"After a lmost a d eca d e of colla b ora tion, C hristine, Julia n Sc holefield, a nd I b eca me p a rtners, forming Colet t a & Assoc ia t es. While continuing with our existing p rojects, I exp ressed a d esire for new cha lleng es.

"Around this time, C hristine p la nted g ra p es tha t would la ter b ecome Ha yw ire Wines.

"We sta yed on with Vincor until the 20 10 Olymp ic Ga mes, where they were the officia l wine sup p lier. Being p a rt of the Ic ew ine p op - up in Richmond a nd p a rticip a ting in O lymp ic a ctiva tions wa s a thrilling wa y to conclud e a d ec a d e- long p a r t nership ."

"Next, we p ivoted to reb ra nd ing a nd crea ting wineries. We tra nsformed a fled g ling winery into Roa d 13, reva mp ed Hest er Creek?s p a cka g ing , la unched Ba illie Grohma n Winer y in Crest on, a nd refreshed Tinhorn Creek ?s la b els. By 20 0 9 , Ha yw ire?s first vinta g e wa s rea d y, a nd b y 20 13, C oletta & Associa tes closed a s C hristine a nd Julia n tra nsitioned to run Ok a na g a n Crush Pa d Winer y.

This shift led And rew a nd me to consolid a te our efforts a nd la unch Town Ha ll Bra nd s.

"Throug hout my journey, I ha ve b een fortuna te to ha ve incred ib le mentors, includ ing Christ ine Colet t a , the la te Ha rr y M cWa t t ers, a nd his d a ug hter Christ a - Lee M cWa t t ers. I ha ve a lso b enefited from colla b ora tions with ind ustry collea g ues such a s Da na Lee Ha rris, Summer Dhillon, a nd Shelley M a c Ar t hur. Med ia p rofessiona ls like Renee Bla c k st one, Fred Lee, Sop hie Lui, Tim Pa w sey, a nd ma ny others ha ve sup p orted our clients a nd help ed me g row a s a p ub licist.

"We sta rted in 20 13 with a sma ll tea m? And rew, myself, a nd two contra ctors? working from the b a sement of our Sout h Va nc ouver home. As word sp rea d , BC wineries a p p roa ched us, a nd we q uickly outg rew our home office. In 20 15, we moved to a loft- style office in M ount Plea sa nt , where we ha ve rema ined ever since.

"As Town Ha ll Bra nd s celeb ra ted its 11t h a nniversa r y in 20 24, we reflected on a d eca d e of g rowth a nd resilience.

The p a nd emic b roug ht cha lleng es, b ut it a lso ta ug ht us the va lue of a d a p ta b ility. We a d op ted a hyb rid w ork mod el a nd , in 20 22, introd uced a four- d a y w ork w eek , which ha s b een emb ra ced b y our tea m.

"At Town Ha ll Bra nd s, we offer b ra nd ing , g ra p hic d esig n, socia l med ia , p ub lic rela tions, event a ctiva tions, a nd more, serving clients in lifestyle sectors such a s food , b evera g e, sp or t s, a nd t ourism.

089

"O ver the yea rs, we ha ve worked with wine reg ions from a round the world , includ ing Sp a in, Por t ug a l, a nd It a ly.

We ha ve la unched a nd b ra nd ed numerous British C olumb ia wine p rojects, a s well a s initia tives in food a nd hosp ita lity.

"Looking b a ck, I see the d efining moments tha t sha p ed b oth my p ersona l a nd p rofessiona l journey.

"For exa mp le, la unching the Amb rosia a p p le ta ug ht me the p ow er of st ra t eg ic st or yt elling , while reb ra nd ing wineries und erscored the imp orta nce of visua l id entity. Ea ch p roject a d d ed a la yer of exp ertise to my work a nd reinforced my b elief in the p ow er of c olla b ora t ion.

"I a m a lso p roud of the rela tionship s I ha ve b uilt over the yea rs. C lients entrust us with their visions."

091

"Whether la unching a new w ine la b el, p romoting a p a c k a g ed food p rod uc t , or org a nizing a t ourism event , the p rocess of b ring ing id ea s to life continues to insp ire me.

