It’s no secret that exceptional work stems from the power of collaboration. So in addition to featuring notable young professionals and entrepreneurs every single day, we’ll be chatting to some of Canada’s best teams every Thursday to get an inside look at how they combine talents to stand out in their industry. Today we’re talking to the team behind Toronto-based FlashStock….
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WORK
Describe what you and your team focus on in less than 140 characters. Go.
We are a Toronto-based start-up that delivers authentic on-demand content to some of the world’s biggest brands!
What kick ass projects/programs have you been working on recently?
We have recently expanded our offerings to not just images, but now videos, gifs and cinemagraphs. It’s been a learning curve for us, but our clients have absolutely loved being able to branch out into different content types for their social media.
What are some of the benefits of working on a team?
We all come from such different backgrounds: photographers, copyright law, account management. It’s great for problem solving, as everyone can offer a different view. Work days also fly by when you are working with people you like.
What are some of the biggest challenges you have faced? (tell a funny story here)
One of the biggest challenges we face is finding talent for imagery. As such, we have a designated FlashStock “baby wrangler” who now has a database of babies across North America. Or there was that one time we needed a pregnant woman wearing a hijab for an image, which we were having trouble sourcing, so when we spotted someone fitting that demographic we may have chased her down the street to get her email…
Do you have any advice for other young professionals working within a team?
Supporting each other is key to having a team that works well; people can do their job much better when they know they have a safety net if needed.
Does your team have a designated leader?
Kristen is our de facto team mom, err, I mean leader. She may keep us in line, and pick up the beer tab, but we as a team are pretty self-sufficient. No micromanaging around here.
Within your organization are teams switched up every once in a while or do they maintain the same? What are some of the benefits and cons of that?
Our roles are pretty specialized so we don’t switch, but as we are in a start-up environment, we are all required to wear different hats on a daily basis.
What does the word collaboration mean to you?
Collaboration means being open and accepting of everyone’s ideas and opinions, and supporting your team when things get tough.
What has been you and your teams favourite project/campaign/ initiative to work on and why?
We are often given products to shoot that haven’t been launched to market yet. This week it’s a 360° camera that we are really stoked to see. Past items include virtual reality equipment, alcohols that haven’t hit shelves yet, and luxury skincare products.
PLAY
Where is your teams favourite place to wine/dine in your city and why?
We usually stay close to the office (King and Bathurst), so Valdez for Friday margaritas, Colette for our lattes, Gusto 101 for our $1-an-ounce wine, Wilbur for tacos, and Thor for coffee!
Do you and your team go out together? Where and why?
We hang out together more than we hang out with outside world friends. It’s kind of a problem, really. I think we are currently on a 13-day streak of seeing each other. Most of us live near Ossington, so we like to frequent the bars around there. Trinity Bellwoods is another great hangout spot. We’ve also done paintball, ping-pong, group dinners, and shows. We like to blow off steam together after the fast-paced week, and being so close ultimately allows us to work better as a team.
What’s the best thing that has happened to you and your team recently?
We had a HUGE client renew recently, who we really jumped through hoops to please. It was a great feeling when their renewal came in!
Are there any other teams within your company or any company that you know of that are killing it?
Because we are a start-up the growth we’ve seen in the past year has been insane. I think that is thanks to all of our teams working well – from sales, to marketing, to our developers.
And finally, what does success look like to you and your team? Work, play, or otherwise…
Success means happy clients, happy photographers, delivering amazing imagery, and having great work life balance.
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