Strategy article by Matthew Chung on September 24, 2013.

There’s a new shop in St. John’s, Nfld. hoping to shine bright.

Creative director Jenny Smith has opened Ray, an agency she says brings together teams of specialists, from around the world, as needed to suit a particular client or project.

“I’ve got contacts in a lot of places,” Smith says. “So I will assemble the right team for the client or project depending on their credentials or talents.”

That includes freelancers and folks based out of agencies in locations as far-flung as New Zealand, South Africa, Halifax, Toronto, New York and Vancouver, she says.

‘Everything happens online. Video conferencing, FaceTime, iChat,” she adds. “We cut out all the overhead, the heavy processes and the stuff that really isn’t’ necessary when it comes to dealing with a client

Smith says she’s been toying with the idea of opening an agency for the past five years, and that many clients she spoke with expressed a desire to work directly with a senior creative person. She opened the shop, which includes herself and two part-time  support staff, in July and named it Ray, as in “a ray of light… that would guide you in the right direction.”

She’s made the move after a long tenure as group creative director and ACD at St. John’s-based Target Marketing, where she won awards for work on Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism’s “Find Yourself” campaigns.

Ray’s clients include the St. John’s IceCaps, Clovelly Golf Course and the Newfoundland and Labrador Liquor Corporation. Recent work includes the  logo design for the AHL 2014 All-Star Classic and label redesigns for the Liquor Corporation.