"O ur tea m ha s a lso b een a critica l p a rt of our success. Mentorship is a va lue I hold d ea r, insp ired b y the g uid a nce I received from C hristine a nd others.

"Ma ny tea m memb ers who sta rted with us fresh out of school ha ve g one on to a chieve rema rka b le thing s. O thers ha ve sta yed with us for yea rs, b ecoming integ ra l to our comp a ny?s g rowth.

"Tod a y, we ha ve a ta lented g roup , includ ing M a rina , Sierra , M elod y, Reb ec c a , a nd Jud y, who b ring their b est to every p roject.

"Looking a hea d , we a re excited a b out new op p ortunities. While cha lleng es rema in? p a rticula rly in ind ustries like wine, which fa ce uniq ue p ressures? we a re d iversifying into p a cka g ed g ood s a nd other vertica ls. As 20 24 comes to a close, we a re op timistic a b out the future.

"Running a b usiness is often d escrib ed a s b eing like a d uck: ca lm on the surfa ce, p a d d ling furiously b enea th.

"This a na log y resona tes d eep ly with me. Yet, when collea g ues a d mire wha t we ha ve b uilt a t Town Ha ll Bra nd s, it rea ffirms tha t we a re on the rig ht tra ck. Ea ch c ha lleng e a nd suc c ess ha s b roug ht us to where we a re tod a y, a nd I look forwa rd to wha t lies a hea d ."

L EEAN N TOW N

FROESE

HALL

BRAN DS

A NDY CHU: DI GI TA L

PROV OCA TEUR And y Chu is a renowned crea tive force in the g lob a l enterta inment ind ustry, serving a s the d riving visiona ry b ehind Arc 2 Int er t a inment a nd FM A Ent er t a inment . These cutting - ed g e p rod uction comp a nies a re recog nized for their excellence in television, film, d ig ita l content, a nd live events. Ba sed in Va nc ouver, Ca na d a , And y ha rnesses the city?s rich multicultura l fa b ric to cra ft comp elling stories tha t b rid g e cultures a nd ca p tiva te a ud iences a round the world .

093

A d yna mic p ersona lity, And y?s p ortfolio includ es a n imp ressive a rra y of a ccomp lishments a s a p rod ucer, d irector, a nd event a rchitect. He is the ma stermind b ehind iconic exp eriences such a s the St rip p ed Conc er t Series, FM A Fa shion Week , Fa shion Roc k s, a nd the FM A Aw a rd s Ga la ? a celeb ra tion of fa shion, music, a nd a rt.

And y?s exp ertise a nd vision ha ve g a rnered him three Leo Aw a rd nomina t ions for hit television p rod uctions, includ ing FM A Ent er t a inment Week ly, Rea l Est a t e 10 1, The Big Show , a nd M y Pet Dia ries.

C urrently, he is sp ea rhea d ing the crea tion of Bit es a nd Sip s, a n innova tive web series exp loring culina ry culture.

Beyond his work in p rod uction, And y ha s ma d e sig nifica nt contrib utions to esteemed org a niza tions, sha p ing the cultura l la nd sca p e a t home a nd a b roa d .

He ha s served a s a p rod ucer for Vog ue?s Fa shion?s N ig ht Out Va nc ouver, a b oa rd memb er of the Va nc ouver Asia n Film Fest iva l a nd the Goh Ba llet Soc iet y, a nd co- found ed the Va nc ouver Vir t ua l Rea lit y Film Fest iva l.

His entrep reneuria l sp irit ha s led to the crea tion of ventures such a s Red Dot Shop p ing a nd the Ca na d ia n Dig it a l Influenc er Aw a rd s. He a lso co- p rod uced M iss World Ca na d a (20 12- 20 13) a nd ma inta ins a strong connection to interna tiona l b usiness throug h his involvement with the Ca na d ia n Cha mb er of Commerc e in Sha ng ha i.

A g lob etrotter with a n unwa vering p a ssion for st or yt elling , And y continues to p ush the b ound a ries of crea tivity, insp iring new id ea s a nd sha p ing the future of enterta inment. His relentless d ed ic a t ion t o innova t ion a nd ex c ellenc e ensures his p la ce a s a tra nsforma tive fig ure in the g lob a l ent er t a inment sp here.

