Liu Young

Liu Young

Content Marketing Specialist

As a versatile writer and editor in both Chinese and English, Liu is experienced with documentary scriptwriting, commercial script writing, content marketing, copywriting, and translation. She loves words, and she often wonders if ‘bilingual writing’ could become her life work.

Liu thrives on learning and expanding her horizon. Video and coding are two new languages she recently acquired and she’s eager to explore them further – a testament to her indomitable will. Liu has a BA double major in Chinese Literature and Philosophy from Peking University, a master’s degree of Museum Studies from the University of Toronto, and a certificate in application development in Toronto. She has a deep connection to these subjects, and she likes Su Shi – A Chinese literati/ gastronomist – (and yes, she also likes sushi), Kurt Vonnegut, Henri Matisse, Jiang Wen and Léa Seydoux.

One thing you’ll be quick to find out about Liu is that she has a keen interest in developing both useful and useless everyday skills. She’ll tell you about that time she built a bed, grew gigantic sunflowers, fixed her toilet, cooked superb duck, and finally, how she enjoys being constantly perched by an exotic bird. In her third year of self-learning classical guitar, she started a YouTube channel aptly named “All We Can Eat” to experiment with sit-down comedy and casual comparative studies on Western/Eastern cuisine.

With her eclectic tastes and diverse skillset, it is no wonder that Liu plays multiple roles at AVC, including Chinese and English copywriting, influencer management, and multimedia content production for AVC’s official WeChat account.


Catherine Dona

Catherine Dona

Creative Strategist & Copywriter

Once upon a time, Cathy’s fourth grade English teacher suspected her of turning in a plagiarized essay. To test if ten-year-old Cathy wrote the essay, the teacher pulled her aside and asked this question out of nowhere: “What’s the meaning of mediocre?” To which she confidently replied, “It means average, ma’am.” Shocked by her broad vocabulary, the teacher let Cathy live happily ever after since then. Perhaps the awards she won in several writing contests in those years convinced her too.

Today, Cathy doesn’t answer to teachers anymore but to brands. As a Creative Strategist and Copywriter, she makes sure that the words she uses to tell your brand’s story are never mediocre. But are words that win minds, hearts, and bottom-lines. She’s been in the game for nearly two decades having worked for multinational ad agencies such as Dentsu Philippines and Publicis Manila in her home country, and a few locally-owned across Oman, Dubai, and Singapore. She also once wore the hat of Online Content Director for GMA Network, one of the largest broadcasting companies in the Philippines.

Bringing her wordsmithing skills to AV Communications, her pen will not rest until every brand gets its happy ending as she did.


Jackie Costello

Jackie Costello

Creative Project Manager

Being creative is a central part of Jackie’s life. As AVC’s Senior Designer, she finds joy in solving problems and helping clients communicate their message through design in various formats. With over two decades of experience in corporate, print and publishing, she has developed a keen ability to listen and translate clients’ needs into products that effectively communicate and help them build their brands. She has worked with a wide range of brands, including KPMG, Western Union, Women & Money, Edmonton Pride Festival and Dräger Medical.

A student of life, Jackie’s love for learning never stops. When she is not working on creative work, she’s a part-time student pursuing a psychology degree to one day be an Art Therapist and use art not only as a way to communicate but also to help people heal. Travelling and immersing herself as much as possible in all mediums and forms of art and culture with her husband, large family, and two standard poodles are amongst her favourite things to do. She credits her curiosity and continuous learning as the secret ingredients to her endless ideas and creativity.


Gideon Lin

Gideon Lin

Gideon Lin

Business Development Lead, Western Canada

After working in countries around the world including the US, Israel and Costa Rica for the last 17 years with clients like HSBC, CIBC and Telus, Gideon has gained heaps of business development experience. He looks at it simply: it’s all about finding a solution to a problem. Now living in beautiful British Columbia since 2012 with his wife, Meg, and their two young daughters, Gideon is focused on helping us grow our client base in Western Canada. He loves watching soccer (but only the World Cup. Shhh, don’t tell Shah…) and the occasional black bear from his kitchen window (yikes!), and laughing with his wife and daughters. He says he can’t carry a tune so avoids singing in public at all costs, but (secretly) might be persuaded to belt out some of his favourite Leonard Cohen ballads, if, say, a karaoke night was to present itself out of the blue. We knew it! He’s our man.


Natalia Kushnir

Natalia

Natalia Kushnir

Account Executive

Natalia relishes working with AVC’s fashion and beauty clients, developing our relationships with companies like H&M, MAC, Guerlain, Clinique, and WINNERS, and making sure they have everything they need during campaigns and projects. And it’s no surprise, because Natalia is a designer herself and is on a constant hunt for unique and trendy pieces to add to her wardrobe. We bet one day Natalia will start her own fashion brand – and still find a way to do community work, which she’s also hugely passionate about. She travels to Israel a lot, touring historical sites, sampling the amazing food and chilling at the beach. We love her offbeat sense of humour, data junkie pride, dedication to efficiency and how she’s always coming out of left field with bits of knowledge, like quotes from Freakonomics or tips from Tim Ferriss; and unique ideas, like the importance of stylish spreadsheets and the health benefits of salad. That last one took a bit of getting used to.


