LEADERS OF THE NEW: Kathy Lee

Leaders of the New is an ongoing series at jettlandicho.com that will focus on the future talents of advertising. Click here to check the archives.




Name: Kathy Lee

Career Path: Account Services

Education: B.A: Psychology (York U), Diploma: Creative Advertising (Seneca College)


Advertising Experience: Internship at Cundari Group
Research and Re-branding Toronto Police’s TAVIS program
Internship at Axis Integrated (Dubai, UAE)

One Thing About You: That there’s never just one thing about me.

Contact: klee.ads@gmail.com

Read the interview after the break!


When did you know that advertising was for you?

I’m not gonna lie. I fell in love with advertising after watching What Women Want with Mel Gibson. I remember sitting there and saying, “That’s what I want to do… throw ideas around.. pitch it.. and then make it all happen!” But that was years ago and back then I didn’t know if I had what it took to succeed. But after winning the student IMC campaign for BMW I knew I had what it was the perfect career choice for me.

Everything about it just feels right.


You have a background in volunteer work. Tell us about it.

Most of my volunteer work has been in the community-based level, but as I got older I wanted to extend my services towards third world countries and global causes.

I had my first international experience back in 2007 when I traveled to Haiti with a group called Third World Awareness (twawareness.org). My family and friends were worried about my safety and didn’t think I could handle the rough conditions. And to be honest, I was really scared too but knew I had to just throw myself head on and embrace it.

The experience was tremendous and life changing. And from that I learned to continually challenge myself to the next level in every aspect of my life.


Do you ever plan on incorporating that volunteer experience into your advertising career somehow?

Definitely. I am very passionate about both and I think together exceptional things can come from it.

Advertising is no longer just about selling goods. It’s a communication tool that can be strategically and creatively used to create a cultural movement. And in this case, for the better good- whether it’s globally, nationally or on a community based level.

*This is usually the part when my friends put up their peace sign and flick their lighters for me. They think I’m a bit of a hippie.


You were on a very important trip in Dubai recently trying to encourage the world to “Choose To L.I.V.E.”. What is that all about?

I was selected as one of the international delegates to attend the Education without Borders conference in Dubai. This event was a platform for students from all over the world to share their ideas and solutions to some of our global challenges. And fortunately, I was blessed with the opportunity to introduce my “solution” for cultural exchange.

My concept was to address the challenges that come along with cultural globalization, such as war, violence, hate and racism. Unfortunately, due to so many variables and differences there is never just one solution. But I do believe that through inter-connectivity and positive engagement we can strive toward narrowing the gap of misunderstandings and ignorance to achieve better tolerance, deeper understanding and enduring peace.

Choose to L.I.V.E. is a concept that I developed as a global call to action for human betterment through inter-connectivity. L.I.V.E. is a catalyst representing four elements of effective communication: learning, interacting, volunteering and expression through creativity.
This initiative is called Choose to L.I.V.E. because I want it to be a conscious statement that we make. I want people to understand that the decision to contribute to the survival of humanity is as vital as our decision to live.


You did an internship at an agency in Dubai. What agency is it, and what were you doing with them?

I interned at Axis Integrated in Media City - the advertising hub of Dubai. It’s a small agency so I had the chance to see how the overall operation works. Most of my responsibilities were related to the client servicing side. The type of work I did included market research, PowerPoint presentations, revisions with studio team, writing up briefs and assisting the account manager.
The main account that I worked on was for Heinz baby foods. But since it’s a small agency I had the opportunity to work very closely with the creative team and really share my ideas. I even had the chance to do some copywriting, which is something that I really enjoy doing.


With your experience traveling the world and living abroad, how has that affected your view and approach on life?

My view is that we constantly have to keep aiming for the next level. The only way I see this being done is to do things that are not within our comfort zone. We surprise ourselves of what we are capable of when we throw ourselves into a challenge. Traveling to a foreign part of the world or living abroad is a gateway of growth and learning.

I’m the type of person that embraces an experience for its entirety - emotionally, physically mentally and spiritually. And then I step back and analyze for the faults, improvements, success and hidden lessons in it. I want to be constantly evolving.


Define what success is to you in your own terms.

Success to me is in three folds.

1. Success to me is being able to get up after each time I fall or fumble and continue to fiercely go after what I am passionate about.
2. Being true to myself.
3. Being able to overcome challenges and seeing the lessons in them.


Elevator Pitch:

My psychic says I’m gonna be successful in my career, but I can’t give details. But I’ll give you her number so you can have your own reading done and see how accurate she is.

If you're an advertising student or are just starting out in the business and would like to be featured on Leaders of the New, send me an email at jettlandicho@gmail.com