Amy Leaman
Environmental Design, 2008. Co-founder of cStreet Campaigns
cstreet.ca
“Winning is the best part of my job. We work with extraordinary, dedicated people who are fighting for progressive causes. We’ve helped clients get elected, pass legal reforms, and bring issues into the mainstream media that otherwise wouldn’t have gotten any attention.”
What were your policies regarding internships, volunteering, and paid work?
I’ve only worked for free when it meant building something from nothing. So, for example, I would never work for free for a large design agency (and now, owning my own agency, I would never ask someone to work for free). However, I have in the past collaborated with friends to work on events and projects that would likely not yield any profit.
What skills or relationships developed at OCAD U helped you participate in your field?
I think OCAD taught me to think critically about design in a way that I wouldn’t have gotten elsewhere. I had a handful of really influential courses and teachers that I wouldn’t trade for the world. I was often a voice of dissent in my program and pushed to do things that I weren’t part of my program. I wouldn’t change that, though, because my whole business now is built around challenging authority and the status quo!
