I grew up in a family that owned community newspapers throughout the Ottawa Valley.
Starting at the age of 12, and through my teen years, my first job was to spend weekends and summers cleaning press rooms and layout studios, often on my hands and knees. At this time my sisters rescued me and taught me how to develop black & white film and make prints for the newspapers.
I was hooked.
From the age of 12 through my teen years I went everywhere with a camera, built a darkroom in my bedroom, experimented with colour photography, was a yearbook photographer, school newspaper photographer/editor and then school newspaper editor.
All photography, all of the time.
And then I burned out.
So I took the next logical step - I got a job working at McDonalds in Bells Corners. I learned so much from that year. In particular, my trainer, Steve Jacobs taught me that systems matter. Systems set the tone for the consistency that allows you to scale an operation which, eventually, allows you to be creative.
Moving forward from that experience I graduated from the Advertising Creative program offered at Algonquin College, tried my hand at Life Insurance sales and then found my next job accidentally, one that helped me immeasurably- selling shoes.
Selling Shoes
Starting at Agnew in Herongate Mall I learned how to manage a store, manage retail books and build retail relationships from the store manager, Gaby Taillon.
When I was promoted to the Agnew Carlingwood to be Doug Sabourin’s, Assistant Manager the same lessons were applied but at a dramatically higher volume - six months later I was made the Dave Wilson’s Assistant Manager at Aggies Rideau Centre and then, six months later I became the Ashton Shoe Store Manager at Carlingwood.
There I learned how to work with head office buyers in getting the inventory I needed to quickly increase sales by 38% year over year.
Shopping Centre Marketing
When I saw the ad that Hazeldean Mall was looking for a Marketing Coordinator I jumped at the opportunity. To land the job the managers, James McNeil and Shari Geekie, gave me a week to pitch a creative event and advertising for the malls anniversary.
I got the job.
Best of all I had the freedom to be creative and to make mistakes - using everything I learned from my retail experience I built relationships and helped to make Hazeldean the best little mall in Ottawa.
The next challenge was to be the Marketing Director at Carlingwood where we earned 9 ICSC awards for marketing.
Combining Photography and Marketing
Through all of this I rediscovered my passion for photography first with weddings and now with the melding of photography and marketing to create Branding Content to create IDEA3.
Headshot and Personal Branding Portraits
Revealing character, experience and personality through portraiture.
Architectural Photography
Capturing the engineered art and history of what people create and how people interact with them.
Santa Studio Experience
Taking Santa Claus visits to a new level, every member of the Santa Studio is a key to creating a lifetime experience from a simple meet and greet with Santa - and portraits to remember them with.
Branding Websites
Sharing your origin story through a vertically integrated marketing program - communicating your “Why”, photographing you/your business and building your website to express You, The Brand.
Frank Fenn
Frank Fenn
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