OUR STORY

We are an independent band of creative professionals who simply thought there was a better way. Deep down in our hopeful hearts, we knew that insightful, smart, stunning work doesn’t have to come at the expense of a quick, efficient, painless partnership. We are small. We are nimble. We are smart. You pay for the people you use. That’s it. When you need more, we pull in the best in the business. It's a modern business model that works for everyone.


WHAT WE BELIEVE
 


 

Brands that look and act differently catch attention and get consumers to fall in love.

 

Brand love means business success.

 

Impact is measured in goosebumps and empty shelves.

 

THERE ARE NO LINES BETWEEN ONLINE AND OFFLINE.

 

BEAUTY IS IN THE DETAILS. SO EVERY DETAIL SHOULD BE BEAUTIFUL.

 

Work is fun if your coworkers are fun.
(spoiler alert, That’s us.)

 

WHAT WE DO

 

STRATEGY

Research, Trends and Insights

Brand Positioning + Architecture

Communication Strategy

Digital, Content +
Social Strategy

Consumer Journeys

Integrated Communication Strategy

IDEATION

Integrated Campaign Ideas

Creative Concepts

Brand Manifestos

Brand Tone of Voice

Holistic Messaging Platforms

Naming

CREATION

Integrated Content Production

Broadcast Production

Conversation Calendar Development + Deployment 

Social Content Creation

Logo + Identity Systems 

 

WHO WE ARE

 
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KATIE YOUNG
CREATIVE DIRECTOR/COPYWRITER

Katie is a New Yorker with a Midwestern heart and a serious case of FOMO. Her right and left brain have a healthy working relationship allowing her to dig deep into every assignment with an intense curiosity and a bit of wonder. She’s breathed life into many brands, creating personalities from scratch for Jergens, John Frieda, Curél and Hershey’s Lancaster, and flawlessly adapting the voices of global powerhouses like Clinique, McDonald’s, Toyota and Crest.

Easy going, but never taking the easy way out, Katie loves a challenge. In a previous position, she overhauled the entire agency process allowing teams to brainstorm unexpected media ideas for creative solutions on smaller budgets. Her work has been named Agency Spot of the Week by Adweek and recognized by the One Show, Communication Arts and AdAge Magazine.

Philosophy: If something doesn’t make sense, say something and do something. The smartest ideas are useless if they aren’t crystal clear.

Work: heykatieyoung.com

 
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ROHINI SAHNI
DIRECTOR OF STRATEGY/PLANNING

With Texan roots, Rohini hails from the land of cowboys and big hair but is 100% New York in her honesty, intelligence and sarcasm. She’s inspired by culture and driven by smart, big thinking.

Rohini brings over 17 years of experience in marketing, market research and integrated communications. She honed her analytical skills early on in her career as a market research analyst and then as a strategy consultant. She quickly found her way into the world of advertising where the role of planner allowed her to fuse data and numbers with her need to be creative.

In her career, Rohini has worked with such brands as PepsiCo, Belvedere Vodka and Revlon’s Almay brand. She’s led strategy on Jergens, John Frieda and Curél, and a host of P&G accounts including Olay, Iams, Eukanuba and The Art of Shaving. She also worked with a cross-agency Omnicom team to launch key innovations from P&G New Business Creations.

And she led the global repositioning effort of Maybelline New York and Lindt North America.

Philosophy: Brands don’t just live on a shelf. They have to be out in the world – they must believe, make and behave.  

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CHRIS CHAO
CREATIVE DIRECTOR/ART DIRECTOR

If a more aesthetically minded person exists, we haven’t met him. Chris was born mentally redesigning things. So his career path was basically a given.

Chris helped build the brands of Bermuda Tourism, Perrier-Jouet, P&G, Novartis, Westin and Sheraton Hotels. His “Feel Better” campaign for the re-launch of Tylenol garnered many awards, helping Deutsch win “Agency of the Year” three times over. The last 10 years of his career have been spent building global beauty brands such as Olay, Jergens, John Frieda and Curél. His work has been recognized by Graphis Design Annual and Adage magazine, has been named Spot of the Year by Adweek, and has won several Addy and Effie Awards.

Philosophy: Laughter goes hand-in-hand with hard work. Inspiration can strike anywhere. And less is more, but sometimes more is more fun.

 Work: chris-chao.com

 
 
 

WHO WE'VE WORKED WITH

Our past lives bring deep, broad experience to The Canal Collective.

 

Almay

The Art of Shaving

Carnival Cruise Lines

Bank of America

Belvedere Vodka

Bermuda Tourism

Century Link

Clinique

Crest

Curél

DDF

Iams

Irish Spring

Jergens

 

John Frieda

Keds

Lindt Chocolate

Maybelline New York

McDonald’s

Mendelson Group

Naked Juice

New Balance

NYU Medical Center

Olay

PepsiCo

Perrier-Jouet Champagn

Pillsbury

Progressive Insurance

PUR

 

Roche Pharmaceuticals

Royal Caribbean

Santander Bank

Sheraton Hotels

Stone Sisters Beauty

Swedish Covenant Hospital

Toyota

Tylenol

University of Phoenix

Vertex

Volkswagen

Volvo Cars

Wrangler

Zelnorm