1. Laurance Yap
Car creative
Writer/photographer, director/
integrator, square peg/round hole
Technical specifications
Excel and Photoshop, pixels
and petrol, breadth and depth
Features and benefits
Student of sensation, stickler
for detail, slave to the stopwatch
TRIM and colour
1710-50 Lynn Williams Street
Toronto ON M6K 3R9
p: 416-948-0672
M: 416-450-4399
E: yap@mac.com
LEARN MORE > Email Facebook Linkedin
Fueled by an insatiable curiosity about the world, words,
images, and machines, I’m never happier than when learn-
ing a new skill, jumping into a new job with a new client,
or when doing hands-on research (I typically fill a Mole-
skine notebook in a month with notes and sketches). I’m
fascinated by the macro and the micro, and pride myself
on being able to hatch big plans while still attending to the
small details. Whether it’s a high-performance engine, a
beautifully-scripted film or an integrated marketing cam-
paign, nothing makes me happier than seeing something
run like a well-oiled machine: every small moving part per-
fectly formed, all contributing to a cohesive whole.
I’m an inveterate collector of stuff and experiences whose
priorities have shifted from quantity to quality in the things
I have, the work I do, and the company I keep. Indeed, I’d
rather be defined by what I choose not to do or have in life
and work, and I’ve tried to shed the fashionable and the
fleeting, choosing instead to keep what’s timeless and en-
during. This explains my love for all things analogue (vintage
cars, mechanical watches, fountain pens, film) as well my
approach to content (thoughtful, subtle, consciously avoid-
ing the medium getting in the way of the message).
While much of what I do has long lead times, I still work as if
on a tight newsroom deadline; I believe a sense of urgency
is important to creating great work. But my style is collab-
orative rather than bombastic; a right-hand man that lets
the work, rather than his voice, speak loudest of all.
A history of landing jobs where I haven’t met any on-paper
requirements comes from an eclectic background built on
practical knowledge and constant inquisitiveness. Skills can
be acquired by someone with a passion for the work, the
client, or brand. What can’t be is a diversity of experience
and thought from years of working in high-pressure environ-
ments in tech, automotive and content creation – where
juggling multiple hats hasn’t been a choice, but a necessity.
All that normally means breadth without depth. But with
over a decade’s experience in all three fields, I bring high-
level perspective as well as hands-dirty knowledge to any
task. I’ve been a client that understands the nitty-gritty of
agency work. I’ve been an editor that’s also had my work
mangled. I’ve often have had to fix my own creative tools.
A presence on both sides of the fence means I know the
automotive industry inside as well as out. I interviewed the
players from every brand, and reviewed almost every car, in
the market. On the inside, I’ve managed agencies, created
events, and learned to number-crunch and be ruthlessly
analytical – in the pursuit of efficiency, effectiveness, sales.
Through it all, I’ve had to convincingly sell big (and expen-
sive) projects to dealers; manage relationships with agen-
cies and suppliers; lead a small, opinionated group of mar-
keters; and keep German HQ informed as well as happy.
I’m a creative guy that’s a strategist, a manager as well as
an executor, a figurehead that can also play mister-fixit.
As Senior Director of Marketing at RM Auctions, I looked
after a team of 12, managing the entire marketing process
from planning through to content creation and production,
using print, digital, video, and any other tool at our disposal.
Previous to RM, I was at Porsche Cars Canada Ltd. for
almost six years – three as PR Manager and almost three
as Director of Marketing. In addition to running advertising,
product planning, and CRM, I drove a number of the com-
pany’s cornerstone initiatives. I helped build the GT3 Cup
Canada from scratch. The Camp4 Canada winter experi-
ence went from a major cost to a six-figure profit centre.
I also led a widely-covered re-pricing project during US-
dollar parity, integrated new-car and aftersales marketing,
and brought Porsche back to the Toronto autoshow.
From 1996 to 2008, I worked three parallel career paths.
