Digital Day Camp, produced by David U.K. and Rob Beeler, will be a day of sharing ideas to move digital advertising forward in Canada. We will discuss key topics not only at a strategic level but also at a practical level. You will leave the event with ideas on transforming the industry and your company's future.
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The agenda is focused on a collaboration between publishers, agencies, brands and ad tech partners to share ideas to move digital advertising forward in Canada and transform the industry and our future.
8:00 - 9:00
28th Floor Cafe & Bar
Registration & Breakfast
Welcome! Start your day with us by joining for registration and a light breakfast. Network, grab a coffee, and get ready for the inspiring day ahead.
9:00 - 9:10
Main Presentation Area
Land Acknowledgement and Opening Remarks
Opening Remarks
9:10 - 9:40
Main Presentation Area
From Sidelined to Heated Rivalry, Canadian viewers are pulling streaming in a clear direction: toward the stories and fandoms that genuinely move them. This session explores how Tubi and Crave are carving out a distinct space in Canadian living rooms and attracting advertisers by building for fans first: the communities, the characters and the creators that drive real connection. Drawing on examples from Tubi's original programming and Bell Media's breakout original series, we discuss why fandom is becoming the defining force in how Canadians choose what to watch.
Stream What You Love: Building for the Next Generation of Canadian Viewers
David Salmon
EVP & Managing Director, International
Tubi
Matt McGowan
SVP, Business Solutions
Bell Media
9:40 - 10:10
Main Presentation Area
Synthetic Populations & Smart Personas: The Next Frontier of Audience Insight
As AI continues to reshape how organizations understand and engage audiences, synthetic populations and smart personas are emerging as powerful tools for strategy, planning, and decision-making. In this conversation, we’ll explore how these models can simulate real-world behaviors, unlock deeper insights without compromising privacy, and help brands and agencies test ideas before going to market. From trust and data integrity to practical application, this session will look at how leaders can begin to navigate , and leverage, this next evolution of audience intelligence.
Catherine Laporte
Chief Marketing
and Digital Officer
Rona
Karine Courtemanche
EVP
Plus Company Canada
&
President
Media Group
10:10 - 10:30
Networking & Session Transition
10:30 - 11:15
Main Presentation Area
Featuring Alan Cross (The Ongoing History of New Music) and Kristi Lee (Canadian True Crime), alongside leaders from Acast and CBS, this session explores how audio has evolved from broadcast to on-demand—and what that means for audiences and advertisers.
From loyal, global podcast communities to shifting listening habits and monetization opportunities, the conversation will unpack why talent-led storytelling is driving the next wave of growth in streaming and programmatic audio.
Sound That Travels: Talent, Podcasts & the New Audio Economy
Heather Gordon
Managing Director, Canada
Acast
Adam Ritchie
VP Product & Innovation, Canadian Broadcast Sales
AudioVelocity
Kristi Lee
Creator and Narrator
Canadian True Crime
Alan Cross
Broadcaster
& Music Geek
A Journal
of Musical Things
10:30 - 11:15
Boardroom
For every $100 a Canadian brand spends on digital advertising, just $1.54 stays in Canada — with the rest flowing through platforms and intermediaries outside the country.
At the same time, journalism jobs are disappearing, and policies like Bill C-18 are being questioned for their real impact. From blocked distribution “pipes” to the rise of non-editorial content ecosystems, the system is showing real cracks.
This conversation takes a candid look at what’s actually happening — and what comes next. Is this a policy issue, a market failure, or an infrastructure gap? And what will it take to build a sustainable future for Canadian media before the remaining dollars disappear?
The $1.54 Problem: Rethinking the Future of Canadian Media
Brandon Gonez
Chief Executive Officer
Gonez Media
Sarah Thompson
Executive Managing Director
Glassroom
10:30 - 11:15
29th floor S/W Breakout
As retail media and loyalty ecosystems evolve, Canadian marketers are sitting on some of the richest data available—but still face real challenges in activation, measurement, and scale. This session explores how loyalty-driven insights (from basket-level data to coalition models) can unlock more effective targeting and performance, while addressing the fragmentation and operational friction that often hold Canadian media back. A practical, in-the-weeds discussion on how brands, agencies, and media owners can better compete with global platforms by simplifying execution and delivering real outcomes.