095

CORPORA TE BI O Arc 2 Int er t a inment a nd FM A Ent er t a inment a re tra ilb la zers in the enterta inment ind ustry, renowned for their exp ertise in cra fting visua lly striking a nd technica lly sop histica ted multimed ia p rojects. Sp a nning t elevision, film, d ig it a l c ont ent , a nd live event s, these innova tive comp a nies levera g e a multid iscip lina ry a p p roa ch to b ring g round b rea king id ea s to fruition.

Their d iverse a nd d isting uished p ortfolio includ es la rg e- sca le p rod uctions such a s the FM A Aw a rd s Ga la Conc er t a nd the St rip p ed Conc er t Series, a s well a s a ccla imed television p rog ra mming like FM A Ent er t a inment Week ly. These a chievements und erscore their unwa vering mission: to insp ire a ud iences world wid e while a d va ncing the frontiers of crea tivity in med ia a rts.

With d ed ica ted d ivisions tha t ma na g e everything from web d evelop ment to fea ture film p rod uction, Arc2 a nd FMA minimize relia nce on outsourcing , ensuring sea mless integ ra tion, op era tiona l efficiency, a nd the hig hest q ua lit y st a nd a rd s. This end - to- end control emp owers them to d eliver excep tiona l results tha t consistently surp a ss client exp ecta tions.

C ommitted to continuous innova tion, Arc2 Interta inment a nd FMA Enterta inment a re resha p ing the ent er t a inment la nd sc a p e with their visiona ry storytelling a nd unp a ra lleled technica l ma stery. With a p a ssion for excellence a nd a n eye on the future, they rema in trusted lea d ers in a n ever- evolving ind ustry.

I N HI S WORDS "I ha ve a lwa ys b een a d rea mer, ca p tiva ted b y the ma g ic of storytelling a nd the thrill of crea ting something from nothing . My p a ssion for filmma k ing b eg a n ea rly, b ut it truly solid ified when I wa s in film school. I jug g led mult ip le job s to sup p ort myself, one of which wa s working a s a set extra . While it wa s a n eye- op ening exp erience, it often ca me with cha lleng es? sometimes feeling like a second - cla ss citizen when a p rod uction a ssista nt (no offence to them) trea ted you more like a numb er tha n a contrib utor to the p rod uction.

"Those moments, thoug h toug h, were p ivota l. They lit a fire in me, sp a rking the rea liza tion tha t I wa nted more control over my crea tive d estiny. I wa nted to run the show? to b ring p eop le tog ether, trea t them with resp ect, a nd crea te insp iring a nd up lifting p rojects.

"Tha t d rive wa s the first step in my journey a s a n entrep reneur, a nd it continues to fuel me to this d a y."

"Unlike others, I d id not run a forma l b usiness when I wa s young er, b ut I ha ve a lwa ys ha d a k na c k for sp ot t ing op p or t unit ies a nd und ersta nd ing sup p ly a nd d ema nd . Even a s a teena g er, I ha d a n eye for trend s b efore they b eca me ma instrea m. Ba ck then, one of my first ventures wa s selling second - ha nd comp a ct d iscs (rememb er, this wa s b efore Sp ot ify, kid s!).

"I would scour for p op ula r or ha rd - t o- find a lb ums a nd resell them to friend s or cla ssma tes who were d esp era te to g et their ha nd s on them. It wa s not just a b out the money? it wa s the thrill of ma tching p eop le with something they wa nted a nd knowing I ha d the foresig ht to see its va lue. Tha t exp erience ta ug ht me the imp orta nce of und ersta nd ing p eop le's need s a nd p references, a skill tha t I ha ve ca rried over into my ca reer tod a y.

"It wa s not just a b out comp a ct d iscs, either? I wa s hustling in sma ll wa ys, whether t ra d ing c ollec t ib les, help ing org a nize event s, or sp otting g a p s where I could crea te va lue. Those ea rly exp eriences were the seed s of my entrep reneuria l sp irit, even if I d id not rea lize it then.

"A p ivota l moment for me ca me when I worked a t a resta ura nt in hig h school. I ha d this id ea to crea te a sc rip t ed vid eo for our C hristma s p a rty? a little story sta rring my coworkers a s the ca st. I wrote the scrip t, d irected the scenes, a nd kep t the finished p rod uct a surp rise until the b ig nig ht.

