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Lessons from Remote Work: Digital 55

Theatrics with Lauralee Sheehan from Digital 55 in our Cafe Theatrics with Lauralee Sheehan from Digital 55 in our Cafe
Lauralee Sheehan, the Chief Creative Officer at Digital 55 offers her take on remote work with tools her team is using and things they miss on campus. How are you maintaining routine as a team - through the day and the week? I’m still time blocking my calendar pretty hard - even more so now and as a team, we’re keeping up regular touch points in terms of sprints and check-in meetings, collaboration sessions, etc. We use Slack as one of our main communication and messaging tools throughout the day so that hasn’t changed and still stands the test of time for distributed, remote, agile collaboration and communication. Are you carving out time to socialize online together - if so, what do you guys do and how technically is this achieved? Not specifically. We’re a lean team so we’ve been checking in and taking time to speak about how people are doing, and feeling throughout this wild time. We’re also trying to be cognizant of the fact that work/life still has to exist even though essentially nobody can go anywhere or do anything. That doesn’t mean people are going to work around the clock like I might as the owner. Those boundaries have to be even more respected in this current situation. I have also extended the offer for old school phone chats any time, 90s style. Favourite video conferencing application and why? We use hangouts because we’re super reliant on google suite for our digital asset management and front end collaboration. Lots of our clients use zoom so we’re on there lots too. We’re used to the video conference life so not much has changed except our backgrounds in our video frame (home office life). Compared to meeting in person, how has it felt to rely on digital communication tools to speak with clients, colleagues/team-members & partners? We are so digital anyway so not much has actually changed in terms of how we speak to clients and partners. Our skeleton team can work in this way too for long stretches of time so we didn’t have to worry about too much of an adjustment to rapidly communicate only in this manner. Any other software or other tools you've started using because of not coming together in person? Not a new tool for us but great collaboration tool in general - InVision Freehand is a great “blank canvas” mapping and collaboration tool that we rely heavily on. Its link-based and super shareable, multiple people can be creating a content map or architecture while running through a digital collaboration session. What do you miss most about being together? The smiles and that in person magic that can’t be replaced by digital. There is something about being in a room with people whether it’s concepting, collaborating and brainstorming, dev’ing, designing, testing, or filming media. Although we can do a lot of them remotely, we miss those moments together. Why are you looking forward to coming back together at StartWell? We miss everything about StartWell - the lattes, the life lessons, and the community. These things are priceless and keep us endlessly smiling. “Where” you work changes “how” you work and @startwellco has quickly become an inspiring and important part of our day-to-day. As we’ve been scaling and growing, we can’t imagine being anywhere else.

More in It happened at StartWell

Meeting room rentals at StartWell in Toronto

Book any of our meeting rooms or venues on-demand for small or large company gatherings. We include presentation technology with complimentary barista service and a great vibe that your team will love.

  • The StartWell Event Studio

    The StartWell Event Studio

    The StartWell Event Studio

    Seating capacity: 150

    Purpose-built facility for high impact visual presentations, live-streams/broadcasts and memorable corporate events. Detached building with parking on-site, 2 washrooms, open concept kitchenette, flexible furnishing options for theatre/rows, workshops, cocktails, conferences and media shoots. Full AV package with professional theatrical lighting and mics, 4 massive projectors, PA and video conferencing plus white boards on wheels. Cinematic stage production optional.

    From $4,000.00 CAD
    From $4,000.00 CAD
  • Dedicated Offsite Venue

    Dedicated Offsite Venue

    Dedicated Offsite Venue

    Seating capacity: 100

    Unique private suite with its own retail access from King Street, lounge setup, open concept bar with cold storage, flexible furnishing options for theatre/rows, workshops, cocktails and conferences. Full AV package with professional stage lighting, 2 large connected TVs, mic packages, PA, video conferencing and 3 whiteboards on wheels. Cinematic stage production optional.

    From $2,500.00 CAD
    From $2,500.00 CAD
  • The Third Floor

    The Third Floor

    The Third Floor

    Seating capacity: 30

    Large suite perfect for large team sessions - exposed brick and high ceilings combined with large West facing windows. Three 6-person breakout rooms included, plus open concept lounge and 2 washrooms. 4 large connected TVs with video conferencing and white boards on walls.

    From $1,000.00 CAD
    From $1,000.00 CAD
  • Innovation Lab

    Innovation Lab

    Innovation Lab

    Seating capacity: 50

    Large whitewashed standalone space with retail entrance featuring an open concept kitchenette, two washrooms, on site parking plus flexible seating setups - from cocktail to conference tables to row seating available. Large projector with video conferencing, 2 whiteboards on wheels and large windows facing South and East.

    From $2,500.00 CAD
    From $2,500.00 CAD
  • The Loft

    The Loft

    The Loft

    Seating capacity: 20

    Large top floor board room overlooking King Street with internal lounge, washroom and common tables plus 5 large windows facing South and West. 2 Connected TVs, video conferencing, 5 white boards, exposed brick and lots of natural light. 

    From $400.00 CAD
    From $400.00 CAD
  • Level Up

    Level Up

    Level Up

    Seating capacity: 13

    Bright, lofty board room on the second floor of our main building overlooking our cafe and King Street below. With a large connected TV, video conferencing, massive white board, exposed brick and plenty of natural light.

    From $300.00 CAD
    From $300.00 CAD
  • The Green Room

    The Green Room

    The Green Room

    Seating capacity: 10

    Cosy meeting room with mixed lounge and meeting table - on the second floor of our main building. With a large connected TV, video conferencing, 2 white boards, exposed brick and 2 West-facing windows.

    From $300.00 CAD
    From $300.00 CAD
  • JPEG

    JPEG

    JPEG

    Seating capacity: 10

    A comfy board room featuring exposed brick at the back of the first floor in our main building.  With a large connected TV, video conferencing and 3 white boards.

    From $200.00 CAD
    From $200.00 CAD
  • Cube

    Cube

    Cube

    Seating capacity: 10

    A glass-enclosed board room next to the cafe on the first floor of our main building.  With a large connected TV, video conferencing, white board and privacy blinds.

    From $200.00 CAD
    From $200.00 CAD
  • Fast Forward

    Fast Forward

    Fast Forward

    Seating capacity: 4

    A cosy exposed brick meeting room on the first floor of our main building near the library. With a connected TV, large white board and window.  

    From $50.00 CAD
    From $50.00 CAD
  • Patio

    Patio

    Patio

    Seating capacity: 6

    An intimate board room just past the cafe on the first floor of our main building, across from our common hot desk workspace.  With a large connected TV, white board and sliding glass doors.

    From $150.00 CAD
    From $150.00 CAD
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