A Look Behind the Curtain: Getting to Know the Forthought Team
Steve Jobs once said, ‘Great things are never done by one person, they’re done by a team of people’. At Forthought, that sentiment rings undeniably true. Over the years, our small, boutique agency has been lucky to attract the likes of incredibly talented and hard-working individuals, each with their own unique approach to both design and life. So, today, we want to pull back the curtain and introduce you to two of these beloved team members, Angela and Andrew.
Angela has spent 8 years with Forthought (you know what they say — time flies when you’re having fun) as a key Production Artist. During that time, Angela has truly evolved from a reserved woman with quiet potential, to an experienced and skilled artist who shines in the realm of client communications. Primarily, Angela spends her time dedicated to our client, Ferrero Rocher Canada, working alongside our Designer, Kat, while also taking on project management duties. Over the years, her range of expertise has grown in a way which allows her to ‘wear many hats’, and she has, undeniably, established herself as a rising star within the company.
Angela also happens to be our first ‘remote’ employee, following an opportunity to move to Calgary 6 years ago, just as she had woven her way into the fabric of our team. Determined to keep her on, we arranged for her to work remote from her new home.
Fortunately, distance makes the heart grow fonder, and Angela eventually found her way back to home turf in Ontario. “Even though I was gone for 6 years, everyone is still so close. It feels like family”, she explains. Perhaps she was onto something, though, considering we have now all joined her in the ‘work-remote’ model, due to the restrictions of the pandemic. Clearly, she’s gotten the swing of this already, and the rest of us are quickly following suit (even though we miss seeing each other in real life). During quarantine, Angela has been spending her time at her parent’s house in the country, and in the absence of a bustling, urban centre, she says she’s discovered her green thumb while taking a liking to gardening. That and a Netflix binge or two, of course.
Andrew, on the other hand, has been with Forthought for 5 years, and came to us as a recent graduate. When we first met, Andrew was working as a signs and vinyl designer at a local shop, and we were quickly struck by his warm nature and keen attention to detail. Now 28 years old (or years young, we should probably say), Andrew has the makings of a design professional many years his senior, frequently bringing up questions and perspectives that we might have otherwise missed. More than that, he is always willing to share insight and collaborate with team members.
If you ask him what he likes most about working at Forthought, he credits the family dynamic and supportive structure, noting that everyone feels like friends rather than co-workers, and are free to work without micromanagement. “Working in a small agency really allows us to streamline our workflows and creative process”, he explains. “Having such a close team dynamic, we avoid the limitations of having too much red tape to get through. Beyond the obvious advantage this brings to the company culture, my skills have definitely rounded out better as a result of the boutique dynamic.”
In his spare time, you might find Andrew at a TFC game (he is a self-proclaimed ‘huge!’ fan), or officiating minor hockey. Last year, he joined us for a team axe-throwing event the night the Raptors won the championship, and a few of us ended up pouring onto the streets with the rest of Toronto to celebrate. Waving flags and cheering, the four of us stayed out until 3:30 AM, relishing in city pride and a love for the sport of basketball.
Andrew is also quite skilled in the realm of paddle boarding and surfing, and explains that you can still catch a decent wave or two in Toronto. The key, he explains, is to use a surf-specific paddleboard.
Angela and Andrew, thank you for all that you do and bring to the table at Forthought. You are both an integral part of our team, and we look forward to witnessing (and playing a part in) your continued growth.