New Career Op

We thought that we were moving to Ottawa for Jason's job/career. While that's still true, it appears that God had more in mind for MY career as well!

I've been a book cover designer for 3 years, and have done 370 books. (Most of them in the last 18 months!) I absolutely LOVE it!

However, now I have an additional 'gig'. I'm now "Creative Director of Communications" for Actyl Workforce Solutions

It all began with our friend Adrian (from Winnipeg) Adrian was asked to manage an ad campaign for Regina Health, to recruit nurses. He had seen my design work, and asked me to come up with the "look" for the campaign. It included national newspaper ads, billboards, bus benches, and creating a website. We also began working together, coming up with slogans and strategies. (how DO you get a nurse to move to Regina??? haha) I wasn't just creating the look...I began to come up with the ideas as well. And Adrian and I worked seamlessly together. A couple months later, I found out that our campaign had been the most successful EVER in Saskatchewan, recruiting alot of nurses to the province! We were a hit!

Adrian asked me if I'd be interested in staring a company that did this for other provinces and health regions as well. I said "sure"!! As the months went on, the vision for the company began to change, as we saw the need for recruiting nurses increase. There just aren't enough of them in Canada...and as successful as our campaign was, it was merely taking nurses from one part of Canada, and moving them to another. We need MORE nurses!

Adrian and his business partner Linda made an amazing connection with a company in the Philippines that had tonnes of excellently trained Filipino nurses desperate to have a job in Canada. Adrian started Actyl Workforce Solutions, and we were off.

But in mere weeks, it was evident that it wasn't just a nursing shortage that Canada was facing. Western Canada is in crisis. They need Skilled Labour, Healthcare Workers, Manufacturing Labour, and Hospitality Workers (Restaurants, Hotels etc). And the Philippines is brimming with talented people skilled in these areas.

So we set to work. And large companies have been banging down our door. Companies like Brandt Tractor, and most recently *drum roll* McDonald's!! That's right...we were hired to help staff a couple hundred McDonald's locations in Saskatchewan and Alberta. In a couple weeks, Linda and Adrian will be pitching to McDonald's National in Toronto.

The last couple weeks have been CRAZY! The team writes the proposals, and then send them to me. And I make them "sexy" (as Adrian likes to say). In fact, I'm now in charge of the "look" of ANYTHING related to the company. Handouts, Ads, Proposals, Printing....it all goes thru me.

I came up with a slogan to sell our company and had Ads placed in business magazines across western Canada.

Obviously, the McDonald's National pitch is a massive opportunity, and I spent the last week creating the look of the proposals, powerpoint presentation, and even producing a short 'commercial type' video about our company. (Adrian had called to ask me if I could do this.....and I had no idea how! But i figured "How hard could it be?" and a few days later, I presented it to him.)

Very exciting stuff!!

I am also working on 2 CD covers right now, a couple ads for some of my authors to promo their books in magazines, some design work for an Member of Parliament, 20 book covers, a 8ft Trade Show display and podium, and a second video for Adrian to show at Trade Shows.

So yeah. That's my life. For my friends out there: I'm sorry if I've been non-existent. Things may calm down in the next couple weeks.