Advertising
After graduating from university, Barry had three job offers that included mega ad agency McLaren McCann, Foster, and a very small advertising agency called Borden Advertising. Borden was the only agency that would allow Barry to be a true madman: be creative and a “suit” at the same time. The owner asked him what title he wanted on his business card: copywriter or account executive? Barry asked which one paid more, and took the account executive job. He immediately gravitated to the agency’s entertainment clients, Royal Alexandra Theatre and Cineplex Odeon Films. On his first day, Barry was told that the agency owner had left town on holiday without telling anyone he was starting. He was directed to an empty office where the phone started ringing. He picked up the phone and the Mirvishes told him that the theatrical production of A Chorus Line was coming to Toronto and they needed a media plan by the end of the day. What’s a media plan? Barry searched through the a rusted filing cabinet, found a few old media buys and bought the media himself by cold-calling radio and television stations the next day. He first cut his teeth on a powerful campaign for the record-breaking run of Les Misérables and pioneered marketing techniques by customizing the campaign for each city on the show’s tour and driving ticket sales with hype-driven, box office opening stunts. Barry outgrew the small agency in four years; although he had become like a son to the owner, he knew it was time to go. Three other Canadian moguls were rising quickly, and Barry wanted to work with film and television tycoon Robert Lantos, concert promoter Michael Cohl and Cineplex founder Garth Drabinsky. While at Borden, he attracted new clients and tripled the billings but the owner was unwilling to finance expansion or take on any risk with even buying newly introduced computers. Barry invited the owner to lunch to offer his resignation. But before he could say anything, Borden offered him a partnership. It was too late. Borden wept in front of Barry. Barry felt that he had crushed his mentor and first employer, but he knew he had to move on as he was blending in.
In 1989, at the age of 25, he joined a buzzy entertainment agency called ECHO. The firm had been after him for the last three years and they offered him control of the country’s biggest entertainment accounts. Two of the moguls he wanted to work with were using ECHO. Barry would later bring Robert Lantos (Alliance ) to his shop where, over 14 years, he would grow that account into a multi-million dollar entertainment account. Barry began as an account director and immediately utilized his Madison and Vine strategy and combined his entertainment clients with traditional corporate accounts like American Express, Coke and Labatt’s. He helped to develop unique sponsorships and promotions that would create consumer traffic by offering them unheard of access to great seats and behind-the-scenes action and ticket opportunities. Programs like the American Express Front of The Line, where Cardmembers receive preferential access to entertainment events became legendary and the model for international expansion. Barry used his niche for entertainment marketing as a base to expand to non-entertainment clients. Using the principles of entertainment marketing that dictated instant results, co-branded promotional tie-ins and out of the gate massive launches, Barry and the agency would attract new accounts such as American Express, Dynamic Funds, Delta Hotels, Fairmont and the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX). In fact, when he won the re-branding assignment for the TSX, the advertising community was in shock. How could this “unheard of” agency win this most coveted new account? Barry would spend the next 15 years moving from Account Director to President and then Chief Executive Officer. The staff grew from 45 to 152 people and the annual billings had grown from $21 million to $75 million. Barry would lead hundreds of campaigns for movies such as The Lord of The Rings and hundreds of sporting events and mega concerts like U2 and The Rolling Stones. Under his leadership, new marketing ideas such as the globally successful sampling programs for Starbucks were born. He also created massively successful marketing programs for international theatrical productions such as The Phantom of the Opera, Cats, and Les Misérables. He would pioneer new media channels for marketing entertainment with powerful campaigns utilizing James Earl Jones and Jack Palance. Additionally, Barry’s highly creative marketing for the Toronto International Film Festival would win him awards for eleven straight years. ECHO became the largest and most successful independently run entertainment marketing agency in the world.
In 1998, the agency’s success including high-profile campaigns for The Rolling Stones and Alliance Atlantis attracted the attention of CSS Stellar, a publicly traded UK marketing agency that wanted ECHO to help fulfill its North American expansion. ECHO was sold to CSS and Barry stayed at ECHO for two more years. Although the agency was profitable, the entrepreneurial glow was gone for Barry and he was again starting to blend in. After 15 years, Barry said farewell to his staff and many good memories and walked out the door. The thought of a new venture scared the hell out of him, but he believed that two decades of goodwill and heeding his father’s initial advice of “keep the dice rolling” might help him attract new clients.
