Effective branded content will need to feel personal, timely, and deeply relevant. In a world overflowing with choice, audiences gravitate toward articles, videos, podcasts, and interactive tools that speak directly to their current life stage or mindset. That means offering tailored guidance, building playful quizzes that reveal something meaningful, and connecting people with creators and experts who feel genuinely relatable. Content that adapts to the audience — not the other way around — will win.
Key Insights
We can't deny the impact of AI on our industry, but instead of seeing it as a threat, we should embrace it as an opportunity. In a sea of AI-generated content, publishers are set up to become a last bastion of credible, trustworthy content – which makes advertising on those sites more valuable than ever before. To capitalize on this, creatives should lean into their unique author's voice, create content that feels surprising and distinctly "human", and shout their credentials from the rooftop – all while using AI tools to fuel creativity, not replace it.
Signature Work Achievements
In my role at Postmedia, I lead a national team of producers, writers, editors, and videographers responsible for delivering sponsored content programs for clients across Canada. Under my leadership, our team’s work has earned industry recognition, including wins at the Native Advertising Awards and the Canadian Online Publishing Awards.
I have also contributed to the industry as a long‑standing judge for the COPAs.
Beyond overseeing day‑to‑day campaigns, I develop and deliver sponsored‑content education sessions—both virtual and in‑person—to marketing agencies across the country. These workshops cover creative ideation, content production, emerging industry trends, and applications of AI. The most impactful portion focuses on how we build strategic content frameworks and provide thought starters tailored to each agency’s client roster. These sessions have directly resulted in new RFP opportunities, repeat thought‑leadership invitations, and increased campaign investment. My passion for presenting also brought me to The Interactive Advertising Bureau of Canada (IAB Canada), the national voice and thought leader of the Canadian interactive marketing and advertising industry, where I co-led a presentation on branded content creation with Jerrid Grimm.
Earlier in my career, I led data‑driven research studies that established industry benchmarks for sponsored content performance, including best practices for content creation, brand integration, and amplification strategies.
My work across multiple content studios has also helped redefine internal team structures, improving production workflows, strengthening RFP responses, and driving stronger client outcomes.
Career Lessons
You don't need to shrug off your feminine virtues to be a business leader. Lean into the traits that make you you. Empathy, intuition, collaboration, and emotional intelligence aren’t weaknesses, they’re powerful leadership tools. When you lead with compassion, communicate openly and trust your instincts, you create teams that feel supported, think creatively and perform better.
