From Agency to In-House: Creative Conversation

You know that career question that lives rent-free in your head: agency, freelance, or in-house? This talk won’t give you the answer, but it will be an honest download of what each path actually feels like from the inside. Hosted by Questrade and Friends of Figma, we’ll address the tradeoffs, the shapeshifting, the money conversations, and what it’s like to build something you're proud of inside a machine that's much bigger than you. We’ll also get into what’s changed—vibe-coding, Slack etiquette, happy hours—and what hasn’t. After a keynote hosted by Caroline Leong (writer & strategist) and Roger Dario (designer, art director) of Questrade (formerly of Jam3/MediaMonks & Tendril), we’ll continue the conversation with both agency and in-house creatives in an open panel discussion. We’ll close out Toronto Tech Week with dinner and refreshments, and great conversation with talent from across the city. If you’re a creative, this event is for you. The fine print: This is a 19+ event! To register, you must be 19 years of age or older. 📋 The Plan 5:00 PM 👋 Doors open 5:30 PM 🎤 Keynote & Panel 6:30 PM 🍕 Dinner & Hangout/Networking 9:00 PM 😴 Event end 🤑 About Questrade Questrade is one of Canada’s most established fintechs, and home to a Creative Shop that takes a more unconventional approach to building a world-class design team. Based in Toronto, the team works across brand, product, motion, and UX to make finance feel like it was made for real people. 🖤 About Friends of Figma Toronto Friends of Figma Toronto is the city’s official Figma design community — connecting designers, creatives, and builders through events, workshops, and honest conversations about craft. Open to everyone from seasoned practitioners to people just getting started. Toronto Tech Week is a citywide celebration of the people building what’s next. From May 25–29, 2026, founders, investors, and builders come together for hundreds of community-led events across Toronto, connecting tens of thousands of people around Canadian tech. Torontotechweek.com