At AHA, a partner works on every account. The buck stops with us and it’s important for our clients to know that when they choose us. We have a great crew at AHA and, like everything we do, the team we’ve built isn’t typical. We’re a little different and we like it that way.
We call our team the “Crew” for a reason. Much like a rowing crew or film & television crew, each person has specific strengths that they bring to their role. The combination of the right team working together on an account, initiative or campaign, and the blend of the right skill sets, expertise and experience for that initiative adds value for our clients.
We’ve created long-term, ongoing relationships with some of the best and brightest PR specialists, copywriters, interactive communicators, and online and graphic designers in the business. We build the right team for each client and/or project.
It’s all about putting together the right crew for your organization. They’re great at what they do, their talents and abilities are world-class and they are ready to contribute to your success. We’re proud of the crew that we’ve brought to AHA. Check out their bios and photos of each of them in “their natural habitat” below.
Think you’ve got what it takes to be a member of the AHA Crew, check out our culture and get in touch.
Ruth has developed, managed and implemented highly successful traditional and social media communications campaigns locally, nationally and internationally. She brings extensive media experience to her role at AHA. A former journalist, she has written for many national publications including Maclean’s, Chatelaine, Flare and The Globe and Mail.
Ruth’s ability to think creatively and act strategically is a powerful combination of skills that provides a strong foundation for the work done by AHA Creative Strategies. Ruth has the rare ability to focus on the core of the objective while supporting the big picture. Her always developing and evolving skill set allows her to work with clients to create a road map that provides a well-developed strategy supported by innovative and effective tactics with measurable results.
Ruth has spent the past decade immersed in online communication. As a specialist in this exciting and expanding area, Ruth balances a never-ending curiosity and interest in what is new and innovative online with a strategic approach.
In her spare time, Ruth is writing a trashy novel and likes to cook and entertain.
Paul’s expertise in corporate communications provides AHA clients with a solid and well-thought-out approach to each facet of an event, project or campaign. With his editor’s attention to detail, analytical mind and strong commitment to exceeding expectations, Paul adds value to each project. A critical thinker, he examines every angle of a plan to ensure that each tactic being used will meet the specific objective of the initiative.
Paul brings a business perspective to creative projects, which allows the crew at AHA Creative Strategies to provide innovative public relations services to our clients, while working within the budget and other organizational constraints. Paul’s project management skills are world-class and deliver exceptional value to AHA clients.
An avid Karaoke buff, Paul also loves sports and gardening.
Since childhood, Nala has been passionate about writing and communications. (She even wrote a neighbourhood newsletter when she was nine.) Nala is formally trained as a graphic designer and technical writer, has continued her training in marketing and journalism courses, and has spent over 12 years as a marketing and advertising strategist in the financial and tourism industries.
Nala’s niche skill is branded strategic writing for business. She has conducted several brand strategy projects with Canadian clients in the financial sector, and has developed the resulting branded communication plans for everything from print and broadcast to web and social media. She believes the success of a company’s business strategy is directly related to the level of strategic integration it practices across all messaging, both internally and externally.
Nala has worked with Envision Credit Union, Harrison Hot Springs Resort, Rocky Mountaineer Railtours and many other small businesses. As former Vice President, Communications with Currency Marketing, she helped develop the initial Young & Free program with legacy Commonwealth Credit Union in Lloydminster, Alberta, and was working at a high level with credit unions across Canada and the U.S. to implement their Young & Free programs, until March 2011.
Nala currently blogs and writes for London Drugs, writes and manages social media for IAAO (International Association of Amusement Operators), and writes for her pet project, www.freshbnb.com – a blog dedicated to marketing and social media learning for B&Bs. She wrote the Social Media Action Plan for Family Entertainment Centers and is currently adapting it for B&Bs.
When she’s not writing, Nala is an avid reader, hiker and Xbox player. She would say she loves to bake… when those projects survive past the cookie dough stage. She has expressed some interest in helping Ruth with her very trashy novel, under the pseudonym Lana Helken, of course.
Both analytical and creative, Barbara Wickens excels at identifying key messages and crafting powerful, coherent copy that informs, engages and inspires intended audiences. She believes that even in an era of continually evolving media formats and conventions, the best way to do this is through passionate and precise use of the basics, including appropriate vocabulary and error-free grammar. While this may seem like common sense, easy-to-read, inspiring writing can be surprisingly uncommon. Just ask anyone who has been buffaloed by insider or technical jargon, tripped over poor punctuation or stymied by an impenetrable instruction manual.
Barbara honed her skills during her 20-year-plus career as a staff writer/editor at two of Canada’s most significant print media institutions. With a freshly minted Masters degree in journalism from the University of Western Ontario, she joined the Canadian Press before eventually moving on to Maclean’s magazine; her ultimate title at the newsweekly was Senior Editor/Canada. An independent professional since 2005, Barbara continues to do editorial work; provides writing and editing services for select corporate and non-profit clients; and has published, with co-author Sherri Auger, her first non-fiction book, Now What? A Practical Guide to Aging, Illness and Dying (Novalis, May 2010).
