Canadians Create, Episode 14: Expanding a Legacy with john st.

​​​​​​​StartWell, in partnership with Little Black Book (LBB) and the Institute of Canadian Agencies (ICA), has launched the fourteenth episode of its original podcast series, ‘Canadians Create’. Designed to bring to life the ICA’s ‘Brands Need More Canada’ manifesto, the series focuses on highlighting conversations with agencies and marketers, showcasing best-in-class examples of Canadian creative work in the process.

This week’s edition showcases a fitting partnership between john st. and sports betting company Sports Interaction. An industry which has seen immense change due to its deregulation in Ontario – leading to a flood of category entrants – the chance to make an almost 25-year-old company stand out amongst the crowd, in many ways, felt right for such a storied independent agency that too has had to adapt to modern times. A journey highlighted effectively through the creation of the ‘Every Game Is Your Game’ platform, this proved the perfect point of exploration for podcast producer and host, Qasim Virjee.

Featuring the john st.’s chief creative officer, Krystle Mullin, as well as partner and chief strategy officer Andre Louis, the episode highlights not only the agency’s ethos and how its working to adapt a fabled legacy, but what it takes to create an ownable platform in an oversaturated category – one capable of respecting and truly speaking to fans of various sports. From how the original pitching process went, to what it took to tell nuanced stories capable of providing fresh, fun takes, there’s a lot to learn about here, all of which you can check out below.