Team Createathon - Meet Kim!

When we tell people about our 24-hour Createathon, they often say "You're insane!" or "That's crazy!". Something along those lines. But what they don't know is that it is, hands-down, the most enriching experience any of us have ever had. It's a career highlight for most designers, writers and developers. And we often walk away feeling like we've taken more than we've given. Because the passion and gratitude that participating Createathon charities share with us is so rich.

That's why we do Createathon.

So now that you've met Jocelyn, Catherine, Stacey, Bryan, and Jamie, here is a little bit about me and why Createathon is near and dear to my heart.

The countdown is on. Two more days.
We are riddled with enthusiasm!!!!

Who are you?
I am Kim McMullen. I am the principal and creative idealist at Flipside Creative, a graphic and writing studio with heart.
We strive to do great work for great clients. Essentially, we like to use our talents for good, not evil. It is a wildly rewarding experience every day.


What do you do?
I am a copywriter and graphic designer with an affinity for big ideas, strategic thinking, and giving back.

Why do you love what you do?
I get to come up with ideas, be the voice of a brand, and design pretty things ALL DAY LONG.
What's not to love?

Why are you so pumped about participating in Flipside's Createathon?
I'm pumped because from the very first time I embarked on Createathon 6 years ago, I knew it was something special. I always tell people that it was the highlight of my career. And I mean it. Marketing can be a greedy business sometimes, and it's nice to step away from the gluttony and do good work for good people so that they can be empowered to do more good. It just makes sense. And it gives me goosebumps all over – the good kind.

I am excited to be working this year with a talented team of creative individuals who I am certain will not only WOW our Createathon Clients but will inspire me, wow me, and compel me to do my best.

I am excited beyond measure.

Let's get to it!!

AWM Alliance donates space

With Flipside's 2010 Createathon fast approaching, we were itching to find a bigger, better space to spend 24 hours in. Don't get us wrong, we LOVE our office. But it's the size of a postage stamp, with no air flow, and it's a tight squeeze for 6 people for 24 hours.

So we approached the AWM Alliance folks at my condo in Kitsilano. They have an outdoor room in the courtyard separate from the building with a shower, bathroom, kitchenette, fireplace, couch, tables and tons of room to be creative!

This room usually rents out at $50/6 hours. Our CreateAThon budget is nil.

So we stated our case and the folks at AWM were more than happy to help!
In fact, they were downright eager.

So thanks to AWM, we have a bright, open, airy spot to be creative for 24 hours. We can't wait to set up our temporary shop and get to it!

For CreateAthon recipients, this is where you'll meet us for the "final reveal" on Friday morning.
2528 Maple Street in Vancouver.

It's going to a blast.

HUGE thanks to AWM for saving the day (and the Createathon).
We are overwhelmed by your generosity.

Meet Bryan!

Bryan is inspiration wrapped up in one ginger package of awesome.
He is smart. He's talented. He saves the day.
He's too humble to admit that he's one very amazing illustrator and one very inventive creative mind.
I think the world of him. And when you see what he comes up with at Createathon, you will too.

Meet Bryan Stuart!

Who are you?
I am Bryan Stuart, Principal and Creative Director at Sprout Creative. I graduated from the Alberta College of Art and Design in 2005 obtaining my bachelor of design and have been working professionally as a graphic designer and illustrator for 5 and a half years. I have had the opportunity to work for a large interactive agency for a number of years as well as at small local Ad Agency. Currently I do a lot of work for my own list of clients as well as provide overflow assistance to larger agencies here in Vancouver, Calgary and in Toronto as well.

I live in Vancouver's west end with my wonderful husband Greg, our beautiful siamese cat Kanika and our happy little Jack Russell Chihuahua cross Oliver.

You might see me riding my longboard along the seawall or swimming in the ocean, or performing with the Vancouver Men's Chorus a few times a year. You may even see me practicing my backflips in the park or at UBC's adult drop in gymnastics.

What do you do?
I am a graphic designer, working with a variety of media including print, package, branding, motion / interactive, web and even some front end web programming/development. I am also a closet illustrator who incorporates illustration in many of my designs.

Why do you love what you do?
The main reason I love what I do is the satisfaction of creating something from nothing based on creative problem solving for a visual purpose. I love to work conceptually and create end products and communicate a message through visuals. When I was a kid my career choice was to be an “inventor” I guess in many ways I am doing that now through the design process.

