The Sixth Suite Q-Series kicks off live from Cannes Lions 2026 with Aaron Reitkopf, CEO of DAWN.

Recorded from Cannes, this conversation explores creativity, leadership, storytelling, independence, and how the future of marketing is evolving as brands, agencies, and creators rethink the way they connect with audiences.

Aaron shares his perspective on navigating change, building meaningful businesses, and why strong ideas and authentic storytelling continue to matter in an increasingly complex media landscape.

This Q-Series is also part of The Sixth Suite’s campaign to raise awareness for NABS Canada, a charity supporting professionals across Canada’s media, marketing, advertising, and communications industries through financial assistance, career support, and mental wellness resources.

A huge thank you to our sponsors for helping make this campaign possible:

Locala Vertical Impression DIVE Silverpush YQ – A Business Advisory Firm

🎧 Follow The Sixth Suite for more Q-Series conversations recorded live from Cannes Lions 2026.

💬 Enjoyed the conversation? Share this episode with someone working in media, marketing, advertising, or business.

#CannesLions2026 #TheSixthSuite #QSeries #NABSCanada #AaronReitkopf

🎙️ Q-Series at Cannes Lions 2026: Vertical Impression

In this Q-Series episode of The Sixth Suite, recorded live at Cannes Lions 2026, Nikki Stone and Clare Ravenstreet sit down with Nicolette from Vertical Impression for a sharp conversation about attention, contextual relevance, media innovation, and the power of ideas.

What is really shaping the future of advertising and media?

Nicolette shares her biggest takeaways from Cannes, exploring stronger systems, smarter strategy, emotionally resonant campaigns, and technology designed to create better experiences for both brands and consumers.

The conversation dives into why ideas are a form of currency, why winning is never a solo sport, how IR Code is changing live and immersive experiences, and why protecting your mornings may be some of the most valuable life advice you can follow.

💡 In this episode: • Ideas as a currency • The evolving attention economy • Contextual relevance in advertising • Smarter media and marketing strategy • IR Code and immersive brand experiences • Emotional resonance in campaigns • DV360, passion, and purpose • Why protecting your mornings matters

💙 Supporting NABS

This Q-Series is dedicated to raising awareness for NABS — the National Advertising Benevolent Society — supporting Canadian media, marketing, and advertising professionals through financial assistance, career support, and mental wellness resources.

If this conversation gives you a new perspective, share it with someone working in media, marketing, advertising, technology, or business who needs to hear it.

Follow and subscribe to The Sixth Suite for more Q-Series conversations from Cannes Lions 2026, industry insights, bold ideas, and life advice worth sharing.

⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 – Welcome to the Q-Series from Cannes 01:18 – Nicolette from Vertical Impression joins The Sixth Suite 02:25 – Cannes insights: systems, strategy, and smarter campaigns 03:38 – Ideas as a currency and the power of contextual relevance 06:44 – IR Code, emotional resonance, and immersive brand experiences 09:40 – DV360, passion, and finding what fuels your soul 11:24 – Life advice: protect your mornings

🔎 Topics

Cannes Lions 2026, The Sixth Suite, Q-Series, Vertical Impression, Nicolette, attention economy, media innovation, advertising, marketing, contextual intelligence, attention-based media, NABS Canada, brand experience, IR Code, DV360, marketing strategy.

