A decade of BlueSky

Table of Contents

Ten years in business. It’s gone by in a flash. It’s been a blast. There’ve been lots of learning’s. A lot of personal change and growth. Ups and downs. Excitement and disappointments. Team members and clients come and go – all have left their imprint in some way.

From an attic in Leslieville to acquiring our Sherbourne Street loft, we touched just about every industry in some way and have been fortunate enough to grow an extensive network of Toronto’s most savvy, driven and smartest business people. And we’ve had a lot of fun along the way.

Reflecting back to the day after I left my job to start BlueSky, I was driving on the QEW following a meeting with my first client, and the most unbelievable feeling of complete freedom and excitement came over me. This was a new life venture, a risky and exciting career path that at the time I envisioned as little more than a great, home-based freelancing business.

And in a lot of ways I don’t feel like we’ve departed too far from that small, client-focused business that wants to enjoy every day while offering a valuable service to clients, alongside a team I love working with.

This team has taught me so much. Each has developed their own complementary set of skills that has brought BlueSky to this decade milestone. A team that included my sister and partner, Julie McCarthy, and Sarah Turnbull, our longest serving employee, who has made a huge contribution to this company. Not to mention our newest team member Tara Bolger who is quickly making an impact, as well as the many consultants and writers we work with and have engaged over the years.

Looking forward to the next 10 years, what will that hold?  At the risk of sounding cliché, I want more of the same. Well, let me add to that. We are entrepreneurs afterall. I want A LOT MORE of the same.  And how do we do it? Stick with what we know works – do the work you like and do it with the people you like. Everything else will fall into place.

Blog Posts by Keyword

Content Development

Effective, creative content is at the core of what we do. From B2B and B2C, our expertise spans article writing and storytelling, editorial planning, key messaging, video production and more. And we help ensure that your content gets seen. We amplify your brand’s story through an integrated, custom content strategy across digital, print, social and broadcast channels. We maximize owned, earned and paid media to amplify your message, making sure it gets in front of the right audience to drive the results you want.

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Corporate Communications

An integral part of any business, your brand reputation and corporate communication sets the tone with the public, your clients, employees and stakeholders – and we make sure you get the tone right. BlueSky helps you understand what matters to your audiences – both external and internal – and develops meaningful programs that resonate. We help clients with crisis and issues management, employee and executive communications, community relations and corporate social responsibility (CSR). Whether it’s a workplace fundraiser event, an annual report, infographics, HR video or speechwriting, we help you share your message with relevant stakeholders.

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Social Media

Social media demands an always on, two-way communication, transparency, and authentic interaction. More importantly, it demands strategy. We’ve managed social communities, developed social media guidelines and created engaging, impactful content, whether a short Instagram caption or long-form executive-published posts on LinkedIn. Through social listening tools and insights, we can make sure you’re talking about what matters most to your audience, and that your online and traditional PR efforts are integrated seamlessly and effectively.

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Public Affairs & Advocacy

Our in-depth experience providing integrated government relations, public affairs and strategic communications tailored to your needs helps our clients navigate the public policy process in order to successfully achieve central objectives. We work with you to better position your priorities within the current political landscape to ensure you’re able to gain the ear of key decision-makers and reach your goals.

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Influencer Marketing

When it comes to social influencers it’s not about who has the biggest audience, but about engagement, trust and authentic connection. We leverage valued relationships with nano- to celebrity-level creators, working collaboratively to ensure they deliver quality content that resonates with your target audience and is on-point with your brand messaging. Our winning formula requires a thoughtful approach that combines the right people, the right content and the right distribution to maximize engagement and drive impact at scale. You’ll see the results in our campaign evaluations – supported by numbers that exceed industry average performance.

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Media Relations & Media Training

In an environment that is increasingly pay-to-play, earned media remains the holy grail of coverage for brand credibility. Over the years we’ve developed solid relationships with traditional and online media, and we know the elements of success for securing interest from trusted journalists at top-notch publications. We excel at crafting tailored, compelling stories that help keep your brand top-of-mind across print, broadcast and digital channels. You’ll see the results through our media measurement and reporting and assess your share of voice (SOV) among competitors.

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