This month, we sat down with our Executive Vice President, Audra Lesosky, to talk about her career journey, share advice for the next generation of strategists, and swap some wild office stories.
How long have you been at the Agency?
Oh f*ck. I don’t know... forever?
Okay, here’s my origin story. I worked on the client side for 11 years, and then I worked for McKim, which merged with Palmer Jarvis DDB. I left to go to Taylor George to work with Peter George – which then merged with McKim – which then merged with Sherpa and here we are at Show and Tell.
So, when did I start is a bit of a tough question. Technically, I’ve been here since Taylor George officially merged with McKim in 2006 but really, my agency tenure goes back to 1999.
Editor’s note: never burn your bridges, people.
What is your role and what does it entail?
Officially, my role is leading the strategy, branding and PR practices at the agency. So, for the most part I’m the first one in on most client relationships depending on the engagement.
Going from a Junior Copywriter in the late 80s to our EVP of Strategy, can you walk us through that journey?
This is weird, I’m rewatching Mad Men right now (on 1.25 speed AKA how I consume most content) and some of the shenanigans from Mad Men are similar to things I’ve experienced.
My first job was copywriter in the ad department of the retailer, The North West Company. It was men in offices and women in cubicles. That was the way it was. Even though the bosses in offices were all men, my direct bosses at that time were all women. I think that was the difference for me: I always had good women mentors.
So maybe I was oblivious, but I don’t think I ever saw barriers. Even though the inequity was right in front of me – it never occurred to me that “I couldn’t” because I was a woman.
Even at McKim in ‘99, most of the bosses were still men, but there was one particularly inspiring woman leader. I still say I want to grow up to be Margot Brown. Her poise, confidence, humour and influence are traits I aspire to.
I’ve always embraced both the craft and the art of our industry — so a broadly applicable skill set is something that might have set me apart. If you can bring unique skills, or just a lot of them, there is always a place for you at an agency.
Being a generalist means dabbling in a lot of things — which I believe makes you better at everything. I realized that strategic thinking was a need I could fulfil. And I was lucky enough to be allowed to carve out my own position and help build the agency’s strategy practice. Which has led me to where I am today.
Editor’s note: Basically, she built a career on making herself useful.
What makes a great strategist and why are they so hard to find?
It depends. Everyone's a strategist in a way. I think what makes a great one is being tactically agnostic. At our agency, we beat that drum a lot.
Strategy is diagnostic and often requires triaging a situation. That’s core to my job — first to help clients articulate what the problem is, what their goal is, and then consider deeply how best to solve the problem and achieve the goal.
What career memory would you turn into an episode of Mad Men?
The episode would be called: “she wouldn’t leave.”
I had this colleague who would not accept she’d been fired. She just straight up said: nope, I refuse that.
In a big company there are a lot of places to hide. Particularly if you’re a department of one. This person’s role was related to corporate social responsibility, and she ordered up a lot of creative work from my department.
Fast forward to her new boss discovering two years’ worth of printed communications materials — stacked up in boxes in a closet. She never distributed anything she’d had us produce, and refused to acknowledge that was a problem. She had to be escorted out of the building by HR.
You love to travel. What place should we be adding to our must-see lists?
Depends on what you're into but I loved Bruges. It’s tiny so you only need a couple days but it’s such a lovely medieval village. It deserves to be seen.
What has been your favourite marketing campaign in recent times? Why?
Just recently – the BC Security Commissions AI campaign, We Are All F**ked —
and not just because I love a well-placed expletive.
It’s both funny and scary. The bravery of a formal entity like the BCC to make a video so bold is spectacular.
We’ve heard you talk about the power of silence: can you tell us about that?
*She pauses*
I learned, through a University of Manitoba course, that Indigenous young people are taught to pause before they speak. To demonstrate respect, especially if an elder has asked a question, they pause to show they are giving thought to what was just said.
Everyone feels compelled to fill the gap — we call it an “uncomfortable silence.” But we need to get out of that habit and let people have time to think, and so they know what they share is important.
We ask challenging questions, so I try to remind myself to pause.
You also dabble in theatre – and how does that translate into your professional life?
My partner and I do it for fun. I’m fully behind the scenes. I’ve stage managed and created the promotional material for ImproVision (our improv troupe) for more than 20 years. I co-wrote, co-produced and did set design for our trilogy of horror-parodies, Macabre Tales of Horror and Macabreness. And, solo, I wrote, directed and produced Lies of a Promiscuous Woman.
Theatre stuff helps because I used to be painfully shy. In college I even struggled having to interview people for journalism class. Taking improv and acting classes gives you tools you can apply every day. Being outwardly confident helps people trust what you’re saying. It’s all about perception (that’s advertising!).
Improv also helps you pick up cues from others and makes you a stronger presenter and quicker on your feet. I can usually roll with the punches and change direction when needed, which is where the improv training comes in handy.
Editor’s note: We are trying to convince Audra to give us an improv session.
Do you have a favourite theatre production?
There are so many it’s hard to choose. I really liked The Colour Purple... The Play That Goes Wrong... The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time... But really, I’d have to say it was a Winnipeg Fringe Festival play from 2007, “Letters in Wartime” with Jon Paterson — it was so good I forgot I knew the actor.
It affected me so much I couldn’t speak for half an hour after the show.
Many people think of you as a great leader and mentor. Why do you think that is?
Oh god. That’s so much pressure. Honestly, I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up so it's tough for me to consider myself a leader or a mentor because I just figure it out as I go along.
I don’t know, maybe it’s because I don’t respect authority or boundaries. (She’s kidding, we think…)
I guess I get excited when I see people do well and want to encourage that. I'm lucky that I've never felt the need to be protective of my position. When you build up people and build their skills, it makes your job easier. More people to share the load. I also get to work with talented people who do amazing work — you don’t need to take credit for something to be proud of it.
Editor’s note: Basically, she’s a bad ass.
Winnipeg Restaurant recommendations?
I’m an Exchange District person. So, my recommendations are down here.
Hermanos is really close to me, so I go there a lot.
Nonsuch also has a wonderful menu.
BluFish is awesome for sushi.
What advice would you give to someone new at the agency?
Don’t be afraid to ask questions. When someone asks smart questions then I have hope for them.
If this has you dreaming of being Audra when you grow up, join the club! Stay tuned for our March edition.