Speaker Series
Get the inside scoop—our latest panel series shares real stories, creative journeys, and career advice from top pros in advertising and design.
2025/26 Speakers Series
The 15 Annual Creative Futures Speaker series returns! Join us virtually from November 18 – 28, 2025 for a series of panel discussions with young, award-winning talent currently working in the creative industry. Attend one of the information sessions hosted by one of the participating colleges and universities. Creative Future's is an invaluable roadmap to help you learn more about creative careers.
Tuesday, November 18, 2025, 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm EST
A moderated Panel Discussion with professionals working in creative advertising, an animator and designer.
Creative Directors Jesse Wilks and Geraro Agbuya, Courage, Toronto, ON
Alma Mater: Humber Polytechnic
We're a creative director team that's worked together for 12 years across Canada and the USA. In that time we've created what was dubbed one of the best Canadian ads of the 21st century for President's Choice, helped revive the Miller Lite brand in America, got superstitious with KFC to help the Edmonton Oilers get back into the Stanley Cup Finals, started the Toronto Raptors infamous "GoDaddy Curse" and threw Tom Cruise's stuntman off a bridge on a flaming motorcycle. We try our best to create work that moves people, that builds brands, that affects culture and doesn't feel like advertising. We try to have fun. (We generally succeed at that.). We work really, really hard. Pretty much every single day we wake up excited to go to work. | w. gerardoandjesse.com | IG @jesse_wilks, @gswagger | IN @jessewilks, @gerardoagbuya
Animation Director and Co-Founder Gabriel Mansella, Bouillant Animation, Montreal, QC
Alma Mater: Concordia University - BFA Film Animation
Gabriel is a director and illustrator who brings stories to life through animation for audiences of all ages. He believes storytelling has the power to spark change, guiding his work in education, science communication, and raising awareness. | w. bouillant.ca | IG @gab.masella | IN @gabrielmasella | Bē @gmasella
Graphic Designer Jasmine Silang, Isometric Studio, Toronto, ON
Alma mater: George Brown College School of Design
Jasmine Silang (she/they) is a Toronto-based, Filipina designer and brand strategist fuelled by her passion for creating meaningful solutions. Her work is rooted in the intersection of design, strategy, social advocacy, and fostering community. Her love for design was sparked while working on the yearbook in high school and she’s been expanding her knowledge and passion ever since. When she’s not creating, she spends time with her cat, Juno, playing Animal Crossing, and organizing her Notion workspace (as a true Capricorn does). | w. jasminesilang.com | IG: @jasminesilang_ | IN: @Jasmine Silang
Thursday, November 20, 2025, 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm EST
A moderated Panel Discussion with professionals working in creative advertising, a concept artist and a photographer.
Art Director Shannon Glassford, Berlin Communications, Edmonton, AB
Alma mater: Bachelor of Visual Communication Design, University of Alberta, 2020
Shannon is the kind of designer who is equal parts conceptual thinker and creative doer. She is a proud graduate of the University of Alberta and puts getting to where she is today down to trying her very best, having a bit of fun, and working with lovely people. Sharp instincts and solid craft are part of it, but it’s her emotional intelligence that sets her work apart, bringing warmth or wit to every visual decision. When she is not playing with ideas, she is usually thinking about learning how to knit, but most times ends up baking a sweet treat instead. | IN @shannon-glassford-55a27a233/
Senior Concept Artist, Tian Gan, Bad Robot Games
Alma mater: Art Center College of Design
Tian Gan, a concept artist and Illustrator at Bad Robot Games, a video game fraction of JJ Abrams’ Bad Robot Production. She is currently working for the first video game IP for Bad Robot Games. Her distinctive creativity and designs have been honoured with national and international illustration and photography awards, such as Applied Art Awards, American Illustration, Creative Quarterly, 3x3 International Illustration Awards, Art Director Club 102nd Annual Awards, and International Photography Awards. | w. artstation.com/kuku_gan | IN @tg_tian_gan
Photographer, Cameron Sparling, Vancouver, BC
Alma mater: VanArts
Cameron Sparling is a Vancouver-based photographer who has been shooting professionally across Canada for the past 10 years. In his commercial and creative projects he strives to build a refined, nostalgia-inspired aesthetic and channel unique moments into every frame.
Friday, November 21, 2025, 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm EST
A moderated Panel Discussion with professionals working as a content creator and a freelance designer/illustrator
Designer, Illustrator & Art Director, Ionut Radulescu, Brooklyn, NY
Alma Mater: Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), Savannah, GA, National University of Arts, Bucharest, Romania
Ionut Radulescu is a Romanian designer, illustrator, and art director based in Brooklyn, New York, known for blending illustration and design to tell bold, engaging stories. He works across branding, editorial, digital, print, and lettering for clients including The New York Times, Refinery29, Converse, Teen Vogue, Peloton, Thinx, and Pepsi. His work explores queerness, self-expression, and empowerment, and has been featured in Creative Boom, Applied Arts, AIGA Eye on Design, IQads, and more, earning recognition from American Illustration and Applied Arts Magazine. Committed to fostering creative growth, Ionut has served on judging panels including The One Club for Creativity, led workshops and talks for organizations like Refinery29, and co-taught lettering, typography, and illustration courses at The National University of Arts (UNArte) in Bucharest. He thrives on helping clients tell compelling stories while actively contributing to the design and illustration community through mentorship, teaching, and creative initiatives. | w. ionutradulescu.com | IG @ionutradulescu | IN @ionut-radulescu-62363719
Content Creator, Tosin Adeniyi, Learn from Tos, Toronto, ON
Alma Mater: Humber Polytechnic
Tosin is the founder of Outerbox, a creative agency helping small businesses build big brand appeal. After working with major brands like McDonald’s and The Home Depot, she recognized that small businesses needed a different approach—so she built it. Named a 30 Under 30 Marketer by Campaign Canada, she now helps founders discover their unique magic and turn it into their greatest competitive advantage.
Creative, Anvisha Vora, Kaira Hair Care, Chicago, IL
Alma mater: Savannah College of Art and Design
Anvisha Vora is a multi-award-winning creative who’s shaped stories for Pfizer, Kerrygold, and Ulta Beauty at agencies like Energy BBDO and FCB Chicago. She believes ideas should hit hard, feel human, and stick around long after. Along the way, her work has been recognized by Communication Arts, Applied Arts, The One Club for Creativity, and the American Advertising Awards. She also received the Global Wellness Summit Innovation Award for designing a device that helps ease anxiety. These days, she’s building brands with purpose, culture, and just the right amount of chaos.
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