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"Chris is a forward thinker who builds genuine relationships and creates opportunities for growth."
- Country Manager, Lyft
Hi, I'm Chris McLellan, a growth marketer with 15+ years experience launching and growing cutting-edge technologies. My mission is to help clients build modern marketing functions based on knowledge, intelligence, and the right balance of human-AI collaboration. I don't just drop in random tools, I get to understand your objectives, workflows, and team, and together we identify areas where AI can make the right impact.
Data Governance Institute, October 29, 2025
Canadian Marketing Association, July 09, 2025
For editorial, podcast, and live appearances please email: chris@friendselectric.ca
I work with teams to design, test, and manage always-on, time-bound, and ops-based marketing initiatives.
AI Marketing services
I help to establish AI-enabled marketing programs that fully-align with organizational AI adoption plans.
AI Assessments
Create AI adoption plans with goals, readiness, risk, and opportunities.
Knowledge Bases
Establish dynamic information sources to power insights that lead to smarter marketing.
Content Engines
Introduce notetakers, bots, and AI tools for ideation, planning, first drafts, and repurposing.
AI Agents
Test automations and autonomous workflows to handle repetitive tasks.
Foundational Marketing services
I manage traditional marketing programs, with particular expertise in strategy, GTM planning, and demand gen.
Strategy
Create concise annual Marketing Plan including channel strategy and budget.
Product Marketing
Deliver core product research, GTM plans, and sales enablement.
Brand Marketing
Build credibility through thought leadership and visible industry participation.
Demand Gen
Drive interest through category education, problem-led content, and community building.
Demand Capture
Convert active interest into leads and pipeline through inbound and outbound tactics.
Marketing Ops
Manage marketing systems, human-AI collabs, data quality, and performance reporting.
I start from a baseline daily rate that's adjusted according to number of employees (for small, medium, and enterprise companies) or total funding raised (for venture-backed startups, scale-ups).
Project-Based
Ideal for teams that want structured support with clear goals and timelines. Each engagement focuses on building or improving a specific part of the marketing function. Examples: AI Plans, Knowledge Bases, product research, campaigns
Fractional
Ideal for founders or marketing leads who need a senior marketing resource to plan, build, or optimize key functions without hiring someone on a full time
basis. Examples: Running AI marketing, Demand Gen, or Product Marketing programs
Full-Time
For organizations ready to scale marketing and growth. I join your team to support planning, execution, and AI adoption across the full marketing function.
Examples: Managing the entire marketing function or multiple programs.
I approach AI marketing from a foundation of hard-earned skills gained by launching cutting-edge companies across 3 continents. Best viewed on desktop👍
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01
Cinchy - Marketing Director
Founding marketer at pioneering startup building Data Collaboration Platform for the enterprise. Lead product marketing and category development. Backed by Mars Ventures and Techstars.
02
Ask AI Podcast - Founder / Head of Content
Founded Ask AI nonprofit in 2017 to showcase innovation and support everyday professionals as they navigate increased AI adoption. I continue to volunteer as content producer.
03
Lyft - Canada Launch Manager (Contract)
Launch marketer (contract) responsible for all driver recruitment, passenger recruitment, and key partnerships for Toronto/GTA launch of the major rideshare service.
04
VarageSale - Head of Launch Marketing
Founding marketer at B2C mobile marketplace. Delivered 25+ community launches and managed team of 8. Backed by Sequoia, Lightspeed, and Real Ventures.
05
Hailo - Head of Marketing
Founding marketer responsible for flagship launch (London, UK) plus 8 major city launches in North America. Backed by Sir Richard Branson and Accel Partners.
I select AI-enabled marketing tools for their simplicity, cost-effectiveness, analytics, and team collaboration features.
Custom AI Bots
I write prompts and create templates to enable tools like Google Gems and Custom GPTs to draft emails, blog posts, video scripts, and lead magnets.
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Content Creation
I use graphic design tools like Canva and Gamma for creating brand assets, social media graphics, and sales collateral.
