What’s my story?
(I talk storytelling, so this should be good, right? At least clear, concise, and engaging.) 
ALEX FURRER
Accomplished CCO/ECD with a decade leading creatives & lifetime not taking self too seriously.
I was always a reader, finishing books before we were home from the library. I fell for fashion and ads, plastering my room with fashion ads. I was an amateur athlete as soon as I was kicked from the stroller: skiing since I could walk, running long distances for fun, and spending high school with chlorine-frizzed hair. And always up for a challenge.
Sliding ahead. I studied English, which left me employed in toy stores. So, I studied more. Journalism got me to the Toronto Star. I learned craft and how to ask the right questions but craved more creativity.
Enter copywriting. Enter agency world.
Enter 20+ years in 20ish short bullet points:
Interned at OgilvyOne, returning years later as CCO.
Went to McLaren McCann, after answering an interview question about what I knew about cars with “I have a licence.”
Wrote and edited truck magazines for GM. Then altered tones and wrote for Cadillac.
Spent the first years in CRM and digital proving that good ideas come from anywhere.
Wrote letters. Emails. So Many Subject Lines. Banners. Landing pages. Interactive content.
Won a competition and found myself in Cannes. Then at Taxi.
Helped launch Koodo Mobile, including writing a workout video for thumbs that needed to be text-ready. Exhausting.
Did TV, naming, created brand tones and stories, wrote an app, did a lot of 360 thinking, and learned that when you write a song for a radio spot, you have to sing for clients. Despite shattering some meeting room glass, it wasn’t the last time.
Worked on Canada’s favourite coffee and went to the Philippines for a TV and short film shoot.
Started leading teams, discovering I was good at it and proudest when teams collaborated.
Worked on hair products, fashion, hotels, phones again. And lots of B2B - becoming a fan of how clever and effective this work can be.
Won a bunch of pitches. Won a bunch of awards. The best ones incorporating creative and business results.
Created pop-up shops for big brands.
Spent Covid on set of 100+ TV shoots from my home office.
Made documentaries, merging brand storytelling and journalism.
Worked with countless startups devising their first spots.
Helped agencies create briefing processes, creative processes and instilled 360 thinking.
Won more pitches, honing my presentation style, which no longer involves singing off tune.
Built several creative teams, some from scratch.
Became the go-to for crafting brand manifestos and selling 360 stories.
Dove deeper into strategy and business objectives with each project.
Between it all, I made a coffee table out of Lego, married, had a kid (now a teen and living up to the term), divorced, single-momed, made up words, dated, found my real friends, found my partner, made a few houses homes, travelled, wrote my son a novel, cranked music and laughed at every chance.
I still read (sorting my books by colour), covet fashion, and swim, run, ski.
Now, as a fractional creative leader, I use everything I’ve learned to jump in, as needed, and help brands tell stories, craft manifestos, create 360 platforms, and strategies that help solve their problems, meeting their objectives, and sell themselves to whoever their target is.
