I started working at Kamloops This Week around 2014, focusing mainly on real estate advertising. Most of my work came through sales reps—new ads, changes, and last-minute updates all flowed through them—so the pace was quick and the turnover was constant.
My days were spent designing everything from small classifieds to full-page real estate ads in InDesign. I used Photoshop daily to resize, clean up, and retouch property photos so they were ready for print. When the images were solid, the layouts came together fast.
Eventually, one of the ad designers left and I stepped into his role. From there, I had my own regular clients and handled their ads on a consistent schedule. Sometimes the source files were… creative. One time I asked for a logo and received a photo of the side of a truck with the logo printed on it. I rebuilt the entire thing in Illustrator so it could actually be used properly. That kind of problem-solving ended up being a surprisingly normal part of the job.
As the company expanded into digital advertising, we started building animated web ads using Flexitive. Depending on the project, I either designed and animated ads in Photoshop or worked directly inside Flexitive’s system when needed.
During that time, Kamloops This Week also launched a podcast called Kamloops Last Week, and I created an animated logo sting for the show in After Effects. It was a fun shift from print-heavy work into motion and gave the brand a strong animated identity for video and social platforms.
Kamloops This Week officially closed its doors in 2023, bringing that chapter to an end. But the experience itself was huge for me—tight deadlines, high output, lots of client personalities, and a ton of real-world print and ad production. I made long-time connections there, learned how to stay calm under pressure, and built skills that still show up in my work today.
And as a fun bonus from that chapter of my life—I also happened to meet my husband there.
