So, you’ve landed on our site. Who TF are we?!? Professionally, SL Creative is a Hamilton-based digital media shop. We build ready-made websites and hand-crafted brands for the food and travel industry. But behind the scenes, we’re humans with hobbies, a love for dogs and coffee, and a passion for all things food and travel.
The SL Creative Story
I’m Sydney – creative digital strategist & owner of SL Creative. I have been freelancing in Toronto since 2014 and have poured my heart into several different projects over the years ranging from apparel design, graphics, websites, and much more. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was overworked and eventually experienced burn out in all sorts of different forms.
I took a break on big projects. I thought my burnout was a representation of what the web development industry would be, and so I paused everything and really started to think about what I wanted to do. What would by my “why”?
COVID19 – An Eye Opener
In the summer of 2018, my partner took the leap into entrepreneurship and began his catering & food truck business, Andiamo Italian. I saw the behind the scenes struggles of owning a business, but I also saw the benefits that went hand in hand with them.
After many, many long nights and early mornings supporting my partner on the food truck, 2 years had gone by. Over those 2 years, I helped build the digital aspects of his business (website, social media, graphic design, etc), and also assisted several other food truck and restaurant owners that had become our friends. I built websites for Airbnb owners, property managers and villa owners due to my passion for travel. And before we knew it, it was March 2020.
Enter the COVID pandemic!
The COVID pandemic allowed space for me to sit down and think about the direction of SL Creative. It hit me – I had been doing what I loved all along. I was building websites for business owners in the food & travel industry because that is where my passion lies. I just hadn’t put a name on it.
The Rebrand of SL Creative
At the end of April, my partner and I realized that COVID would not be over any time soon. Because of our personal ties to the food & restaurant industry, and we saw a LOT of our colleagues struggle to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
We also saw the challenges and trauma that hospital staff have experienced, since we have close family members that work on the frontlines. We put our brains together and came up with an initiative, that we called @hammerfeedsthefrontlines (“The Hammer” is the nickname for the city we live in).
We collected donations that went straight to local restaurants for them to prep and deliver meals to frontline staff. Since the beginning of May, we have fed over 1000 people through this initiative. Nurses shared with us that it brightened their day to have a hot meal waiting for them at work.
I used to think that graphic, web and communications didn’t have a real purpose, other than making businesses more money. (Spoiler alert – I was wrong).
This initiative showed me that I can use my experience & skills to contribute to something bigger and more meaningful in local communities. This is why I do what I do.
This is why SL Creative exists – to develop and manage digital spaces for business owners in the food and travel industry so that they can share their passion with the local community and beyond (and increase their profits at the same time).
Looking for someone to support your vision?
