Vancouver, October 25th, 2022

POWER SHIFTER is a digital product and service design studio that partners with leading brands and scaleups to produce digital products such as applications, mobile apps, and websites that unlock the greatest amount of value possible for your brand’s digital touch-points. Its passionate team lives and breathes products design every single day, working with a design thinking mentality.

Based in Vancoucer, JP Holecka is the CEO and Founder at POWER SHIFTER. In an interview with TIA, he went through his background in design and film and television and how that helped him to be more prepared for his career. He listed the many things that make the agency stand out and highlighted its commitment to playing an active role in tackling the climate crisis.

To kick things off please can you describe to us a little bit about your city and why it is a great place to work?

Vancouver is a coastal city in southwestern British Columbia, Canada, and is one of the most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities in Canada, with more than half of its residents having a first language other than English. Vancouver is consistently ranked as one of the top five cities worldwide for livability and quality of life and also offers gorgeous parks and green spaces, as well as tons of opportunities for outdoor activities such as hiking, biking, and skiing.

Vancouver is home to a diverse range of industries, from tech and finance to film and media. We have a low unemployment rate and a very high quality of life. Visit Granville Island, a bustling public market and pick up a few of Lee’s donuts that were made famous the other year with a visit from Momofuku’s David Chang and local comedian Seth Rogan.

What did you study in university and do you think it prepared you for the career path that you have chosen?

I started in design, then switched to Film and Television. I think it prepared me for my career because it covered so many aspects of media that all work so interconnectedly today.

How would you describe a regular day as CEO of the agency?

Ha, that’s probably different for each CEO, depending on the maturity and size of the agency. We’ve been in business for fourteen years now, and with the agency running smoothly operationally, I like to call myself the “Chief Promo Officer” and spend a lot of time getting out the word about our incredibly talented digital product designers, strategists, and engineers!

What would you say makes POWER SHIFTER stand out?

We like to tell our clients that we represent their customers by ensuring that the digital products and services they produce are designed and built the way they want. When our clients’ customers are happy, our clients are happy and getting the outcomes they were seeking when they hired us. We also have a “Direct to Expert” approach that ensures that the client-side experts and our experts co-create barrier free together. When you can leverage the power of both client-side and agency-side team members in a truly collaborative environment, products and services that are easy to use ensure customers willing to pay more and recommend them more often.

Tell us about a recent project you’ve worked on that you’re proud of. What particularly brought out the best in you?

Wow, we’ve been so busy it’s difficult to say, but one that stands out from a creative perspective is the one we did this year for 5×5 Technologies – https://www.5×5.ai. What I like is that we helped elevate a very cool start-up that uses AI and Drones as their core technology to really communicate their core offering creatively. The site strikes a great balance between tech and creativity on the homepage. They wanted visitors to see they are flying through the drone’s POV. I think anyone visiting the site will agree that is the feeling you get when you scroll through the homepage.

Smart team drives agency growth. What’s your approach to hiring?

We’ve been huge fans of a book called “Who: The A Method for Hiring” The book is focused on identifying A players through a repeatable process that has enabled us to quickly identify A players that might be in the mix of applicants. Having a healthy culture that directly equates a high Glassdoor rating also helps.

How can leadership create and then cultivate an inclusive workplace?

Our values of:

Curiosity – We learn more by looking for the answer to a question and not finding it than we do by learning the answer itself.
Empathy – We strive to understand others on their own terms and bring them within the orbit of our own experience.
Transparency – When we lead through the door of openness and transparency, others will follow.

If those last two values are lived in an organization authentically, which ours are, then inclusiveness is a natural byproduct.

The goal of POWER SHIFTER from a culture perspective from day one was “To create a safe place for ideas to foster”. If there are people or processes that affect this core belief, then we address it as soon as possible. Ideas can and do come from anywhere here, not just the loudest voice in the room.

Are there any exciting projects that POWER SHIFTER are working on that you can tell us about?

Most of the work we do is under strict NDA, and sadly, that’s where the exciting work sits most of the time.

When looking at the technological landscape today, what makes you think “wow”?

From an agency perspective, the one technology that is impacting us the most that were quite unexpected a few years back is no-code platforms. We’ve moved almost all of our marketing sites that are sub-50 pages to platforms like Webflow. The amazing thing is that we’re no longer constrained to templates. If you imagine it, we can build it. No developer is required.

What does it mean to be a member of the Carbon Neutral Club?

I’m glad you asked about this one. Taking any real step we can to lessen the impacts of climate change is critical for our very existence. We can no longer wait for governments to do all of the heavy liftings. As an employer, I felt that it was a real tangible benefit to pay to have our team members’ carbon footprint offset. Most people want to do things that have a real impact but don’t know where to even begin. CNC solved that for them and, ultimately, our organization. We’ve found that when we advertise it as a benefit, it lands well with candidates looking for a career at our agency too, and that’s a plus in these challenging times to find top talent.

What role do you think the creative digital industry can play in helping fight climate change?

We are the communicators for the vast majority of businesses and companies worldwide. They look to us for guidance and meaningful ways to connect with their customers, and in that, we can influence their thinking to include climate change initiatives to grow their own business’s responsible.

If an agency wanted to transition to a more sustainable business, what steps would you recommend they take to go down the right path?

Agencies can start by estimating their own carbon footprint with calculators like this. From there, they can look for ways to reduce their carbon footprint. Being a vocal advocate with clients is another way they can start. Lead by example, and that usually sparks conversations that lead to others doing the same. Agencies can also take the Clean Creatives pledge to not do work with fossil fuel companies and become a B-Corp, which is our 2023 goal.

How would you describe the creative industry in Vancouver?

It’s an interesting mix of tech startups, agencies, and in-house creative here in Vancouver. In fact, I was one of the founding members of this UX awards show that was designed to highlight the best work and bring the three creative industries together. It’s now one of the city’s more popular design events. We also were one of the first cities to bring Creative Mornings to the community, I was also part of the initial volunteer group that brought that to town, I think more or nearly ten years ago now.

In your view, what is the biggest challenge the sector is facing right now?

A shortage of talent as the tech space gobbles up folks for in-house. That and the cost of living for creatives that want to live in urban areas.

Do you have a message for young creatives considering a career in digital?

I find young creatives move from agency to agency quite quickly. If moving is just for the sake of moving and where you are working ticks the other boxes, then slow down a bit. It never looks good to see a CV with a series of short stints that are less than two years.

If you would sum up the most important characters of a CEO in three words, what would they be?

Vision, Empathy, and Vulnerability

Please share a fun-fact that not many people know about you

I was once Winnona Rider’s personal assistant for a short period in the mid-90s.

Thanks JP!

• Learn more about POWER SHIFTER at https://www.powershifter.com/
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