Maureen Tang

Maureen

Maureen Tang

Media & Account Director

Maureen has a strong left brain and an equally powerful right brain, meaning she is both analytical and creative. At work, Maureen is methodical and organized and when she’s not busy finding creative client solutions, she enjoys sketching and crocheting. You will be surprised to find out that Maureen’s drawing skills are exceptional; and we consider her an untutored yet outstanding artist.

Maureen is psyched that she gets to talk to and work with people from so many different countries around the world. It makes every day stand out with a million different awesome moments. That’s because people are what make Maureen tick. Her biggest accomplishment in life so far is having built great relationships with her friends, family, and everyone around her. And we can all see why. Tell Maureen a good joke and her laugh is infectious. Share your best moving-to-Canada story and Maureen is all ears. Ask her to describe her favourite vacation and she’ll tell you about spending time at a family farm back in China, climbing hills, picking potatoes, smiling in the summer sun. See what we mean? We all feel better already.


Steven Flores

Steven

Steven Flores

Advertising & Marketing Coordinator

A self-proclaimed geek, Steven will lull you into a false sense of security with his stories of playing video games until all hours, and how his best weekend includes sleeping in lots. But then he’ll casually mention the Japanese manga comic, Berserk, is one of his favourite books, he loves snowboarding and surfing, or that time he crashed the VIP section of a Linkin Park concert in California. Yup, Steven’s all about the yin and the yang. He’s on top of the world when he’s able to help his team reach their goals and gets to learn from new experiences along the way, yet he’ll be the first one to blast out Creep by Radiohead at karaoke. He’s a huge fan of Ben Parker, Elon Musk and Warren Buffet, but he’s also a bit foot heavy when driving. He loves eating great food – and will buy some for a homeless person on the street all in the same day. Basically, Steven’s our man of mystery.


Kimesha Walters

Kimesha Walters

Director, Creative Strategy & Communications

In another life, Kimesha would have been an exceptional DJ. She would effortlessly pull in sold-out appearances through her talented skills and knack for fusing brilliant lyrical combinations with soul stirring music to sweep you off your feet. Kimesha thinks in song lyrics and she finds happiness in various genres. Nothing else has the power to fire her up to take on the demands of her busy schedule like her eclectic mix of musical selections that deeply resonate with her soul.

In lieu of a thriving career as a DJ, Kimesha has made a life of beautifully crafting words to move people, brands, and organizations. She has a host of experience across advertising, communications, marketing, and public relations, and she is better off for it. Ask Kimesha about what lights her up, and she will tell you that she is passionate about serving clients and delivering exceptional results. But that’s not all. Kimesha is also passionate about giving back to her community and country, and she expresses this through her 11-year-old charity, Amazing Prospects, and volunteering with several organizations across Canada and Jamaica.

Kimesha has worked on an impressive portfolio of internationally recognized clients across diverse industries in North America and the Caribbean, including the likes of Adidas, Frito Lay, GraceKennedy, Heineken, Hyundai, Jada Toys, Jay@Play Toys, Microsoft, Pepsi, Red Stripe, Scotiabank, and Western Union.

She brings her signature Caribbean flair, global outlook, and meticulous work ethic to every project, and she does this effortlessly while working in harmony with cross-functional and multicultural teams as a Creative Strategy & Communications Director here at AVC.


Shirley Leng

Shirley

Shirley Leng

Finance Manager

As our fearless Finance and Accounting expert, you’d think numbers would be all Shirley thinks about. But she spends a bit of time each day thinking about food, too. Specifically, lunch (mmm, hot pot). Occasionally, what it would be like to be Elastigirl (maybe stretching her arm down the street to bring that hot pot back to the office quicker). Or her recent family trip to Banff, Alberta. But, mostly it’s numbers. Like telling us what we spent on printer toner and coloured markers this quarter. Or how much we earned from all those award-winning campaigns we launched last month. Or why a hot pot budget is so important to the well-being of all humans on the planet. Well those first two, for sure. That last one might just be all in Shirley’s head.


Nigel Louis D’Souza

Nigel Louis D’Souza

Digital & Content Marketing Specialist

Nigel’s very first job was selling ads in Rolling Stone magazine, which may be where he fell in love with working creatively. In fact, Nigel is the most thrilled when he sets his mind on thinking differently. Teasing out incredible ideas to help companies reach their audiences in innovative ways. Bouncing ideas off his teammates and running with the best ones. Finding the most fascinating solutions to develop our clients’ digital identities. He’s an adventurer on the weekends, too – doing stuff like rock climbing and cycling, while avoiding centipedes at all costs. If he could only eat one meal for the rest of his life, he’d choose burgers, hands down. Maybe while watching Fight Club. Or Reading The Alchemist. For Nigel, Batman is the coolest, but if he could have a superpower, he’d choose to make people laugh uncontrollably. Pretty cool, Nigel. Pretty cool.