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early two decades ago, when most high school students were fixated on inter-murals, and video games, a young entrepreneur named George Sully was focused on building brands. Fast track to 2012, an age when the brand guru title is perceived with a grain of salt, George Sully, is in fact, Toronto’s Brand Man with a global Rolodex. Yes, he is a designer, an influencer and philanthropist but more importantly, Sully is a man with vision who knows how to connect with people. For this reason, luxury brands consult his opinion and social circles seek his presence. Known in the industry as the purveyor of lifestyle, Hennessy recently swept Sully away to France on a Familiarization Tour of its distilleries, vineyards, and music festivals to document his experience. Why? Well, because if George Sully has a good time, most likely you will too. Next up is a tour of the Crop Over Festival in Barbados courtesy of the National Cultural Foundation of Barbados. But gallivanting around the world on the expense of others isn’t just because Sully is hot–leave that to the Hiltons, actual fans of Sully. Mr. Sully is sought-after because of his multidiscipline approach to implementing sound strategies, in accordance with his clients’ needs, through his collection of multifaceted companies. Sully innovatively delivers lifestyle products in the world of print, media and fashion. Sully’s Design Embassy Group, the umbrella corporation that houses Sully Wong Shoes and TCHAD Quarterly, has helped shape his profile as the Brand Man. Designing with business partner, Henry Wong, the Sully Wong Shoe Brand is impacting the boutique sneaker-market worldwide. Honing in on his trend-setting skills, Sully and close friend, C. Gardiner Cranston took an unorthodox approach to magazine making and gave life to TCHAD Quarterly, a luxury coffee table book focused on the metropolitan lifestyle, highlighting the best in music, fashion and design. “The first thing I can say about Mr. George Sully is his incredible energy and pure talent,” says Lori Petteplace, Public Relations and Marketing Specialist for Fossil Canada. “He is a style guru that knows the scene, knows what’s happening and can call out a trend like no other.”
Confident in creating designs that influence, Sully reached out to his network and gathered the best in web and social media to establish Design Embassy Media, a consulting company specialized in re-branding, business critical application, web and print campaigns. “He has always impressed me with his ability to connect with people and his deep understanding of social media marketing,” boasts President of the highly coveted Spoke Club, Pierre Jutras. “He is passionate, has an openmind and has huge vivacity, which enables him to take on any project with an unconstrained approach.” Business projects aren’t the only things filling Sully’s agenda. Committed to evolving as a human being, George Sully is a community advocate, board member and founder of youth organizations. With business partner Dhani Oks, Sully co-founded the School of Hustle, a program serving as a social outlet for underprivileged youth. Sully likes to use his networks to help others. A brand ambassador for This Shirt, supporter of the MPCF, IT Factor and many others, Sully established the George Sully Project in order to maximize his ability to give back. “George is fantastic to work with because of his dynamic energy, his incomparable work ethic and for his willingness to go the extra mile,” says Natasha Borota, President and CEO of IT Factor and co-funder of The Michael “Pinball” Clemons Foundation (MPCF). “George has a philanthropic heart. His relentless work has been pivotal for many MPCF campaigns to take-off and this is just the beginning for us. I am humbled to work with George.” George Sully works to a point that for most would result in exhaustion, but his urge to go on is driven by his passionate pursuit to pave the way for industry innovations and so that others can also enjoy similar opportunities. To be recognized as a brand mogul is unlikely in a city with countless socalled brand experts, but the universal creativity that lies within George Sully is what makes him the leader of the pack.
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