#CannesLions #TheSixthSuite #QSeries #MediaInnovation #NABS

Everyone at Cannes has an AI pitch. Almost nobody survives a direct question about it. In this Q-Series episode of The Sixth Suite — live from the Croisette — Nikki Stone and Clare Ravenstreet sit down with two people who don't do vague: Hadrien Bailly, Managing Director of Locala Canada (11 years in), and Grant Gudgel, Locala's new CMO — formerly SVP Marketing at Verve and Head of Teads Studio, here on his eighth Cannes. Hadrien's mission this week: ask the direct questions, cut the bullshit, and find out who's actually building with AI versus who just found a prompt. It's the backdrop for Locala's sharpened positioning — using AI as the concrete bridge from insight to activation, so brands can adapt as fast as the market moves. Grant calls it now: after a decade of "the year of mobile," we've entered the 10-year year of AI — and the smartest things at Cannes aren't being said on stages. They're said one-on-one. Then it gets personal: two pieces of life advice that have nothing to do with adtech and everything to do with how you build a life. Keep fighting. And never confuse keeping your options open with being free. 💗 THIS SERIES SUPPORTS NABS CANADA Our Cannes Q-Series is part of our campaign to raise funds and awareness for NABS — the National Advertising Benevolent Society, the only Canadian charity dedicated to supporting media, marketing and communications professionals through financial assistance and mental wellness support. @NABS_Canada ► Donate + learn more: nabs.org • How to tell real AI capability from a rebrand with a prompt — ask direct questions • Locala's new positioning: AI as the bridge from insight → activation • Why the smartest Cannes conversations happen one-on-one, never on panels • The 10-year year of AI — and the discrete applications that actually matter • NABS, the BEC, Volley BEC & Le Bal En Noir: how industry community builds careers • Hadrien: "Keep fighting" — a deeply personal story of hope • Grant: optionality is not freedom — commitments give life its meaning ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ ► CHAPTERS ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 00:00 — Live from Cannes: welcome to the Q-Series 01:27 — Meet Locala: Hadrien Bailly & Grant Gudgel 02:00 — Real AI vs. buzzword theatre 03:15 — Eight Cannes in: the magic is one-on-one 05:00 — NABS, the BEC & community that builds careers 07:35 — Life advice: keep fighting, commit like you mean it ► GUESTS: Hadrien Bailly — Managing Director, Locala Canada, Grant Gudgel — Chief Marketing Officer, Locala Locala — AI-powered advertising, from insight to activation → asklocala.com · LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/ask-locala ► HOSTS: Nikki Stone — Founder, YQ → thinkyq.com · @YQ_growonpurpose · Clare Ravenstreet — @Clareravenstreetteam The Sixth Suite is brought to you by YQ → thinkyq.com ► SUPPORT NABS CANADA NABS Canada is the safety net for Canadian media and advertising professionals — from financial assistance to mental wellness support, when our community needs it most. 🌐 nabs.org · 📸 IG: @nabs_canada · 💼 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/nabs-canada · FB: @nabsCanada 💗 Every view, share, and dollar helps. Donate → nabs.org ► FOLLOW THE SIXTH SUITE ▶️ YouTube: @thesixthsuite 🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5oBGB4Ig2dzaZOVfurpQTc?si=2593024656d843b5 🍎 Apple Podcasts: search "The Sixth Suite" 📸 Instagram: @thesixthsuite · 🎵 TikTok: @thesixthsuite 💼 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/the-sixth-suite ►IF YOU LOVE THIS EPISODE 🔔 SUBSCRIBE — more Cannes drops are landing all week. 💬 COMMENT: what's the most concrete use of AI you've actually seen this year? 🔁 SHARE this with someone drowning in AI buzzword bingo. 💗 DONATE to NABS Canada → nabs.org #TheSixthSuite #QSeries #CannesLions #Locala #AI #AdTech #Marketing #NABSCanada #NABS

Contextual AI, brand safety, and the Kids Help Phone campaign that won three Cannes Lions in 2026 — live from Cannes, this Q-Series episode goes inside "Defining Help," the campaign built to find the exact content every other advertiser is built to avoid.

Nikki Stone sits down with Jeff McCann, Regional Vice President, Canada at Silverpush, the contextual AI company that ran its targeting technology in reverse for Kids Help Phone, McCann Canada, and Epitaph Group. Instead of avoiding "brand unsafe" videos about self-harm, depression, and eating disorders, the campaign found them — and served hundreds of creative variants to young people in crisis, region by region, powered by 50+ million anonymized, real-language data points from real youth conversations. Kids Help Phone has connected with young people over 22 million times since 2020 — and 75% of youth tell them something they've never shared with anyone. The result: two Gold Lions and a Silver at Cannes Lions 2026 — and kids picking up the phone.

Jeff also covers what breaking your own adtech product unlocks (broadcast-quality YouTube inventory, premium podcast targeting), the Lumen attention research proving contextual ads cost less and perform better, and his life advice for the Sixers: be consistent and thoughtful — it's a marathon, not a sprint.

