“In a sea of MBAs, I’ve managed to hold senior leadership roles and carve off a different value proposition for myself — one that shows that strategy needs creativity.”
The vice-president, creative strategy and marketing, at Cineplex began his career at CBC Montreal before moving to Toronto. In the corporate world since 2007, Darren Solomon says he relies on his journalism background every single day.
“Journalism school taught me how to harness my curiosity, tell simple stories and focus on real people. It gave me the permission to ask hard questions to get to the root of problems, challenge people and to not settle for the status quo,” says Solomon. “I’ve used that approach throughout my career.”
His journalism and storytelling skills have also added to his force as a marketer. He created the popular Tommy Texter character, launched the first-of-its-kind interactive game TimePlay and helped create the award-winning Lily & The Snowman, an animated short seen by tens of millions on YouTube, Facebook and before films in Cineplex theatres.
Biggest inspiration at Concordia
“In one of my first classes, a professor told us we’d have to learn how to kill our own babies. It’s an awful analogy, but it definitely stuck. You’re going to do a lot of things that you fall in love with, but you can’t get too attached or it can limit your potential.”
Proudest professional accomplishment
“In a sea of MBAs, I’ve managed to hold senior leadership roles and carve off a different value proposition for myself — one that shows that strategy needs creativity.”
Career advice
“I was a young reporter out on a story with an experienced cameraman. During our shoot, I was pretty specific about the shots I wanted. When we got back to the newsroom, there was hardly any B-roll; he had given me exactly what I asked for. I learned an important lesson in leaning on other people’s experience and expertise, the importance of communication and trust, and working as a team.”