Why are you so pumped about participating in Flipside's Createathon?
I’m pumped about being involved in Flipside’s CreateAThon because it gives me a chance to give back to my community and contribute my skills to a variety of great causes. It’s also quite incredible to work in a creative setting with other creatives with a common goal at the end. This will be the 3rd CreateAThon I have participated in.

Meet Jocelyn!

Jocelyn is righteously talented, fashionably superior to us all, and downright fun to throw ideas around with. She's an integral part of the Createathon Team and will be the brains and talent behind a lot of the creative web projects we're taking on.

Meet Jocelyn

Who are you?

Jocelyn Ng at Sprout Creative

What do you do?
My title is Graphic Designer but I do work in web design as well as
HTML/CSS, Wordpress, online advertising, motion graphics as well as print
materials like brochures, logos and annual reports. It’s a cornucopia of
goodness.

Why do you love what you do?
It’s a pretty great feeling when you can solve a problem or get a message
across in a really succinct and successful way. That’s the thing that I
chase and what keeps me going. It’s the flash of the light bulb going off
and the subsequent excitement in realizing the idea.

Why are you pumped about participating in Flipside's CreateAThon?

Often times we don’t get to see how our individual actions have a positive
impact on people. You can’t get more immediate than 24 hours. Plus, the
chance to work with some great people into the wee hours of the night will
definitely be an interesting and fun experience.

Meet Catherine!

If you want fun, class, and character all wound into one energetic ball that oozes creativty, then you want Catherine Yoon.
We met Catherine about a year ago and she just amazes us with her awesomeness.

Here's a little bit about what makes her tick and why she's so stoked to be working with Flipside's Createathon this year.

Meet Catherine


Who are you and what do you do?

I am a communication designer with a focus on branding and print design. I enjoy drawing, making lists, and for some reason finding spelling mistakes makes me inexplicably happy. When I am not in front of my computer I can be found at the dance studio scaring the general public with my awesome moves.

Why do you love what you do?
I love design because it combines my love of problem solving and art. As well, it excuses my caffeine addiction and lets me channel my OCD for the greater good.

Why are you pumped about participating in Flipside's CreateAThon

I am pumped about Creatathon because I believe that supporting our community is top priority. It's about giving back to those that have given so much to us. And I was told there would be no math...

Team Createathon - Meet Jamie!

Just another one of our awesome Createathon teammates. Read on!

Meet Jamie Graham

Who are you?
Jamie Graham, of Vertical Grain Design

What do you do?
I am a Web Designer and Developer in Vancouver. Specifically, I'm a UI and Frontend Designer, as well as a CSS / HTML / PHP developer specializing in Content Management Systems (Joomla, Drupal, Wordpress). I love the current state of the web, and get excited by finding new methods and techniques that make my client's websites better.

Why do you love doing it?
A true indicator of loving what you do is when you forget to eat breakfast because you're so excited to get to work. I started doing web development and design as a hobby, but quickly realized that life would be more fun if I could give it my full attention. For me, web design and development is a perfect combination of creativity and nerdiness.

Why are you pumped to be a part of Flipside's 2010 Createathon?
The best work created by humans seems to come from collaboration. Flipside's CreatAthon is going to an intense collaborative effort with some great people, and I'm excited to both get to know the passions of the rest of the team, and to see what we build in our short time together.

Team Createathon - Meet Stacey!

Our Createathon team is full of passionate, creative people. We're all a little nutty too (I mean, why else would we work around the
clock!?)

Every few days, we are going to introduce you to a new Createathon Team Member who inspires, creates, laughs, loves, and is marvellous to the core.

These are good eggs.

Stacey Buchanan

Who are you?
My name is Stacey! I am a fun-loving girl who loves all things creative, baseball, food, and traveling.

What do you do?
I'm on a mission to change the world – one design at a time!
I don't simply look at the work; I absorb it, learn from it, and translate it into beautiful graphic design and art.

Why do you love doing it?
If I knew, I probably wouldn't love it so much!

Why are you pumped to be apart of Flipside's Createathon 2010?
"Great design for great people who do great things" – when I heard that, I could not resist the urge to be involved.