097 091

"When we p la yed the vid eo a t the p a rty, the room erup ted in la ug hter, a p p la use, a nd , to my a ma zement, a st a nd ing ova t ion. As I wa tched everyone so thoroug hly enterta ined b y something I ha d crea ted , it hit me: This is it. I a m mea nt to d o this for the rest of my life.

"Tha t little p roject showed me the p ower of storytelling a nd the joy of crea ting , a nd it ha s b een d riving me ever since.

"Another story worth sha ring involves a venture in the ea rly 20 0 0 s. Ba ck then, I wa s d eep into crea ting ind ie vid eo p rog ra ms a nd show s, running them on my web site a nd trying to p itch them to b roa d ca sters.

"It wa s a g rind , so I ha d this lig ht b ulb moment : Why not crea te a n online p la tform where crea tors like me a nd others could up loa d their vid eos d irectly to the p ub lic? No more mid d lemen or long sa les p rocesses with b roa d ca sting networks? it felt like a g a me- c ha ng er.

"I sta rted d evelop ing the concep t a nd even working on a b usiness p la n. Then, b a m? YouTub e ca me a long a nd la unched their p la tform while I wa s still fig uring thing s out.

"I sa w their success a nd thoug ht, "Well, I g uess I missed tha t b oa t." Looking b a ck, I sometimes wond er, "Wha t if I ha d kep t g oing ?" But hey, life is a ll a b out lessons.

"Tha t exp erience ta ug ht me to a ct fa ster on g ood id ea s a nd to keep p ushing forwa rd even when the comp etition seems d a unting . Plus, I ca n still sa y I wa s thinking like a t ec h visiona r y b efore it wa s cool!

"O ver the yea rs, my journey ha s p rog ressed to the p oint tha t I now love wha t I d o b eca use no two p rojects a re ever the sa me? ea ch one cha lleng es me to crea te something new.

"The journey ha s b een a ll a b out st a ying c urious a nd seizing op p ortunities. As long a s the world keep s sp inning , p ossib ilities a re end less? you just ha ve to b e op en to seeing them!"

"I ha ve a lwa ys b een d ra wn to crea ting new wa ys of d oing thing s? thinking outsid e the b ox is my fa vourite p a stime!

La ter in 20 0 5 (a fter the YouTub e scena rio), I la unched Arc2 Interta inment with the id ea of merg ing enterta inment with the Internet. It wa s my first b ig step into t he d ig it a l sp a c e, setting the sta g e for wha t ca me next.

"The following yea r, I found ed FMA Enterta inment, which b eca me the p rod uction hub for most of my p rojects, whether live events or internet- b a sed content. O ne of my fa vourite crea tions wa s the FMA G a la C oncert in 20 11 (formerly Fa shion Roc k s), where I comb ined live music, fa shion shows, a nd multimed ia a rt into one sp ecta cula r event. It wa s the first of its kind in Va ncouver! Unfortuna tely, a fter a n incred ib le five- yea r run, the hig h p rod uction costs ma d e it unsusta ina b le.

"Another venture I a m p roud of is the Va nc ouver VR Film Fest iva l, which I la unched in 20 19 to showca se cutting - ed g e virtua l rea lity content.

Sa d ly, just a s it wa s g a ining momentum, the p a nd emic wa s up on us, a nd everything ca me to a ha lt.

"In my journey, I ha ve d ra w n insp ira t ion a nd mot iva t ion from ma ny p la ces. From the incred ib le mentors I ha ve a d mired from a fa r to the countless crea tors a nd entrep reneurs who sha re their stories a nd p ush b ound a ries? they ha ve shown me wha t is p ossib le.

099

"I ha ve a lso lea ned on the encoura g ement of my a ud ience a nd colla b ora tors, whose b elief in my work ha s kep t me g oing . Their trust a nd sup p ort remind me why I sta rted this journey a nd p ush me to keep crea ting a nd innova ting every d a y.

