In this episode of Canadians Create, we sit down with Johan Vakidis, North American President & CCO at Sid Lee, and Yanick Bédard, the agency’s SVP of Innovation & Digital. Together, they unpack how Montreal’s maker culture, Canada’s underdog spirit, and Sid Lee’s obsession with craft shape the agency’s approach to creativity in the age of AI.
Vakidis reflects on two decades leading digital agencies across Asia before returning home to rediscover the creative richness of Quebec. Bédard traces Sid Lee’s digital roots back to the 1990s, when the team built websites by night and experimented without rules—a mindset that now fuels their AI work.
What began as informal experimentation has evolved into a formal innovation practice—an “innovate or die” function that prototypes fast, trains creatives, and helps clients understand what’s truly possible. For Sid Lee, AI isn’t a shortcut; it’s pliable clay for new forms of storytelling and brand experience.
Their message to CMOs: technology should elevate, not replace, human craft. When paired with taste, ethics, and bold imagination, AI can unlock ideas—and experiences—that were previously impossible.
Takeaways for agencies thinking about AI
- Treat AI as clay, not a shortcut. Use it to make previously impossible creative possible—not to mass-produce sameness.
- Institutionalize experimentation. Small, shipping-oriented squads with weekly rituals beat ad-hoc tinkering.
- Design the human–machine interface. Put creatives “in front” of the stack so tools serve taste, not the other way around.
- Stabilize the pipes. Build agent/pipeline layers that can swap models without rebuilding everything every month.
- Educate clients early. Run 101/201 sessions so briefs match real near-term capabilities.
- Aim for experiences, not just impressions. Use AI to create interactive, personalized systems that earn time, not just views.
- Keep the craft bar high. Consumer tools lower the floor; your advantage is judgment, ethics, and finish.
