Paul Lavoie

Paul Lavoie founded Taxi in Montreal in 1992 with his partner Jane Hope. The ad agency became widely known for its innovative work and soon began working with a wide range of global brands.

Lavoie left Taxi to devote his time to Beau Lake, a luxury paddleboard and lifestyle brand he co-owns. It’s a modern interpretation of, and tribute to, vintage wood powerboats. The company has recently released an electric runabout boat that promises to revolutionize cottage life by making it more quiet and sustainable.

In this episode of First Things First, we talk about the effect of the wilderness on Paul’s outlook, the intersection of advertising and design, and designing a new logo for Canada.

This episode is hosted by Paddy Harrington and produced and edited by Max Cotter. Frontier’s sponsor music is an edited version of “sketch (rum-portrait)” by Jahzzar from the album “Sketches.” This episode features edited versions of “Daydreamer” by Podington Bear, “Knock Knock” by Broke for Free, and “Until the End” by Ryan Andersen. Image of Paul Lavoie by Olivier Staub.