"Recently, the first sea son of Bit es a nd Sip s wra p p ed . This web p roject celeb ra tes the West C oa st's vib ra nt c ulina r y sc ene! This show is more tha n just food ? it is a love letter to the multicultura l fla vours a nd stories tha t ma ke our city so uniq ue a nd so fa r, resp onse ha s b een incred ib le, a nd we a re a lrea d y g ea ring up for the next sea son, where we will exp lore the culina ry g ems of other metro cities, a nd then exp a nd ing to city's outsid e of BC. "I a m a lso thrilled tha t AI t ec hnolog y is merg ing with the enterta inment world ? it is op ening up a n entirely new era of crea tivity for concep ts a nd p rod uction.

With end less p ossib ilities, I a m rea d y to emb ra ce this tra nsforma tive shift.

"Looking a hea d , I a m focused on t w o innova t ive p rojec t s currently in d evelop ment, ea ch d esig ned to d isrup t t he st a t us q uo a nd b ring something uniq ue to the enterta inment a nd crea tive ind ustries. These ventures a re set to red efine how a ud ienc es ex p erienc e st or yt elling , whether throug h d ig ita l p la tforms, live events, or immersive technolog ies.

"Moving into 20 25, I will focus the resea rch a nd d evelop ment to sha p e my next g round b rea k ing p rojec t 's concep t a nd b usiness mod el. This p ha se is critica l? it req uires a d eep d ive into und ersta nd ing current ma rket trend s, a ud ience b eha viour, a nd the ever- evolving la nd sca p e of technolog y a nd enterta inment.

My journey ha s b een exhila ra ting , a nd I a m excited a b out wha t lies a hea d !

AN DY D IG IT A L

CHU P R OVO CATE UR

101

PORTFOLI O.YV R V OLUM E 2 / I SSUE 5 Hel en Si w ak , EI C & Publ i sh er EcoLux Luv M ark eti ng & Communi cati ons I nc.

PHOTO CREDI TS: FRONT & BACK COVER: JENNA HERBUT PAGE 002: JESS SINGH PAGES 003-014: COURTESY ANTHONY GREEN PAGES 015-024: COURTESY JENNA HERBUT PAGES 025-026: BLUSH PHOTOGRAPHY PAGES 027-028: JUM I STORY PAGES 029-030: KNOX & M AE PHOTOGRAPHY PAGES 031-034: JUM I STORY PAGES 035-042: COURTESY CATHY CENA PAGE 044: GORDON CLARK PHOTOGRAPHY PAGES 045-054: COURTESY PRI PAGES 055-058: OLIVIA VAN DYKE PAGES 059-064: KAROLINA TUREK PAGES:065-072: COURTESY SARAH M AWJI PAGES 073-082: COURTESY ZAHIR RA JANI PAGES:083-090: TOWN HALL BRANDS PAGE: 091: BEST EVER STUDIO PAGE: 092: COURTESY TOWN HALL BRANDS PAGES 093-100: COURTESY ANDY CHU PAGE: 101: COURTESY KASIA All rig hts reserved . No p a rt of the ma teria l p rotected b y this cop yrig ht notice ma y b e rep rod uced or utilized in a ny form or b y a ny mea ns, without written p ermission.

PO RTFO LIO.YVR d oes not a ccep t unsolicited ma teria ls or a ccep t a ny resp onsib ilities for incorrect informa tion a s a ll informa tion is d eemed to b e a ccura te a s of d a te of p ub lishing . PO RTFO LIO.YVR is p ub lished q ua rterly b y EcoLuxLuv Ma rketing & C ommunica tions Inc. a nd is a ma rketing tool of sp onsored content d esig ned to a ug ment services p rovid ed b y the comp a ny. Sub missions for inclusion in PO RTFO LIO.YVR should b e d irected to the p ub lisher via the ema il b elow. All sub missions a re screened for suita b ility b y the p ub lisher.

To d isc uss inc lusion in up c oming 20 24 issues, ema il info@folioyvr.c om a nd req uest a M ed ia Kit .

BUSI NESS & ENTREPRENEURS V OLUM E 2 | I SSUE 5

PORTFOLI O.YV R

A NTHONY GREEN JENNA HERBUT K A V I TA M OHA N FRA NK I E CENA K A SI A PRI SA RA H M A WJI Z A HI R RA JA NI LEEA NN FROESE A NDY CHU