Shawn Johnston

(he/they)

Founder

A professional designer and strategist with 26+ years of experience, Shawn is the Founder and Principal of Forge and Smith. He’s primarily the salesperson these days, but always in the background of projects.

My Why

I love the process of craft… the learning, experimentation and honing of it. To collaborate with people and create something that other people can use and benefit from? That’s a great way to make a living.

Troy Kelly

Director of Technology and Partner

Professional Title

Troy’s extensive knowledge of a site’s life cycle ensures he’s always hands on with our ongoing project work. If he’s not analyzing or creating project scope and milestones he’s ensuring that the team is staying on track and in budget with upcoming product releases or site builds.

My Why

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Pam Kearley

(she/her)

Director of Strategy

Pam’s backgrounds in journalism, private investigation, and public libraries all flowed into her ultimate career in digital strategy – she’s a master of content writing and an analytics nerd! (Her byline remains “Pam Berg” on our blog because Google’s algorithms punish change.) In her “spare time” Pam hangs out with her cats, dog, horses, and goats, and reviews Westerns.

My Why

In every job I’ve had, my favourite thing has always been translating complex stuff into words that people can easily understand. Whether it’s analytics data or content strategy tips or how to optimize a blog post – I love being that helper.

Damian Jolley

(he/him)

Creative Director

Damian is obsessed with creating engaging digital experiences. He brings to his role at Forge and Smith over 10 years of design experience in digital design, branding and marketing. User interface and experience (UX/UI) is where Damian combines his love for systems and processes and his obsessions with design and typography.

Damian grew up in Australia, and moved to Vancouver in 2009. Outside of work, Damian enjoys biking, concerts, tennis, coffee – and any kind of adventure, big or small.

My Why

I love hearing people’s stories, how they started their organization, why they care about what they do – what makes them unique.

Creating websites for these companies, I get to work with the most passionate people across various industries. I love being a part of helping people and organizations grow and achieve their goals – it’s extremely rewarding.

Andrea Iñurria

(she/her)

Project Operations Manager

As a former freelance commercial photographer with over 10 years of experience, Andrea learned to pay close attention to her clients’ wants and needs. Then COVID happened, and she started to look around for a career change. Forge and Smith gives her that freshness as no project is the same, and she gets to work with a fantastic team in an agency that genuinely cares about its people.

She enjoys having deep conversations with her furry son, Ander the Pug, building forts with her human son, hiking and enjoying a death-cold pale ale.

My Why

I’m all about creating a fun, stress-free experience for our clients. Plus, the cherry on top is seeing their smiles and goo-goo eyes when they see their websites launched.

Cameron Lindsay

Lead Engineer

Professional Title

Cameron thinks coding is fun, and his friends and family hope against hope that one day he’ll come to his senses. He has a wife and a dog, drinks a lot of coffee and loves Manilla Road.

Oscar Santiago

(he/him)

QA Lead

Oscar is a versatile and experienced digital project manager, which makes sense since his favourite thing to do is watch The Flash with his sons. When he’s not helping our clients get to the finish line, he’s training and competing in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu competitions. Watch out!

Stace Synkiw

(she/they)

Client Experience Manager

Stace brings a combined 25 years in Film & Television, Theatre, and Live Event project management and coordination to Forge and Smith. Collaborating on projects, regardless of scale, and helping them build momentum is where she truly shines. Unwilling to commit to only being a jock, nerd, or creative, her downtime is spent playing or cheering for sports, petting all the dogs, smelling the flowers, and daydreaming about stained glass, ceramic, and textile arts.

My Why

I’m passionate about removing logistics-based barriers, so people can be empowered to tell their stories, without being buried by the details.

Lizzie Scott

(she/her)

UX/UI Design Lead

Lizzie is a UI/UX designer with a diverse background in design, digital marketing and communications. When she’s not designing, you’ll likely find her at the beach or in the trees, always equipped with coffee and a camera.

Hubert Magos

Lead SEO Strategist

Hubert is an SEO Strategist who has been involved in digital marketing for over a decade. In his free time, he loves hiking with his wife and two energetic children and enjoys a can of beer on weekends.

My Why

I love it when people want to learn more about digital marketing and how we can help them translate their data into strengths. It’s all about creating an impact and seeing success at the end of the tunnel. Together.

Tim Waugh

(he/him)

Product Engineer

Tim is a former musician turned developer from Kitchener, Ontario. When Tim isn’t working, he’s making music, playing in beer leagues, or at the local cinema.

My Why

This line of work offers so much to my personal growth, the challenges and problem-solving are incredibly fun and rewarding. It’s also a lot of fun to create and this job allows me to do that.

Brendan Tang-Luu

(he/him)

Lead Front-End Developer

Brendan is a driven and hard-working web developer with a passion for crafting accessible and aesthetically pleasing web applications. After hours you can find him playing video games, curating Spotify playlists, or creating music.

My Why

With every new project, I get the opportunity to level up my skills while doing what I love most: turning ideas and prototypes into fully functional websites. After countless hours of hard work from both myself and the team, seeing the final product is an amazing feeling that I eagerly anticipate with each project.

Austin Chiatto

(he/him)

Product Engineer

Austin is obsessed with learning new things, solving problems with code, sci-fi films, and getting lost during hikes on the weekends.

My Why

There’s just something so energizing about working with people who love to do what they do. I get to build a product that was crafted by incredibly talented people and began as one passionate person’s idea. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of that?

Mégane Colas

(she/her)

Front-End Developer

Mégane is a curious and detail-oriented front-end web developer who enjoys turning complex layouts into responsive, pixel-perfect websites. In her downtime, she enjoys playing video games, watching movies, and spending time with her cat, Gustave.

My Why

There’s something incredibly fulfilling about watching a static design become a living, interactive website. I love digging into the details, refining every element until it clicks. It’s a craft that constantly teaches me something new, and that’s what keeps me coming back with fresh energy for every project.

Wei-Ting Lin

(she/her)

Front-End Developer

Wei-Ting is a web developer based in BC with a background in design and a passion for creating thoughtful digital experiences. Outside of work, you can find her relaxing at a cafe, binging on horror movies, playing video games, or discovering new destinations.

My Why

My role gives me the chance to bring purposeful designs to life, and I find it rewarding to be a part of projects that are not only visually compelling, but also spark change and build meaningful connections with users.