In the early summer of 2005, through the financing of a majority shareholder, Barry opened a new advertising agency called Endeavour. They found a tiny space on Bay Street and sat on file boxes for two weeks as they recruited staff and watched a long list of clients follow them into their new space. The firm was created as an agency without departments so that everyone could participate in creative and strategy. The firm’s secret sauce would be borrowed from one of the three books that Barry authored; he would offer his clients the alchemy of magic and logic with each campaign. He was determined not only to specialize in entertainment, but also to broaden his scope, as he was now attracting many new blue chip clients. In just three years, the agency became one of the most talked about firms in the country, winning Barry the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Award. Even with the agency’s great success, Barry found himself again in an agency that he was not a controlling shareholder and little control in guiding its future.
In 2013, after a near eight-year run, it was time to roll the dice again and, in fact, own the dice. Barry resigned his position at Endeavour and departed along with long-time colleague Tori Laurence. Together, they opened a boutique agency. BT/A Advertising services a powerful list of financial and entertainment clients.
In 1989, at the age of 25, he joined a buzzy entertainment agency called ECHO. The firm had been after him for the last three years and they offered him control of the country’s biggest entertainment accounts. Two of the moguls he wanted to work with were using ECHO. Barry would later bring Robert Lantos (Alliance ) to his shop where, over 14 years, he would grow that account into a multi-million dollar entertainment account. Barry began as an account director and immediately utilized his Madison and Vine strategy and combined his entertainment clients with traditional corporate accounts like American Express, Coke and Labatt’s. He helped to develop unique sponsorships and promotions that would create consumer traffic by offering them unheard of access to great seats and behind-the-scenes action and ticket opportunities. Programs like the American Express Front of The Line, where Cardmembers receive preferential access to entertainment events became legendary and the model for international expansion. Barry used his niche for entertainment marketing as a base to expand to non-entertainment clients. Using the principles of entertainment marketing that dictated instant results, co-branded promotional tie-ins and out of the gate massive launches, Barry and the agency would attract new accounts such as American Express, Dynamic Funds, Delta Hotels, Fairmont and the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX). In fact, when he won the re-branding assignment for the TSX, the advertising community was in shock. How could this “unheard of” agency win this most coveted new account? Barry would spend the next 15 years moving from Account Director to President and then Chief Executive Officer. The staff grew from 45 to 152 people and the annual billings had grown from $21 million to $75 million. Barry would lead hundreds of campaigns for movies such as The Lord of The Rings and hundreds of sporting events and mega concerts like U2 and The Rolling Stones. Under his leadership, new marketing ideas such as the globally successful sampling programs for Starbucks were born. He also created massively successful marketing programs for international theatrical productions such as The Phantom of the Opera, Cats, and Les Misérables. He would pioneer new media channels for marketing entertainment with powerful campaigns utilizing James Earl Jones and Jack Palance. Additionally, Barry’s highly creative marketing for the Toronto International Film Festival would win him awards for eleven straight years. ECHO became the largest and most successful independently run entertainment marketing agency in the world.
In 1998, the agency’s success including high-profile campaigns for The Rolling Stones and Alliance Atlantis attracted the attention of CSS Stellar, a publicly traded UK marketing agency that wanted ECHO to help fulfill its North American expansion. ECHO was sold to CSS and Barry stayed at ECHO for two more years. Although the agency was profitable, the entrepreneurial glow was gone for Barry and he was again starting to blend in. After 15 years, Barry said farewell to his staff and many good memories and walked out the door. The thought of a new venture scared the hell out of him, but he believed that two decades of goodwill and heeding his father’s initial advice of “keep the dice rolling” might help him attract new clients.
In the early summer of 2005, through the financing of a majority shareholder, Barry opened a new advertising agency called Endeavour. They found a tiny space on Bay Street and sat on file boxes for two weeks as they recruited staff and watched a long list of clients follow them into their new space. The firm was created as an agency without departments so that everyone could participate in creative and strategy. The firm’s secret sauce would be borrowed from one of the three books that Barry authored; he would offer his clients the alchemy of magic and logic with each campaign. He was determined not only to specialize in entertainment, but also to broaden his scope, as he was now attracting many new blue chip clients. In just three years, the agency became one of the most talked about firms in the country, winning Barry the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Award. Even with the agency’s great success, Barry found himself again in an agency that he was not a controlling shareholder and little control in guiding its future.
In 2013, after a near eight-year run, it was time to roll the dice again and, in fact, own the dice. Barry resigned his position at Endeavour and departed along with long-time colleague Tori Laurence. Together, they opened a boutique agency. BT/A Advertising services a powerful list of financial and entertainment clients.