From Loyalty to Outcomes: Making Canadian Media Work Harder
Ryan Jordan
VP, Retail Media Sales - North America
Publicis Groupe
Modestos Gikizas
Interim Head Marketing
AIR MILES
Reward Program
10:30 - 11:15
30th floor S/W Waterfront
Too many brands and agencies still treat Quebec as “too hard,” “too different,” or simply an afterthought. The result? You’re missing one of the most engaged, high-impact audiences in the country. This breakout cuts through the excuses. Two leaders from Quebec’s media landscape break down what’s actually happening on the ground—why localization isn’t just translation, why content and context matter more here than anywhere else, and how Quebec can act as a powerful testing ground for smarter, more effective campaigns across Canada. We’ll tackle the real barriers—language, culture, production, perception—and show how they’re not blockers, but opportunities. Because the brands that get Quebec right don’t just unlock one market… they build strategies that work everywhere.
Stop Ignoring 20% of Canada: Why Quebec Is Your Biggest Miss
Jérôme Leys
General Manager
Quebecor Media
Sam Bevacqua
General Manager
La Presse
11:15 - 11:30
Networking & Session Transition
11:30 - 12:15
Main Presentation Area
The industry has spent years talking about diversity — measuring it, studying it, committing to it — yet meaningful progress, especially in how media dollars flow, remains limited. This session shifts the conversation from intention to action. Bringing together voices from culture, media, and community, we’ll explore what it takes to move beyond frameworks into real change — from funding and visibility to creating scalable opportunities for underrepresented talent. Expect a candid, interactive discussion focused on where investment should go, what meaningful support looks like, and how to turn intent into execution across the Canadian media ecosystem.
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From Intention to Investment: Turning Diversity into Action in Canadian Media
Sponsored by...
Dwayne Morgan
OOnt Board Member
iDREAM
Shawn Pinnock
Director of Marketing
iDREAM
Ian Andre Espinet
Cultural Executive / Advisor
iDREAM
11:30 - 12:15
Boardroom
Measurement is one of the most talked-about—and least understood—areas in digital media. In this candid conversation, Peter Venus and Kabil Rahaman explore how organizations can move beyond surface metrics to build measurement frameworks that actually connect to business outcomes. The discussion will focus on the role of people, process, and discipline in making measurement meaningful in the Canadian market.
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Beyond the Dashboard: What Measurement Actually Means
Sponsored by...
Kabil Rahaman
Head of
Commercial Data
Globe&Mail
Peter Venus
Head of Media Effectiveness
dentsu
Jason Stein
Group Vice President
Zeta Global
11:30 - 12:15
29th floor S/W Breakout
Retail media is evolving quickly — but where and when does it truly drive impact? In this interactive, fireside-style discussion, Kristine Sherliker (Wavemaker, WPP) and Daniel Pacitto (Church & Dwight) bring together agency and brand perspectives on how retail media, omnichannel strategy, and AI-driven discoverability are converging.
Retail Media, AI & the Fight for Relevance
Kristine Sherliker
Vice President - Client Leadership
Wavemaker
Daniel Pacitto
Digital Marketing & eCommerce Lead
Church & Dwight
11:30 - 12:15
30th floor S/W Waterfront
Burnout has quietly become one of the biggest shared states in media companies, with a 2024 study stating 70% of media and advertising professionals report the syndrome. This interactive session explores how leaders can manage stress to more sustainably reach long-term performance goals. Brian Coones and Dr. Stephanie Gutnik will introduce practical tools - including simple breathwork and mindset techniques - designed for real life in fast-moving teams.
​Performance Without Burnout
Brian Coones
CEO and Founder
REWIRE
Dr. Stephanie Gutnik
President
Tuxedo Concepts
12:15 - 12:25
Networking & Session Transition
12:25 - 12:55
Main Presentation Area
Patriotism to Performance: Building Brands & Investing in Canada
Is the push to buy Canadian media a moral obligation to protect the Canadian advertising ecosystem or is there a strategic advantage to building brands with Canadian tech, deterministic audiences, and Canadian media?
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Sponsored by...
Kimberley O'Keefe
Director
(Head of Agency)
Loblaw Advance
Shannon Lewis
President
CMDC
1:00 - 2:00
28th floor Cafe & Bar
Lunch
Join us on the 28th floor for a casual meal while connecting with fellow attendees. A perfect time to refuel, recharge, and build valuable connections before the afternoon sessions begin.
2:00 - 2:30
Main Presentation Area
AI is transforming media at unprecedented speed. Bidding, targeting, content creation and creative optimization are now table stakes—accessible to everyone, everywhere. This creates a new problem: when everyone is optimized, no one stands out.
