The Ramp spotlight is on and we’re giving you a chance to get to know us better. Here’s what we found out about Jeff Gougeon, our Senior Project Manager.

Meet Jeff Gougeon, our new Senior Project Manager:

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Sudbury. I spent many summers at a cottage in Blind River where my mom grew up.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

For a long time, I wanted to be a lawyer. I’m not sure where the idea came from.

How did you get into marketing and advertising?

After working in the food and beverage industry for five years, I went back to school to learn about coding and web development. I graduated and I was looking for a job. My sister told me about a tech position that opened up at the ad agency she worked at. Luckily the role didn’t require a background in advertising and I got hired. I’ve worked at various advertising and marketing agencies ever since. I’ve learned a lot over my last 20 years in the industry.

What’s your favourite project that you’ve ever worked on?

I worked on a project where we updated the user interface, design, and workflow of ATMs for an American bank. I love knowing that millions of people would use these machines to access their funds faster than before.

You just joined the team at Ramp. What do you like about working here?

Working at Ramp is great. I like that everyone is excellent at their job and truly cares about the end result. It’s been a nice change to work on projects that help others instead of selling things.

Do you have any hobbies?

Is being obsessed with wristwatches a hobby? Because if it is then that’s mine. I’ve bought and sold a lot of watches over the years as I aim to build my perfect collection. My favourite brand of watches is Audemars Piguet.

Do you have any hidden talents?

I can spin a pen in each hand, at the same time. It’s a useless talent but keeps me from fidgeting.

What’s your favourite movie and why?

I love The Matrix. I’m a sci-fi nerd and the idea that our reality may not be what it seems is fascinating to me. I also think that we have the power to change our reality.

Are you planning anything fun this summer?

I’ll be taking a trip with my family to Italy. It will be my first time visiting the country. My wife has been and I’m excited for us to experience the food and culture together with our children. We plan on visiting Venice and Florence, but who knows where else we’ll end up.

What’s your favourite ad or campaign of all time?

Life Cereal’s vintage ‘Mikey likes it’ ad. I always think of it whenever I see the cereal.

The campaign was so popular that it spawned its own urban legends. I’ll always remember the one about Mikey’s untimely demise from ingesting Pop Rocks & Coke which then allegedly exploded in his stomach. I don’t think any of it is true, but it always gave a dark undertone to the commercial whenever I saw it. I also never mixed Pop Rocks and soda together again.

What’s one thing not a lot of people know about you?

I lived in Sydney, Australia for 10 years. It was great to avoid the winter season but I prefer being back at home and closer to my family.

What’s your best memory from when you lived in Australia?

What stands out for me was being able to finish work and head straight to the beach. I lived near Bondi Beach and going there was a treat for me. I also saw some kangaroos and koalas outside of Sydney, which was pretty cool.

What’s your favourite hidden gem in Toronto?

I can’t get enough of the woodfired pizzas at Pizza e Pazzi on St. Clair West.

Thanks for taking the time to catch up.

In case you missed it, check out our spotlight on our Office Admin Lisa, Designer Kelsey, Art Director Sheree, Director of Client Services Doug, and our Creative Director David.

Up next, we’ll be catching up with our new Manager of Business Development and Partnerships, Ratsamy Pathammavong. Don’t miss it!