Marketing Corner Talks

In this episode of Marketing Corner Talks, host Dave Keighron is joined by entrepreneur, marketing instructor, and escape room founder Chris Ricard for an in-depth conversation on creativity, resilience, and learning through real-world hustle. Chris traces his entrepreneurial journey from early sales experiences such as working the paper routes, telemarketing, and door-to-door selling, to building and scaling SmartyPantz Escape Rooms, downtown Vancouver’s first escape room business. The discuss

In this episode of Marketing Corner Talks, host Dave Keighron sits down with Lili Molavi, CEO of Molavi Consulting Group and RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards nominee, to explore how human-centered strategy and personal well-being shape sustainable business success. Lili shares her journey as an entrepreneur and consultant, discussing how her background in business development, wellness, and leadership coaching shaped her approach to helping founders build resilient companies. She walks us

In this episode of Marketing Corner Talks, host Dave Keighron launches the show’s new format of blending real-world marketing conversations with student voices and applied learning insights. Joining him is Dr. Gabriela Birnfeld Kurtz, Assistant Professor at the University of the Fraser Valley, whose career bridges academia, digital marketing, and entrepreneurship. Together, they discuss Gabriela’s path from Brazil’s marketing industry to Canadian classrooms. From her early days in digital marke

In this episode of Marketing Corner Talks: Business Edition, host Dave Keighron sits down with Javier Lavalle, co-founder of We Make Games, the indie board game publisher behind the breakout hit Teddies vs. Monsters. What began as a pandemic idea amongst roommates has evolved into a fast-growing creative business, selling out its first release in just six months. Javier shares how a background in psychology shaped his player-centered design approach, how his team pivoted from failed digital ads

In this episode of Marketing Corner Talks, we sit down with Pascal Zirn, founder of Crushy Social, Inc., to explore what it takes to disrupt the dating app industry. Crushy dares to say no to endless swiping, predatory paywalls, and black-box algorithms, instead, offering a human-first approach to connection. Pascal shares the personal story that inspired Crushy, why he believes current platforms like Tinder and Bumble are broken, and how Crushy is creating a more human-centered, authentic appro

From a red wagon in Squamish to national shelves, Sabrina Horlyck & Kristin Campbell turned “magic potion” gut tonics into Squamish Water Kefir — one of BC’s most innovative wellness brands. 🌱 Now, they’re rebranding to Everwell and launching a shelf-stable probiotic powder to take their mission global. 🚲 What began with door-to-door batches in wine bottles is now a line of probiotic sodas, frozen popsicles, and wellness drinks loved across Canada. This is a story about resilience, innovation,