Jury

Steve Mykolyn

Former CCO of Taxi, Head Judge

Steve Mykolyn is the former CCO of TAXI. Currently, Steve is a partner at Castor. You can buy their stuff here: castordesign.ca.

Steve also has a passion for books and film. In 1997, he wrote and directed El Dia La Noche Y Los Muertos, an award-winning documentary about Mexico’s Day of the Dead festival. In 2008, he was co-curator of the Canadian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale for Architecture. He is a past board member of both The One Show and the D&AD. He has some awards.

His next project, Songs for a Funeral, is launching on November 1, 2019. Which also happens to be Day of the Dead.

Katie Ainsworth

ECD, Cossette Vancouver

Katie Ainsworth is an award-winning writer and creative director with over 20 years of experience in top advertising agencies including BBDO, TBWA, Rethink and now Cossette. She has created surprising, memorable and effective campaigns for major national brands, small local start-ups, and numerous not-for-profits. Katie has won stuff in lots of shows. Unfortunately, not the ICE Awards. Possibly because she's never lived east of Toronto. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in European History and Germanic Studies. The state of her current German is schrecklich. (Translation: terrible).

Rebecca Gillis

Freelance Writer & Filmmaker

Rebecca is a copywriter with a weird mind that tends to wander. She’s been in advertising for over 15 years, and one of her survival strategies is doing a lot of stuff that’s isn’t advertising. Before ad school, she was a commercial make-up artist. She now does commercial acting, stand-up comedy, and recently completed her first short film that’s screening in festivals around the world. While Rebecca has worked in both big and small agencies, these days she mainly works at home in her underwear. Some of her recent clients include RBC, Durex, Kijiji, Bunz Trading Zone, Boston Beer Company, and Samsung. Oh, and she just did a billboard for a vibrator that got the world very excited.

Guybrush Taylor

ECD, Camp Jefferson

Guybrush Taylor is Executive Creative Director at Camp Jefferson. He has spent two decades in advertising, design, and innovation around the world.

Starting in 1998 as an art director, Guybrush has worked at a variety of international agencies including Droga5, TBWA, TAXI, and Leo Burnett. He has developed international campaigns, reinvented brands, designed new products and services, and expanded business models in the Canadian, Australian, and US markets. He has also been instrumental in growing the agencies themselves, growing client rosters, developing new offerings and capabilities, and helping to win multiple Agency of the Year awards.

Over his career, Guybrush has worked with startups, small businesses, national and multinationals brands such as Nike, P&G, Mini, Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Absolut, Earth Hour, and GM. He has also created new brands and ventures for clients including Tribune Publishing, Visa, Allstate, and E&J Gallo. His creativity and craft have been recognized internationally by D&AD, Cannes, the One Show, and more.

Kim Ridgewell

Creative Director, One Twenty Three West

Kim joined the Vancouver creative scene in 2007 and has spent the past decade working with the some of the best at Rethink, Cossette and One Twenty Three West (where she happily resides today as a Designer and Creative Director).

She has had the pleasure of working with clients both big and small including lululemon, Vancouver Art Gallery, Shaw, Betterwith Ice Cream, 1964 Supply Co., 7-Eleven, Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, White Spot, Muskoka Brewery, YWCA, Temper Chocolate & Pastry, Stong’s Market, Sobeys, and Coast Capital Savings.

The One Show, Clios, London International, Cannes Lions, The Juno Awards, Communication Arts, Applied Arts, How Magazine, Coupe and Graphex have all recognized Kim’s work.

Kim lives on a small island off the West Coast of BC with her husband, two kitties and many deer. When not at home crafting or doodling, Kim can be found running in the mountains or bobbing out at sea.

Thomas Neuspiel

President & Creative Director, Toast + Jam

Grade 6 was a fabulous year for Thomas Neuspiel. Or was it grade five? We're not sure but somewhere near the tender age of twelve Thomas was given a drum set by his courageous mother. That same year he bought his first microphone, started a band with his twin brother, wired up the family phone so he could record crank phone calls and discovered sound on sound recording as a poor man's alternative to a multi track. Life bounced from one sonic adventure to the next; Radio programs, albums, music and sound for all manner of electronic media and countless radio and television ads. Now he is the head of a very fine sound and music production company in Toronto, Canada that serves clients around the world and has won countless awards from all the best Ad shows from Cannes to Halifax. The most amazing thing is that he says that he still learns every time he steps into the studio and still gets a rush every time the record button turns red.