People

David's media vocation dawned many challenging mornings at the age of 10 with the Globe and Mail.

So started, he continued his marketing and media career at newspapers, ad agencies, hotels and for six years as Communications Director at Manulife Financial -- culminating in a partnership with sister Katherine at HCC where they have been delivering spectacular results through brilliant work for the past 20 years.

Still obsessed with new ways of thinking about brands, media and consumers in today’s increasingly splintered media and marketing environment, David derives real joy in writing cogent copy for intelligent, appreciative clients. He has also discovered the timeless imperatives of business today as the entrepreneurial world turns: truth, margin and relationships—not necessarily in that order.

Lifestyle Focus:

Rock 'n roll, balanced imbalance, kids, golf and skiing, scotch, "First Friday" monthly summits with buddies for 38 years, the cottage.

Spending many years in the corporate workplaces of Texaco Canada and Imperial Oil, and longer still as an entrepreneur operating a graphics business, Laura has mastered the art of juggling responsibilities while managing constantly shifting priorities. Who knew that scheduling crude oil shipments via pipeline and ocean freighter could be put to such great use, tracking the HCC folks, their schedules, timelines and projects? The many hats worn during the “graphic design” years are now applied to all things HCC – administration, financial, photo-retouching, proof reading, tech support , office mother and more. As the “behind-the-scenes” person at HCC, Laura provides support and administration for the entire office, keeping everyone sane enough to get the job done, but crazy enough to get the job done very well. Essentially invaluable.

Lifestyle focus:

stone sculpting, buying sculptures, admiring sculptures, all things Nick Cave, really good ice cream.

From attending innumerable concerts as part of her reporting gig at Queen's U TV, to promoting community events for alternative rock station, The Drive, Anne knew she wanted to be in the communications biz in some capacity. After coordinating social and media relations for online travel magazine, Travel to Wellness, Anne was convinced she had to be behind the scenes (as much as in the spotlight!) and so began her journey at HCC.

Anne feels blessed to consider her job her very own amusement park, and gets a rush from every new challenge. Armed with fresh ideas and a passion for all things marketing and media, Anne has spearheaded PR campaigns for a number of high profile clients, including embarking on a nationwide tour with YTV's The Next Star. She’s always on the cusp of the next big thing and has established herself as the office social media expert. Anne's clients have learned she can handle anything thrown at her, never failing to do so without a smile.

Lifestyle Focus:

Moshpitting with the best of 'em, nature lover, eating nibs until blue in the face, Fall colours, Halloween, daily horoscopes and dancing to just about
anything with absolutely no coordination.

Hailing from Canada’s East Coast, Danielle moved to Toronto after completing a Degree in Psychology and an Advanced Diploma in Public Relations and has never looked back. Previously touring for several years in the world of performing arts, her innate creativity naturally led her to a career as a publicist in the entertainment industry.

Upon relocating to Toronto, Danielle felt extremely fortunate to have been given an opportunity to work at HCC during the summer of 2010. During those months, Danielle gained irreplaceable experience working on clients in both the television and music industries, creating close ties with media across Canada. She then went on to gain valuable experience at other reputable agencies, working on publicity campaigns for major clients such as SummerWorks Theatre Festival, the Toronto International Film Festival, as well as few destination clients including New York City and San Francisco.

Danielle kicked off 2011 by returning to the HCC team full-time and is always ready to tackle each and every challenge. Fluent in French, Danielle’s positive demeanor and head-on approach continue to be valuable assets to the company.

Lifestyle Focus:

Food and wine (especially in combination), travel, toe-tapping to East Coast fiddle, the ocean, inside jokes, caffeine all-day everyday, ‘80s music.

Upon graduating among the top of her class in the Humber PR program, Tran officially joined the HCC team in 2006. Her exceptional communication and writing skills led to her assuming the role of lead writer for the JUNO Awards. Additional responsibilities have included drafting all media materials for clients such as The Abilities Arts Festival, National Home Show and the inaugural Luminato festival. She has written speeches for high-profile clients including Shaw Communications President Jim Shaw, Luminato CEO Janice Price, and CARAS President & CEO Melanie Berry to name a few. When she’s not tapping away at the computer keys, she’s busy pitching media and delivering valuable coverage for television clients such as HGTV’s Pure Design, Mr. Friday (Slice) and Star Portraits (Bravo), or executing media events for EQ3, Travel Alberta and Organic Meadow.

Lifestyle Focus:

Being a “life-educator” to her son, travelling to beach destinations, reality TV junkie, culinary adventurist.

A passion for the film and entertainment industry led Vanessa to public relations and she's never looked back. With a degree in Honours Media Studies from Guelph University and a diploma in Public Relations from Humber College, Vanessa began her PR career as an intern right here at HCC in 2009. After successfully completing her internship, Vanessa gained valuable experience at Toronto arts and entertainment PR agencies. Clients that benefited from her boundless enthusiasm, creativity and attention to detail included the Toronto International Film Festival, SummerWorks Theatre Festival, Planet in Focus International Film and Video Festival and DanceWorks. And like many great films, there was a happy ending to her PR journey: in the summer of 2010, Vanessa re-joined the cast and crew at HCC to produce and direct client PR projects of all makes and models.

Lifestyle Focus:

Movies of every genre, catching a screening at every film festival in the city, spontaneity, loose-leaf tea, black licorice, quality time with the twin sister and a good laugh.

A pioneer in lifestyle PR, Katherine remains one of Canada’s leading communications authorities.

Over her 30-year career, Katherine has brought her expertise, experience and bravado to bear on some of the biggest and best national organizations in the tourism, arts, lifestyle and entertainment sectors.

After 10 years as Director of Communications for the Shaw Festival and stints at Ontario Place and the Toronto Symphony, Katherine founded HCC. Her deep roots in the PR industry continually enable her to develop and execute high-profile communications strategies, PR campaigns and annual events for creative Canadian enterprises.

Katherine currently sits on the Marketing, Communications and Programming Advisory Committee of the National Capital Commission in Ottawa and is a past Board member of the National Ovarian Cancer Association.

Lifestyle Focus:

Great books, fine wine, a challenging ski slope, teenagers, a fully loaded iPod.

A childhood dream to rub elbows with the stars led Adrienne to the world of publicity.

Armed with an Honours Diploma in Public Relations from Humber College, Adrienne embarked on her PR career via an internship as communications coordinator for the Discovery Channel. Since then, she has climbed the ranks and established herself as a highly-regarded communications professional, leading media relations campaigns for high-profile clients such as CARAS and The JUNO Awards, Canada’s Walk of Fame, CTV, CBC and Global Television.

Her dedication and commitment to her clients coupled with her creativity, extensive network of contacts, innate media understanding and ability to develop strategic campaigns all fuel her success.

In addition to managing specific client projects at HCC, Adrienne is intensively involved in business development and both enhancing and extending existing client relationships.

Lifestyle Focus:

Travel junkie, animal lover, peanut butter with a spatula, real estate.

Over the past 25 years, Beth has directed and executed successful public and media relations campaigns for virtually every major media company and performing arts organization in Canada.

Her journalistic contacts in the arts, lifestyle, entertainment, and cultural realms are second to none and have resulted in one successful campaign after another.

Founder of T.O. Tix at Yonge and Dundas, Beth has served two terms as an executive board member for the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts. She continues to bring all her experience, talent and skills to developing strategic and creative media profiles for Canada’s entertainment community.

Lifestyle Focus:

Singing Stan Rogers ballads in a community choir, cheering on her son at his stand-up comedy gigs, theatre, learning to play bridge.