Alexandra Toulch is the founder of Rebl House, a steadily growing creative agency based in Montreal. Photo credit: Rebl House
“When I find myself in a stressful situation, I take a step back,” says Toulch, BA 13.
The company’s graphic designers and animators went into overdrive. Videographers and photographers — who’d been used to working out of a fully equipped production studio in Montreal’s bustling Griffintown neighbourhood — transformed a couple of their homes into mini studios. Meanwhile, Toulch launched Rebl Remote, a program that provides clients with all the services they need to produce professional-quality content from their own homes, from equipment delivery to remote creative consulting and tech support.
“Once we were allowed to open our doors again, we changed the way we operate in terms of safety measures and the number of crew on set,” Toulch says. “We were nimble and this let us maintain relevance and serve our clients. They still needed communications. Creatives have to be extra creative at this time and help people to get through it.”
The lockdown wasn’t the first time Toulch had faced an unexpected and difficult situation. In her experience, entrepreneurship brings unforeseen challenges regularly, from employees’ personal emergencies to equipment that breaks down at the worst moment possible. “When I find myself in a stressful situation, I take a step back,” Toulch says. “It’s normal to feel like it’s the end of the world at first, but then you have to take a rational look at your options. What’s the end game? What’s my plan A, plan B and plan C for getting there?”
Rebl House has reopened its studio, with new safety measures in place. Photo credit: Rebl House
