Leadership

Thelton McMillian

Founder & CEO

 “In January 2006, I accomplished a career-long dream and co-founded Comrade with long-time colleague Darren Murata, and wife Christy. I was ready to create a place that fulfilled my passion for big ideas, personable relationships, and client success.” Thelton has consistently placed himself at the sharp end of the digital revolution. In 1994 he helped Modem Media win the first-ever interactive agency-of-record relationship with AT&T. His strategic insight has led digital marketing programs for the likes of Bank of the West, Ford, Home Depot, Hyatt, ING, Mercedes-Benz, NASA, Sony PlayStation, and Starbucks, among others.

Darren Murata

Founder & Creative Director

 “I helped found Comrade because I wanted to create a place where our team has the freedom to concept and create great programs for our clients. While I'm proud of the award-winning work our team has done, I'm more proud of the positive impact our work has had on our clients' businesses.” Of the nascent 10,000 websites in 1994, one was a revolutionary site Darren designed for Tourism Mexico. The innovative site tied in a database of over 1,000 attractions. Since those early years, the One Show, Addys, and Communication Arts have recognized Darren, and his vision has been applied to Visa, Intel, Michelin, PlayStation, Harrah's, Ubisoft, Xbox and others.

Steve Scowden

Creative Director

 “I appreciate when agencies take the time to build trust with client partners, even when that means challenging their way of thinking. This is when things get interesting and truly collaborative and you start to feel like the work you do together can actually achieve something worthwhile. Comrade takes this approach. Joining up was kind of a no-brainer.” Al Gore may have "invented" the Internet, but Steve started writing for it not long after, before his bosses at advertising giant J. Walter Thompson knew exactly what it was. Many 10k banners, static websites and a handful of agencies later, Steve has grown with the medium, and has helped build rich online brand experiences for Microsoft, Visa and a variety of other clients.

Christy McMillian

Client Partner

 “Here's my motivation for launching Comrade - I wanted to work with people I like. That includes our team as well as our clients. That sounds simple, but honestly, everything we do or create is based on relationships.” There's little doubt of Christy's seemingly genetic pre-disposition toward digital marketing. She was part of one of the first user-generated initiatives with MuchMusic Canada in 1996. Since then, Christy has handled numerous top-tier brands including Mercedes Benz, PlayStation, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, Scotiabank, Ubisoft, Bank of the West, and JPMorgan Chase / WaMu among others.

Sophie Henry

Director of User Experience

 “I continue to be impressed by the team we are building here. I see in my Comrades a drive to produce the same excellent work I strive to do. And they're not afraid to shake up the status quo a little. It may not sound all that revolutionary, but in the current landscape of digital marketing, it bodes well for our future.” In a former life, Sophie was a software engineer. This may explain why she is so skilled at translating back-end requirements into engaging user experiences. From complex websites to a simple mobile interface, Sophie never forgets the customer. For the last decade, she has built successful architecture and interfaces for brands like Yahoo!, Nike, Charles Schwab and Kaiser Permanente.