The story
How a shy artist ended up running a studio.
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Tara started at Copper Fish as a junior designer and worked her way up to art director. Agency work: concepts, layouts, production, and clients with demanding deadlines.
After Copper Fish sold, moving client side to ATCO was a different kind of job. ATCO is more than one operating company, and she led the in-house creative team across them, which meant brand standards, templates, and getting a lot of people to use them the same way.
She also started and ran a non-profit that organised events in Canada and Wales. Booking venues, building a programme, attracting sponsors, media relations and selling tickets turned out to be useful practice for running a company. From 2021 to 2024 she was Director of the Calgary chapter of Startup Grind and became a mentor with the Founder’s Institute.
In 2019 she co-founded Paper Crane. She is the CEO and also the creative director, so the creative work still goes through her before it ships.
I learned the most about clients from running events.
Career
The jobs, in order
- 2002–2008
Art Director
Copper Fish
Started as a junior designer and worked her way up to art director: concepting, art direction and production for agency clients, with demanding deadlines.
- 2008–2017
Creative lead
ATCO · Client side marketing and communications
Leading an in-house creative team across more than one operating company. Most of the work was standards and systems, so that hundreds of people could produce on-brand material without a designer in the room.
- 2017–2019
Creative consultant
Independent
Independent creative direction for a mix of clients, alongside the non-profit.
- 2010–2014
Founder & Director
Non-profit · in Canada and Wales
A non-profit that organised events in Canada and Wales: programming, sponsors, media, venues, tickets.
- 2017–2024
Board Member 2017–2021, Director 2021–2024
Startup Grind Calgary
Board member from 2017, then Director of the Calgary chapter from 2021 to 2024: monthly events, speakers, sponsors and a room full of founders.
- 2019
Co-founder, CEO and Creative Directornow
Paper Crane · Calgary and Vancouver
Co-founded in 2019, with offices in Calgary and Vancouver. Tara is CEO and creative director. Paper Crane does brand, web and software work for growing companies.
- 2019–Present
Mentornow
Founders Institute
Mentoring young business owners through the Founders Institute programme.
- 2020–2025
Member
Keiretsu Forum
Member of the Calgary chapter from 2020 to 2025.
- 2025
Advisory Board member
YYC Data Society
Joined the advisory board of the YYC Data Society in 2025.
I am still obsessed with color.
Tara Collins
