About Debut
At Debut, we play at the intersection of science, communications, and creativity. We are a team of cognitive scientists, designers, creatives, communicators, marketers, producers, strategists, and business planners. But above all, we are problem-solvers.
When we put our minds together for our clients and, above all, their audiences. The strategies are more affecting, the ideas are less expected, and the results are more impactful.
Our team
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Ben Moorsom
FOUNDER, PRESIDENT & CEO
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Ben is passionate about audience engagement. He began his career in marketing communications as a producer but early on, he noticed that corporate communications efforts were so often missing the mark and at times, even causing harm. There had to be a better way to reach the hearts and minds of audiences.
Since 1997, Ben has been pioneering the fusion of behavioral science with creative and communications to drive engagement and behavior change. As the founder, president and CEO of Debut, Ben boldly leads Debut’s team towards meaningful engagement outcomes for our clients and their audiences. His work has spanned across neuroscience, event psychology, change management, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and even the metaverse.
Ben is a seeker who thrives on discovering and decoding new knowledge and a disrupter who’s made it his life’s mission to deconstruct, recalibrate, and engineer engagement.
To learn more about Ben, visit: www.benmoorsom.com
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Alona Taratuta
GM & DIRECTOR OF FINANCE
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Alona’s background is in accounting and finance, specifically in the marketing communications industry. With over 12 years of experience in this area, she is able to develop systems and processes that ensure financial accountability, stability, and operational excellence.
As the Director of Finance and General Manager, Alona oversees all operations, HR and finance. She is an invaluable strategic voice at the management table. She ensures that the team is working efficiently, while cultivating an environment of mutual respect and collaboration.
The best part of her job is in the kick-off of a new project—when the entire team comes together to problem-solve and create.
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Nico van Praag
VICE PRESIDENT, STRATEGY & CREATIVE
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Prior to joining the Debut Leadership Team, Nico was most recently the Global SVP of Experience Strategy at Freeman. He’s also held posts as VP of Strategy at GPJ and Partner/Chief Strategy Officer at Kenwood Experiences. He’s led experiential and digital strategy for brands including Salesforce, Hitachi, WorkDay, Pure Storage, EMC, and Visa. As an advertising strategist and consultant, Nico has worked with many brands including Audi, Red Bull, Nike, Lexus, General Motors, FitBit and Xbox. He’s a maker at heart and loves to design inspiring integrated customer and attendee journeys that are catalytic and a true reflection of the brand. Nico leads our Creative, Experience Strategy, Client Services, and Production teams here at Debut.
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Matt Pachai PhD.
BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE LEAD
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Matt is a PhD cognitive scientist with over 10 years of experience solving complex problems with rigorous analysis. He believes that science is nothing if it’s not being communicated effectively.
As the Behavioral Science Lead at Debut, Matt applies his deep understanding of the psychological literature and experience in research to the arena of business communications. The goal of communications is to connect, and Matt ensures that it happens effectively, and leads to behavior change for client contexts.
Matt’s favourite part of his work is being able to merge client communication and empathy with scientific insight and rigor. He loves seeing the real-world impact of his recommendations every day.
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Jocelyn Davies
BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE CONSULTANT
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Taylor Emo
PROJECT MANAGER
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Colin MacFadyen
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
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As a Creative Director, Colin brings a 360 approach to brand development, crafting unique experiences that leave a lasting impact on every interaction. He executes brand campaigns that resonate with audiences, focusing on empowering brands to engage effectively.
Providing innovative creative direction across diverse channels, his expertise spans print, digital, experiential, and video mediums, fuelled by a passion for problem-solving and strategic alignment. Colin has successfully overseen integrated design programs for corporate communications, rebranding initiatives, and experiential campaigns, consistently delivering exceptional results through effective team management.
His favourite part of the job is driving brand success by merging innovative design with strategic insight.
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Agnes Vaughan
PRODUCTION LEAD
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Agnes has a 15 year proven track record of successfully leading high profile events and managing corporate client relationships. As a production lead at Debut, Agnes works closely with the creative and science teams and is committed to delivering high-quality productions that exceed client expectations.
Agnes' favourite part of the job is seeing the magic unfold onsite when the audience is moved by the experiences the teams worked hard to design. It is very rewarding and never gets old.
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Francis Lanza
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
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Samantha Gunn
SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER
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Gabriel Galand
HEAD OF VIDEO PRODUCTION
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Steven Ward
ART DIRECTOR, VIDEO
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Laura Isabel
PRODUCTION COORDINATOR
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Fredy Vargas
SENIOR MOTION GRAPHIC DESIGNER
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Austin Reid
INTERMEDIATE GRAPHIC DESIGNER
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Laura Hlywka
OFFICE MANAGER
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Zhanna Torbina
ACCOUNTING CLERK
