The #BanFam has grown again! Over the past few months, we’ve introduced fresh faces across the agency with exciting additions to our creative, strategy and accounts teams. Please join us in welcoming Craig Lobban as Creative Director, Koa Padolsky as Video Producer, Paul Rusheleau as Senior Strategist and Amanda Garlough as Account Executive.
We asked the new Banfielders a few questions to get to know them better.
Craig Lobban – Creative Director
Tell us what you’ll be bringing to the creative team.
A passion for great work. I started my career at big Toronto agencies surrounded by some of the best in the business and got early exposure to bold ideas that change behaviours. I want to help other people find that passion and look for new, creative ways of solving problems. I’ll be helping guide the team to keep pushing for better work, look at things from a different perspective, and sometimes the most difficult task of all — getting the client on board.
What drives you in your work?
The pursuit of doing something great that people pay attention to and talk about.
What causes you anxiety?
In work, when there’s a desire to say too much to too many people. The best work is always grounded in a solid insight, so trying to tick off a laundry list of benefits instead of zeroing in on something strong and differentiated gives me anxiety.
Where do you look for inspiration?
I keep up to date with the latest that’s happening in the industry — I find it inspiring seeing work that I wish I’d done. I also like to change my environment by going on a walk or to a coffee shop or somewhere I’ve never been before — to force my brain to think in a different way.
What is something we don’t know about you but probably should?
I’m the youngest of three boys. I don’t know if that helps explain why I am the way I am.
Koa Padolsky – Video Producer
Tell us about your experience.
I’ve been producing and directing in film and television industry for over 25 years. It has always been rich and varied: from a co-production creature feature shot in the sand dunes of Namibia, to a Martian set on Mexico City’s sound stage, from backstage with Jimmy Page in London to interviewing a Holocaust survivor in his living room in Ottawa.
What drives you in your work?
Immersing myself in the world of each new project and finding fresh ways to tell a story with a very talented, creative team.
What causes you anxiety?
Human-triggered climate change.
Where do you look for inspiration?
Lots of places! Good conversation, independent cinema, proper television dramas, documentaries, podcasts about process (Radio Lab, Marc Maron), my friends and family, travel, and reading.
What is your favourite film and why?
That’s an impossible question. Depends on my mood. The best film this year, for me, was probably Capernaum. It’s stark exposition of the Beirut underclass told through the eyes of a child, shot documentary-style with non-actors. It sounds heavy – and it was – but it was also somehow uplifting.
What is something we don’t know about you but probably should?
I am fluent in Spanish. I spent my childhood living in Mexico where I didn’t speak English in school!
Paul Rusheleau – Senior Strategist
Tell us about your marketing journey.
My marketing career developed within start-ups, which provided me with many opportunities for collaborative brainstorming and finding a creative solution fast. Before joining Banfield, I pursued an adventure — working abroad starting up a crowd-sourced market research venture in Dubai, called Muhimma. Then I was freelancing for a collection of tech companies on brand development, marketing strategy, and go-to-market.
Why did you choose Banfield?
The attraction to Banfield was this feeling that, in the future, I would be able to look back on challenging work, great results and strong relationships — and having a lot of fun along the way. The future is bright, I think!
What will you bring to the strategy team?
I believe that a marketing partner can only find the right solution and deliver successful results if they share a complete understanding of their client’s perspective. Having worked as a marketing leader for multiple companies in the past, I find it natural to empathise with clients.
I also bring a genuine curiosity in understanding the business context: the products and services, their value to customers, the challenges and the competitors in the market. It means we can collaborate on the solution together.
What is on your bookshelf right now?
Sapiens – Yuval Noah Harari
The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable – Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Thinking Fast and Thinking Slow – Daniel Kahneman
Apart from providing strategic insight, what do you love to do?
Drinking coffee and hiking, preferably at the same time.
Amanda Garlough – Account Executive
Tell us about your experience.
My experience ranges from cars (Nissan and Honda) to chocolate (Cadbury) and coffee (Nabob and Tassimo) to tech (IBM) and pet pharmaceuticals (Merial) to accounts like the Canadian Cancer Society.
Why did you choose Banfield?
After eight years of working at different agencies in Toronto, I came back to Ottawa to settle in closer to home. What drew me to Banfield was its connection to the community and the obvious sense of company culture. From the first time I stepped foot in this amazing historic building, I knew there was something unique about Banfield as an agency — and I wanted to be a part of that!
Tell us what you bring to the accounts team.
I have a bias for action. Having worked in so many different agencies, I respect the need to be nimble and ready to take action at any moment. I tend to be optimistic and to keep moving forward.
Apart from helping deliver amazing marketing communication, what do you love to do?
I own four acres of prime growing land and have four amazing dogs and a cat to raise. Next year, I plan to add a couple of goats and bees to the mix. If I had more time, I would have a bigger garden and more pets. My goal is to grow 50% of the produce my family consumes per year.
What is something we don’t know about you but probably should?
I am a national 5-pin-bowling champion! I earned the title in 2001, as a senior on the YBC girls bowling team.