This Q-Series raises funds for NABS Canada — the safety net for Canadian media, marketing and communications professionals. Donate: nabs.org

If you or a young person you know needs support: Kids Help Phone — call 1-800-668-6868 or text CONNECT to 686868.

Watch on YouTube: [YT EPISODE LINK]

▸ CHAPTERS (Spotify — verified against final cut)

(00:00) Live from Cannes: Q-Series + NABS

(01:13) Meet Jeff McCann (Silverpush)

(01:38) Defining Help: breaking brand safety to reach kids in crisis

(05:18) Breaking your own product & why context wins

(13:00) Life advice: marathon, not a sprint

▸ GUEST

Jeff McCann — Regional Vice President, Canada, Silverpush · linkedin.com/in/mrjeffmccann

Silverpush → silverpush.co · linkedin.com/company/silverpush

▸ HOSTS

Nikki Stone — Founder, YQ Advisory → thinkyq.com · @YQAdvisory · @Nikkistone

Clare Ravenstreet — @Clareravenstreet

▸ FOLLOW

🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5oBGB4Ig2dzaZOVfurpQTc?si=6169081aa0884967

▶️ YouTube: https://youtube.com/@thesixthsuite?si=BeqqPjUhOS4KUQEh

🌐 thesixthsuitepodcast.com · IG/TikTok: @thesixthsuite · LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/the-sixth-suite · Apple Podcasts: search "The Sixth Suite"

⭐ Enjoying the Q-Series? Rate the show and share it with three people you want to see succeed.

💛 Support NABS Canada → nabs.org

🎙️ The Sixth Suite Podcast | Episode 6 with Paul Gittens of The Who Project Podcast In this episode of The Sixth Suite, we sit down with special guest Paul Gittens from The Who Project Podcast for a powerful conversation about identity, resilience, purpose, leadership, and the stories that shape who we become. Paul shares thoughtful insights on self-discovery, personal growth, and what it means to ask deeper questions about who we are, how we show up, and how our experiences influence the way we lead, connect, and grow. This episode is for anyone interested in meaningful conversations, podcast storytelling, leadership, resilience, personal development, and the power of understanding your own identity.

What does it actually take to build a business — and a life — on integrity? In Episode 5 of The Sixth Suite, "The Infrastructure of Integrity," hosts Nikki and ‪Clare sit down with Jaime Thompson of Wildwood Park Media to talk character, risk, purpose, and the simple idea that ties it all together: be the same person when nobody's watching. From the bet that launched his career ("roll the dice on this guy — we'll put the money up front") to co-founding iDream — which gives away $5 million in media to young Black, Indigenous and people-of-color founders — Jaime makes the case that the most durable thing you can build a company on is who you are when no one's looking.

Vertiqal Studios runs 138 owned-and-operated channels and over 2 billion monthly views in vertical short-form video. In Episode 4 of The Sixth Suite, the founders sit down to open up the creator-led media playbook they've been quietly running since 2013. Hosts Nikki Stone (founder of YQ) and Clare Ravenstreet (SVP, Digital & Data Strategy at Zenith Media Canada) and guests Max Desmarais (CEO, Vertiqal Studios) and Tyler Wells (COO, Vertiqal Studios) on distribution strategy, algorithm anxiety, brand sovereignty, and what an eight-figure exit taught them about staying power in the creator economy. This is The Sovereign Feed: Architecting the Infrastructure of Influence — a 50-minute conversation on what creator-led media actually looks like when you build it deliberately.

What happens when a founder bets on integrity while an entire industry is collapsing? Regan from Hela Nutritions built a premium supplement brand and she did it by refusing to cut a single corner.

In Episode 3 of TheSixthSuite, hosts Nikki Stone and Clare Ravenstreet sit down with Regan to unpack the compound interest of integrity — why values-based businesses outlast trend-chasers, what's really hiding in your "healthy" products, and how purpose becomes the ultimate competitive moat.

From the dirty truth about cane sugar, seed oils, and xanthan gum in wellness products to the women's sports revolution reshaping media, from the AI employment disruption to why "owning the pipes" is the only brand strategy that matters — this episode covers it all.