As an IT consultant, I built and supported the technical
infrastructure of agencies including Lowe Roche, Grip,
Zig, and Yield. I was the original Art Director for Sharp
Magazine, pioneered the combination of cars and fashion
in Canada at Driven Magazine, and was Art Director at
World of Wheels and Canadian Auto World.
With a degree in creative writing from York University, my
passion remained writing about (and photographing) some
of Canada’s most widely-read, award-winning car content,
including a weekly columns in the Toronto Star, Canadian-
Driver, and other print and online outlets.

2. WORK EXPERIENCE EDUCATION
Interests/hobbies
Honours & AWARDS
LEARN MORE > Email Facebook Linkedin
RM Auctions
July 2014–January 2015
Senior Director of Marketing, leading a team of twelve.
• Content creation including catalogues and digital
• Market research
• Advertising planning and execution across all channels
• Event design and management
• CRM initiatives in coordination with client services
Porsche Cars Canada Ltd.
September 2011-June 2014
Director of Marketing, leading a team of four.
• Lead volume planning process
• Manage product planning including pricing, standard
equipment, competitive positioning
• Advertising and media planning across all channels
• Event management including customer-paid drive events,
national test-drive initiatives, national and local auto
shows, launch parties
• Dialogue and customer relationship marketing including
CRM database, national web sites, direct mail, online con-
figurator, customer magazine, predictive marketing
• Dealer marketing including management of co-op funds,
dealer web sites, dealer events
• Manage and promote one-make racing series
• Market research
July 2008-September 2011
Manager, Public Relations.
• International, national and regional test-drive events
• Create overall communications strategy
• Manage western and eastern press fleet
• Write press releases, speeches, and presentations
• From January 2010, management of all product planning
• Establish national one-make racing series
Contempo Media Inc./Sharp magazine
January-July 2008
Creative Director, leading a team of freelancers.
• Create consistent identity across magazine, website,
promotional materials
• Planning of fashion, product, and automotive shoots
• Writing and editing copy
• Overall layout and design of each issue
DRIVEN magazine
2004-2008
Creative Director, leading a team of freelancers.
• Create consistent identity across magazine, website,
promotional materials
• Planning and execution of photo shoots
• Overall layout and design of each issue
• Production management
Antiquorum/timezone.com
2005-2008
Moderated brand and automotive forums on the world’s
leading watch information website.
Annex Publishing Inc.
2001-2004
Art Director for World of Wheels and Canadian AutoWorld.
Freelance writer
1996-2008
Freelance contributor to The Toronto Star, Wheels.ca,
CanadianDriver.com (now Autos.ca), Excellence magazine,
EnRoute magazine, WatchTime magazine, MoneySense
magazine and Porsche Panorama. Director, Automobile
Journalists Association of Canada 2000-2007 (including
Vice President, 2002-2007 and Director, Canadian Car of
the Year, 2005-2007).
York University
1996-2000
Honours BA, Creative Writing/Mass Communications.
• Automobiles (modern and vintage)
• Mechanical timepieces (modern and vintage)
• Photography, graphic design, film and screenwriting
• Emerging technology
2007 Winner, AJAC Julie Wilkinson
Motorsport Journalism Award
2006 Winner, AJAC/Mitsubishi Design and Layout
Award (Driven Magazine)
2006 First Runner-up, AJAC/Pirelli Photography Award
(Published Category)
2004 Runner-up, AJAC/Nikon Photography Award
(Unpublished category)
2004 Runner-up, AJAC/Nikon Photography Award
(Published category)
2003 Winner, AJAC Julie Wilkinson
Motorsport Journalism Award
2003 Winner, AJAC/Mitsubishi Motor Sales of Canada
Award for Best Automotive Design/Layout
2002 Winner, AJAC/Nikon Photography Award
(Published category)
2000 Honorable Mention, AJAC/Volvo Award for
Environmental Journalism
1999 Honorable Mention, AJAC/Volvo Award for
Environmental Journalism
Laurance Yap Car creative
Automotive CREATIVE