EMILY WARD

What brought you to Humber and your program of study?

I had graduated from a four year BFA program at York University majoring in Dance and was looking for more applied skills and internship opportunities that could help open doors for me to work in the marketing or PR departments of a not-for-profit arts organization. With that, I applied to both the PR post-graduate certificate and the Arts Administration - Cultural Management post-graduate certificate. My heart was initially set on the PR program as I definitely had a keen interest in working with the media, but I did not get accepted, which led me to my second choice and ultimately a fantastic one for me.

What was your favourite Humber memory or experience?

I really loved how the classes were taught by people who were actually working in the field currently. I remember feeling so excited to actual be learning tasks that I would on the job. After four years of university, I was curious and craving real work experience. The simple spreadsheet coding I learned in our budget course, I still use today.

What was Humber's greatest impact on your personal and professional life?

The three internship opportunities led me down the path of building my network and securing my first job before I even graduated. I am still in touch today with some of the people who I met through my early internships.

What are you up to now?

A few things :)

In 2015, I started Shine PR (now Shine Talent Group) with my business partner Jess Hunichen. Shine Talent Group is an award-winning, global influencer talent management agency that was named one of the Fastest Growing Agencies and Women-Led Agencies of 2023 by Adweek and has been featured in media outlets such as WWD, Business Insider, Forbes and Entrepreneur. We have offices in London, Los Angeles, Toronto, and New York City, and represents a powerful cross-section of social superstars and cultivates partnerships with renowned brands such as Amazon, McDonald’s, Nintendo, Hilton, and Clinique.

A few years ago, Jess and I also created The BodCon (www.thebodcon.com), which was the first & only virtual conference series focused on body confidence and radical self-acceptance. We proudly won a 2021 American Business Award for The BodCon, which we then sold to Trafilea Tech E-Commerce Group in 2022. In 2023, we launched Shine Ventures (now Love x Money Ventures, www.lovexmoney.com). This is an angel investment fund that allows us to invest in early-stage startups that we love and provide mentorship to helping these businesses grow.

One of our ongoing projects is the proprietary project management software, The Thread (www.the-thread.co), which we decided to develop after identifying a gap in the industry, since no project management software existed specifically for the talent management experience. The software has helped us to scale Shine Talent Group and we hope to help raise the bar in the industry having others grow and do the same.

What else do you want to share (e.g. Memorable trip; If you had a superpower; Favourite food or coffee shop; Personal and professional interests; Awards and recognition; Other milestones)?

Today, I have a beautiful blended family including five kids ages 11 through 25 years old. Where I am witness to the different challenges entering the workforce the older kids are experiencing, I feel that investing in building your network in the most valuable asset you can have. Humber provided an easy opportunity through the teachers, outreach and internships which helped to build a foundation that I still have today.