AI Notetakers
I use tools like Granola and Google Meet to generate call transcripts and summaries that are excellent sources of raw information for AI Research Assistants.
Sales Automation
I use tools like AI Sales Development Reps to augment top of funnel activities and deliver qualified leads to sales teams.
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AI Research Assistants
I use tools like Google's NotebookLM and ChatGPT Projects to support the planning and execution of campaigns, growth programs, and GTM Plans.
CRM
I'm experienced in email sequences and lead nurturing in HubSpot, ActiveCampaign, and Apollo.
AI Agents
I'm in the early stages of testing agentic platforms like N8N, Make, and GumLoop for multi-step, multi-platform automations.
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AI Video Production
Video is an increasingly key content format. AI Tools like Descript and Wistia support text-to-video editing, sound bites, and lead gen.
Web Design
I build basic web sites (like this one) with Wix and collaborate with UX experts on design apps like Figma.
AI CRO
I employ tools like Voiceflow, Screenflow, and Pathmonk to help optimize website conversion rates and boost growth.
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Reporting & Analytics
I work with analytical tools including GA4, Funnel IO, and Looker Studio to build concise dashboards and reports to inform key decisions.
"Chris is a forward thinker who builds genuine relationships and creates opportunities for growth."
[I reported to Tim, the Country Manager, while spearheading the Canadian market launch of Lyft, the SF-based rideshare operator and Uber rival]
EVP Global Festivals, Ticketmaster
“Chris connects big picture strategy with hands-on execution in a data driven environment."
[I reported to Andrew, the CEO, while heading the Launch Marketing team at VaragSale, the secondhand marketplace backed by Sequoia and Accel Partners]
Data & AI Pioneer
“Chris brings a whatever it takes mindset, adapting quickly and driving success through any challenge.”
[I reported to Dan, the CEO, while employed as founding marketer and subsequently Product Marketing Manager at Cinchy, the enterprise Data Collaboration Platform]
Sr. Product Marketing, Acumatica
"Chris is passionate about tech and the responsible application of it, and has many great ideas on how to leverage quality content, AR, and PR for brand building and community engagement."
[Tammy and I were colleagues while I was Marketing Director at Cinchy, the pioneering Data Collaboration Platform for the enterprise]
Sr. Community Mngr, ServiceNow
"I can attribute my overall confidence in being able to tackle various marketing tactics and solutions to Chris. He really valued our team and was genuinely interested in our personal success."
[I managed Celina while heading up the Launch Marketing team at VaragSale, the Toronto-based secondhand marketplace backed by Sequoia and Accel Partners]
Marketing Director, Honk
"Chris ensured all team members were fully equipped to succeed, provided guidance when necessary, but otherwise let his team run with their own projects. He's data and metrics driven and instilled the same mentality in the team."
[I managed Rachel while heading up the Launch Marketing team at VaragSale, the Toronto-based secondhand marketplace backed by Sequoia and Accel Partners]
Head of ads, Pinterest Canada
"Chris dreams big. He looks for large scale opportunities and turns them into bite-size tasks and does an excellent job being hands-on and getting his team excited about executing."
[Bobby and I were colleagues while I was heading up Launch Marketing at VaragSale, the Toronto-based secondhand marketplace backed by Sequoia and Accel]
Director Growth Marketing, Clutch
"I got the privilege of seeing Chris take the City Launch team from an ambitious idea to a fast-moving, data-driven marketing and business development SWAT team."
[I managed Yousef while heading up the Launch Marketing team at VaragSale, the Toronto-based secondhand marketplace backed by Sequoia and Accel Partners]
Founder, Toronto Machine Learning Society
"Chris is an invaluable leader in the Canadian AI ecosystem working tirelessly to represent Canadian research and innovation in the various fields of AI. "
[I collaborated with Dave while volunteering as Founder at the Ask AI nonprofit which has been actively producing content since 2017}
