Soul & Science : #92: When Creative Trust Changes Everything | Kate Torrance, VP of Brand at SickKids & Josh Budd, CCO at Citizen Relations
SHOW NOTES
How do you take a hospital’s 150th birthday and make it feel like a city-wide celebration instead of just a line in a press release?
In this episode, Jason sits down with Kate Torrance, VP and Head of Brand at SickKids, and Josh Budd, Chief Creative Officer at Citizen Relations, to unpack one of the boldest healthcare campaigns in recent memory. They share how SickKids transformed a milestone into a powerful storytelling opportunity through creative risk-taking, clear brand strategy, and a true partnership between client and agency. From crafting 150 stories of impact to launching a hot air balloon over downtown Toronto, Kate and Josh walk through the creative decisions that made it all possible.
Key Takeaways:
✅ Strong partnerships start with trust, not briefs
✅ Simple ideas, like balloons, can carry powerful stories
✅ Emotional impact comes from authenticity, not pity
✅ The best ideas come from looking inward, not just at competitors
Memorable Moments:
💡 “It’s not a birthday without balloons.”
💡 “Some days you wake up with a shovel, some days with a spoon.”
💡 “If it triggers you, it might mean it’s powerful.”
💡 “We didn’t just bring an idea. We brought a partnership.”
💡 “You can break convention if the story is real.”
Brought to you by Mekanism.
In this episode, Jason sits down with Kate Torrance, VP and Head of Brand at SickKids, and Josh Budd, Chief Creative Officer at Citizen Relations, to unpack one of the boldest healthcare campaigns in recent memory. They share how SickKids transformed a milestone into a powerful storytelling opportunity through creative risk-taking, clear brand strategy, and a true partnership between client and agency. From crafting 150 stories of impact to launching a hot air balloon over downtown Toronto, Kate and Josh walk through the creative decisions that made it all possible.
Key Takeaways:
✅ Strong partnerships start with trust, not briefs
✅ Simple ideas, like balloons, can carry powerful stories
✅ Emotional impact comes from authenticity, not pity
✅ The best ideas come from looking inward, not just at competitors
Memorable Moments:
💡 “It’s not a birthday without balloons.”
💡 “Some days you wake up with a shovel, some days with a spoon.”
💡 “If it triggers you, it might mean it’s powerful.”
💡 “We didn’t just bring an idea. We brought a partnership.”
💡 “You can break convention if the story is real.”
Brought to you by Mekanism.
Soul & Science
Does marketing live in the heart, or in the head? Should you trust your instinct, or your integers? If the answer is both, should you lead with one more than the other? As a creative agency, Mekanism has been asking these questions of ourselves and our clients for over 10 years. Join co-founder and CEO of award-winning creative agency Mekanism, Jason Harris, on his quest to answer these questions with the world’s leading marketers from the brands we’ve all come to love. Named CEO of the Year by The Drum Magazine, Jason will draw from his experience during these easily digestible 20-minute episodes to explore the Soul of these famous brands and the Science of staying relevant, exploring how they’ve become culture defining emblems in our modern world.
Brought to you by Mekanism
Brought to you by Mekanism
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