In this candid fireside chat, Rob Beeler and Louise Clements unpack a critical shift happening across the industry: performance is being commoditized—and brand is becoming the only true competitive advantage.
Together, they’ll explore why the next wave of growth won’t come from better optimization, but from more distinctive, memorable, and creatively powerful brands.
Creativity as the Engine of AI-Powered Growth
Louise Clements
President and CEO
The Hive, Swarm-ai
Robert Beeler
Founder & CEO
Beeler.Tech
2:30 - 2:50
Networking & Session Transition
2:50 - 3:30
Main Presentation Area
How are publishers actually packaging value today — and why are advertisers still leaning in? Pet Valu and SJC explore how modern bundling goes far beyond inventory, connecting editorial, creative, media, and commerce into programs that work across channels. At the same time, expectations have shifted. Brands aren’t just buying reach — they’re looking for ideas that resonate and deliver real outcomes. This session unpacks how to move from simply buying impressions to building meaningful ones, where media and creative come together to drive deeper connection and measurable impact.
The Art of the Bundle: From Impressions to Impact
Cameron Williamson
Vice President Client Solutions
SJC Media
Idan Driman
Vice President Marketing
Pet Valu
2:50 - 3:30
Boardroom
​Retail media continues to surge, but from the buyer’s perspective, the story isn’t one-sided. In this debate-style session, two agency leaders take opposing views on whether retail media is delivering its promise—or facing growing pains around measurement, standardization, and performance. As AI begins to reshape commerce, planning, and optimization, the conversation shifts from “why invest” to what retail media needs to become next. Expect a candid, no-spin discussion on what’s working, what’s not, and what buyers will demand moving forward.
Retail Media: Bull or Bear Market? A Buyer’s Perspective
Lakshmi Radhakrishnan
Director of Performance Marketing
Involved Media
Olivier J. Bergeron
CEO
Click & Mortar
2:50 - 3:30
29th floor S/W Breakout
Local media no longer owns distribution or audience attention the way it once did. At the same time, the creator economy has reshaped how trust and influence work at the local level.
In this conversation, Narcity’s Chuck Lapointe and creator Lisa Horbunova explore how publishers and creators can work together to deliver stronger outcomes for advertisers, audiences, and the Canadian media ecosystem.
​How Publishers and Creators Can Build More Valuable Local Advertising Together
Chuck Lapointe
Co-Founder & CEO
Narcity Media Group
Lisa Horbunova
Content Creator & Marketing Specialist
Independent
2:50 - 3:30
30th floor S/W Waterfront
​From Top 10s to 25M Subscribers: Scaling a Billion-View Media Machine
WatchMojo has turned “top 10 lists” into one of the most scalable media engines on YouTube — 25M+ subscribers, nearly 18B views, and over a billion views annually.
But what does that actually look like as a business? How does programmatic perform at that scale, where does direct revenue fit, and what do brands really get from premium YouTube environments?
As WatchMojo expands into new formats and revenue streams, this session explores what it takes to turn massive audience scale into a durable, high-margin media business.
Ashkan Karbasfrooshan
Founder & CEO
WatchMojo
3:30 - 3:45
Networking & Session Transition
3:45 - 4:25
Main Presentation Area
​For today’s athletes, winning a medal is only part of the story. What happens next — on social, on video, and across platforms — is where long-term impact is built.
As audiences shift and attention fragments, athletes are becoming creators, communities are forming in real time, and major moments like the Olympics are acting as launchpads for sustained digital growth. Led by CBC, this conversation brings together Olympic and Paralympic voices to explore how athletes are navigating this shift — how they show up, connect with fans, and turn moments into momentum. We’ll also examine what this means for broadcasters, brands, and the evolving role of sport in a digital-first ecosystem.
​The New Athlete Playbook: From the Olympic & Paralympic Stage to Digital Platforms
​Ryan Matier
Senior Manager, Sports & Olympic Media Sponsorships
CBC/Radio Canada
Monika Platek
Senior Producer, Content and Publishing, Digital and Social
CBC Sports/Olympics
Brittany MacLean Campbell
Associate Producer, Athlete and National Sport Organization Relations
CBC Sports
Marissa Papaconstantinou
Bronze Medal Paralympian
(Tokyo 2020, para athletics)
4:25 - 4:40
Main Presentation Area
Wrap Up
Let's wrap this thing up.
4:40 - 6:10
28th floor Cafe & Bar
Reception
Join us for the end-of-day reception. Relax, network, and enjoy refreshments as we wrap up a great day of learning and connections.