In her free time, Barbara hikes, bird-watches and fantasizes about getting an agent for her amazing Shepherd-mix pup, Billy. A boy that handsome ought to be in show-biz and earn his own kibble!
Kim brings a strong attention to detail and an organizational skill set to each project she coordinates. A former legal secretary, she understands the importance of accuracy and credibility, and is an experienced fact checker and researcher. Kim provides a range of services at AHA including copy editing, research and project coordination.
In Kim’s spare time, she loves hanging out with her husband and two boys, scrapbooking and visiting with friends.
Laurie Hanley obtained her BA at the University of New Brunswick, with a major in Psychology, a minor in Spanish, and extensive study in French. She followed this up with the obvious – a Certificate of Excellence in Acting for Film and TV at Vancouver Film School. Her work experience has been as varied as her studies, with a constant theme shining through: each job has required a strong work ethic, excellent people skills and fine attention to detail. Laurie prides herself in her ability to think outside the box with ease and to quickly adapt to fresh surroundings. She applies all of these skills in her daily life and on each project she is involved with.
Her passions in life include her family, her work, all things film-related, cooking with eggnog, and frequent packing and unpacking. Laurie currently resides in beautiful Halifax, Nova Scotia.
During her 15-year career in communications, Lori has worked with a diverse range of clients, including technology, government, high fashion and tourism. From the runways of New York to the shores of Australia, Lori consistently delivered exceptional results.
With close to a decade of experience as an account director for large agencies in Calgary and Toronto, Lori decided to search out that elusive thing called work-life balance.
Committed to continuing her career path working with a well-respected and innovative boutique agency on world-class campaigns, Lori joined AHA Creative Strategies as East Coast (Toronto) Account Executive and Writer.
Away from work, Lori loves to hang out with her family, cook foods she can’t pronounce and attempt the odd triathlon.
At age 10, Ryan Dawson set up a studio in his mother’s basement using her table lamps and an old VHS camcorder. Since then, he has remained behind the lens, learned his craft and become a highly sought-after professional videographer. The bonus to that: he has seen a great deal of the world doing work he loves.
Ryan began his career shooting local news in Vancouver. This led him to the South Pacific where he covered breaking news for networks worldwide. There, he was witness to a coup in Fiji, a tsunami in the Solomon Islands, the Holi festival in India, and a lahar in New Zealand, among many other incredible events. Currently, Ryan continues to pursue his dream. He shoots television shows, world sporting events, corporate videos, current affairs documentaries and brand journalism videos for clients all over the globe.
Ryan graduated from the British Columbia Institute of Technology’s broadcast communication program. When not working, Ryan plays beach volleyball and is still trying reach his goal of tasting every beer on Earth.
Erika Hinze kick-started her career as a freelance journalist in Auckland, New Zealand, where she worked as a writer and reporter for a national radio station. In her spare time she developed a keen interest in covering breaking news events. With the help of a couple of seasoned scanner chasers and a fast driver, Erika quickly learned how to beat emergency crews – and more importantly, competing media outlets – to fire, crime and accident scenes.
In addition to working in radio, Erika has written numerous freelance articles which have appeared in The New Zealand Herald, Concrete Wave magazine, SugarcainEntertainment.com and TunnelTalk.com. She has also worked in some exotic areas of the world. In 2009, Erika travelled through India with a small crew, helping to field produce stories for New Zealand’s TV3. Most recently, she ventured to central Kalimantan on the Indonesian portion of the island of Borneo to associate produce a segment about the depleting wild orangutan population. “Jungle Survivors” aired on Global TV’s 16X9: The Bigger Picture.
Along with her role as video producer/editor with the AHA Brand Journalism Team, Erika works as a freelance news writer for Global BC. On occasion, she also fills in as a traffic reporter, flying high above the Lower Mainland in a helicopter – providing reports for television and AM radio. Erika is a founding partner at Liquid City Productions, where she spearheads the production of corporate videos for public and private organizations. Through a range of corporate assignments, Erika has proven her ability to produce, report and edit video news releases in a quick turnaround, meeting tight deadlines and budgets.
With a fine arts degree from Emily Carr, Internet training from UBC, and over 10 years of varied industry experience, Tzaddi is uniquely positioned to combine creative flair and technical expertise with a passion to make delightful user experiences.
Tzaddi enjoys empowering clients with the ability to maintain their own sites by building many of her sites in WordPress. She believes that websites are a lot like plants: they grow stronger with regular nourishment and careful pruning.
In addition to supporting AHA and our clients, Tzaddi has worked with TELUS, YVR Airport Authority, Fjord Interactive/Cossette, Capulet Communications and a number of other organizations.
When she tears herself away from the endless fascination of her work & play on the internet, she enjoys hiking the rainforests around Gibsons with her two overly athletic dogs.