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By Jennifer Foden
These three companies are in the business of creativity. Whether you’re looking for a marketing agency, photography studio or video production, these businesses have got you covered.
Brand Ambition
Like many small business origin stories, Brand Ambition, a Bowmanville-based boutique marketing and branding agency, began in the founder’s living room. “When we first opened, I was working with three kids running around,” says Katie Dempsey, the owner and director of marketing. She launched the company in December 2015, right around the time “social media was exploding,” Katie says. “Small businesses suddenly needed things like photoshoots and branding as they needed to stand out from the noise on Facebook feeds.” Her business scaled quickly: she hired four staff members within four months and today it’s a team of 11. She’s worked with more than 900 brands—from real estate companies to retail stores, and beyond.
Brand Ambition offers a full range of marketing services like social media management, web design, business photography and advertising campaigns, but their specialty is helping clients who are in the “brand establishment phase.” What does that mean exactly? “Their business has been successful and now needs to refine its identity to prepare for that next big growth jump,” says Katie. “This is super exciting because we get to see firsthand all the different businesses and projects that are launching in Durham Region.”
Initially, Katie launched her business in Durham because she wanted to work close to home. “I wanted a lifestyle where I could drive to work in under 10 minutes and shop, eat, work and play in my town,” she says. “But Durham became a competitive edge for us as many of our team members worked in Toronto and joined the company to cut down on their own commutes. So, we were able to attract incredible big-city talent and make our services available locally.”
Katie also points to the company’s office space, at The Park Coworking, inside a three-storey factory building in Bowmanville, as to why her business is in Durham. “We love our building,” she says. “It has that Toronto loft atmosphere and has attracted so many creatives and young entrepreneurs to the area. It’s such a unique environment for a small town.”
Velvet Season Studios
Melissa DeLeon and Vanessa Azzoli, former college roommates, have known each other for more than 20 years. Melissa works in Information Technology and Vanessa in advertising and marketing. “We were on the phone one night and Vanessa brought up that there were no real creative spaces in Durham for her company,” says Melissa. “At the time, she was using a studio in Richmond Hill and said ‘it sucks everyone [from Durham] has to commute to Toronto or Richmond Hill.’” And so, the idea for Velvet Season Studios was born.
The co-founders sourced an Ajax-based location with five studios where creatives—including photographers, videographers, etc. —can film documentaries, commercials, headshots and so on. The studios are also available for events like baby showers, birthday parties and more.
“We decorate them and change up the decor depending on the seasons,” says Melissa. “However, we do leave space for people to bring their own props—if that's what they want—because we’re well aware that our vision is not going to meet everybody’s needs.”
Before the duo decided on a location, they did market research to find out what the pain points were from other similar studios. “We literally had a checklist of what we had to have in the space,” says Melissa. “Things like large windows, ground-floor access, ample free parking, as well as accessible washrooms and change rooms.”
Not only does Velvet Season Studios give back to several Durham-based organizations—including Durham Youth Services—but, they see the space as a community hub. “I don’t want it to just be a transactional thing,” says Melissa. “I’ve actually made genuine friendships out of the studio.” The studio hosted a youth entrepreneurs’ day where kids between the ages of six and 16 were able to sell their goods. They also put together a project with a local photographer that focuses on female empowerment. “One of our biggest goals is to have things at our studio that you would think you have to go to Toronto to get,” says Melissa. “Bringing those cool events or projects to our studios.”
Forest City Films
Brandon Zambonelli and Mauricio De Souza, now the co-founders of Forest City Films—a video production company that creates documentaries, commercials and branded content—met in college and always had the idea to open their own business together. After they graduated in 2015, Brandon went on to work on TV shows like Big Brother Canada, Top Chef Canada and VICE’s Dark Side of the Ring, while Mauricio ventured into broadcasting for the Toronto Blue Jays and various Olympic Games.
Fast forward to 2020 and Forest City Films—a nod to Brandon’s love for the outdoors and Mauricio’s big-city roots—came to fruition. “I’ve worked with so many companies—freelancing, on contract or full-time—and I never truly felt like I fit in with their brand,” says Brandon. “And I never really got to my full potential as a cinematographer in any of those companies. But at the same time, I don’t look at it negatively. It was a stepping-stone that brought me to where I am now, which is where I want to be.”
Regardless of the project, the company treats each shoot like it’s a full-on film production. “I think that’s what helps us separate ourselves from being a normal video company,” says Brandon. “We really try to give it that cinematic look.”
The company’s clients are based everywhere between Toronto and Belleville—such as Bay of Quinte Tourism and University of Toronto—but, Forest City Film’s big push was thanks to Brandon’s home base in Durham Region. “I took the Starter Company Plus Program at Business Advisory Centre Durham and got a lot of help understanding business,” says Brandon. “Because in film school, you’re there to learn how to work on a film set—not how to run your own company. Honestly, I don’t think we would be where we are without taking that program.”
