About.
Born and raised in Eastern Ontario Canada I entered the workforce in the trades at my families businesses and also in retail management. I always had a passion for photography, design, travel and every new technology so I eventually followed my passion for visual design. I graduated after a 3 year course from St Lawrence College, Kingston Ontario. After college I relocated to Ottawa, Canada where I accepted a position as Communications Manager at a Wireless LAN manufacturing company. My position offered a variety of tasks everything from trade show displays to HTML and other programming.
After several years in Ottawa I was looking for a change so using my photography and photoshop skills I posted my resumé on Online Career Centre (now Monster) with my image in a floating animated cube embedded in the resumé page. This creative and programming trick managed to gain me a lot of attention from recruiters and I was offered a position at Amadeus in Miami, Florida developing applications for corporate travel booking.
I learned a great deal at Amadeus working with an international team and was given great opportunity to hone my development skills as well as my photography and presentation/video skills. I remained in South Florida for 9 years working primarily with large travel and service companies.
Due to an illness in my family I returned to Canada and relocated back to Ottawa. I spent the majority of my next years working for the Canadian Real Estate Association as a contractor. I greatly enjoyed living in Ottawa, for a city of it’s size it offered great galleries and outdoor activities but after a few years I wanted to try somewhere else and packed up myself and my dog and headed to Toronto.
I have lived in Toronto for over a decade now and have worked for a variety of employers both as an employee and on a freelance basis. I took a temporary position at Madison Community Services after completing Social Media Marketing courses at George Brown College and wanting to apply my new knowledge to their needs. Madison is a Non-profit that assists people with mental health and addictions issues as well as new Canadians. It was a great pleasure aiding the clients at Madison while at the same time using my tech skill set as well as booking events and helping find corporate donors to sponsor their programming and services.
As my time at Madison was limited I sought out a related organization and was hired as Communications Coordinator at the Ontario Non-profit Housing Association ONPHA. For over 5 years I worked at ONPHA on their websites, videos, presentations, learning platforms and photography. During this time I worked with a great staff and the dedicated membership who work to help the people of Ontario get quality affordable housing. A favourite part of my position was meeting the clients during filming of ONPHA’s annual awards for housing. There was nothing quite like hearing the stories of people that thought they would never have a roof over their head and now telling you how happy they are, often saying they feel part of their own new caring family and then often working themselves to give back and help others.
My years at ONPHA have come to an end due to an organizational restructuring and therefore i’m open to an interesting position at a new organization where diversity and inclusion is prioritized. My ideal setting being with an organization where my skill set can be applied to making a difference as in my previous positions.
I’m also seeking intriguing freelance clients!
Reviews.
Talented designer…check.
Proficient and creative photographer…check
Highly effective developer…check
However, I am writing this recommendation because I will never forget the times he selflessly stood up for others or provided real help to others when they needed it. I was the beneficiary of his generosity when I was new to my position at Amadeus and again during a time when I needed work after Amadeus. Gary may have a great wit, be quick on the uptake and offer great ideas on projects, but in my opinion, his greatest characteristic is that he helps his colleagues succeed. That is why, after so many years since we worked together, I’m still proud to name him among my friends and am happy to write this recommendation.
Gary was one of the top students in my Facebook marketing course. He impressed me with his professional, well thought-out presentations, excellent use of photography and especially the game app he created from scratch, something which no other student attempted. Gary showed initiative and insight in his marketing approach and really made the most of the class. Plus, his photography consistently impressed myself and the students in the class.
I recommend Gary Kane without reservation. I enjoy working with Gary who is both motivated and passionate about his work. Gary is always ahead of the game when it comes to new technologies & trends bridging gaps with his impactful solutions. Gary exhibits a “never stop learning” attitude and having worked together on many projects I appreciate his promptness and overall good vibes.
Not only is Gary a positive and welcoming presence in the office, he also brings the technical and strategical skills to any digital communications strategy. Plus, he has the patience to help other people who aren’t as technically savvy as him! We worked together on multiple projects, but I especially enjoyed making videos with him. He expertly executed my storyboard into a smart video that captured the essence of the story and, most importantly, resonated with our audience.
Gary is a great addition to team dynamics; he brings his strength in collaboration and focus on detail to all of the projects he’s working on. His extra attention made the difference between regular, and great outcomes.
I was lucky to work with Gary on a number of websites and video productions. He brings a wonderful balance of creativity and practicality to every project he works on. Gary is always keen to learn and picks up new skills very quickly. Gary is a true people person and his cheerful personality makes him a pleasure to work with.