ECHO Storytelling Agency

09/23/2025

You don’t need to wait until you’ve sold your company, retired or hit age 70 to start reflecting.

In fact, the act of putting your story on record—right now, in the messy middle—might be one of the most strategic things you can do to sharpen your entrepreneurial edge.

Here is some founder-to-founder advice, fresh out of Forbes:

The founders we admire most often share a blend of these traits—and what’s striking is how many have captured them in writing.

09/18/2025

An iconic builder’s legacy written in concrete and kindness.

In 2010, Ryan Beedie called Echo.

His father, Keith, was 84 and had been the heart and soul of Beedie—the real estate firm he founded in 1954—for more than 50 years.

As he was stepping into the role of President, Ryan wanted to get the family legacy down on paper, not just as a tribute to his father, but as a way to honour Beedie employees and clients, whose contributions helped grow the business.

There was just one catch. Keith Beedie wasn’t exactly a spotlight guy. Here is the backstory on how “Something to Build On” was brought to life.

echostories.com/backstory/keith-beedie-memoir

09/10/2025

Excellent narrative calls for excellent leadership.

He’s written some great stories here at Echo over the years, but this week, he’s officially served his first year as our Editorial Director. Happy 1st Echoversary, Matt!

09/02/2025

As new projects took shape and several wrapped up, we spent time planning the road ahead, capturing our work out in the wild + in house, and squeezing in some R&R too. Here were our August highlights:

✨Sam gets into the neuroscience of storytelling with the Family Office Exchange, and why it’s so key to preserving legacy (head to our bio for the podcast).

✨Hélène’s cappuccinos — félicitations to our Studio Manager and newest member for reaching 3 months with Echo, all the while making it feel like she's been here forever.

✨A full, hands-on day photographing new books (with the help our doggo friend, Buddy). It was the summer our storytelling work turned a notch prettier, and we can’t wait to show you more.

✨Making a rest stop at Keats Island for our annual team retreat.

✨Our President marking 10 years at Echo, and leaving the warmest, most positive impact on the many people he’s worked with over the years.

✨Completing a handsome special edition for a 100-year anniversary book. A shout out to our Production Coordinator for bringing to bear some serious technical know-how as we got this to the finish line.

✨Thrilling a new private equity client with a swiftly written sample chapter, thanks to our Editorial Director and a new Echo writer working their relationship-building magic.

✨Scoring media passes for a Friday Nooner at the Nat to photograph “Play Ball!” — our book for the Vancouver Canadians and reconnecting with the warm and amazing people behind the team.

08/29/2025

Capturing a book on camera is trickier than it looks. 👀

Here’s a little BTS action from a recent shoot. We captured details from our newest publications’ covers, special features, and the contents within.

We also strengthened our cores.💪😮‍💨

It starts with a lot of planning, nailing down the shotlist, then setting the stage with a clean backdrop. After that, some serious maneuvering and moving around — a steady pair of hands for the camera, holding books open, flipping through pages, and drawing attention to specific points of interest.

What’s more, every book (and spread) is unique in size, weight, texture and design, which calls for special handling, backdrop colours, and angles.

✨📚✨

08/22/2025

The Northern Trust Institute had over a century of experience advising wealthy families. They needed a single, cohesive resource for their clients. The result was "Secrets of Enterprising Families", a modern (and readable!) guide to values, legacy, and financial fluency.

This project wasn’t about promotion. It was about thought leadership with a shelf life, a credible and comprehensive book that could be handed to clients with pride and purpose.

Read the backstory at: echostories.com/backstory/northern-trust/

08/20/2025

Images are a huge contributor to your story capital. It’s why we seek them out early in our discovery process … it takes the narrative to a new level.

Our biggest advice to clients is to safeguard their photographs. When the time comes, they can become powerful assets for your company anniversary, personal memoir, or even a video tribute.

If you’re looking to build your bigger story, let’s talk. It’s what we’re here for.

08/14/2025

The weather couldn’t have been more perfect for our annual this summer.

As always, it was filled with ocean swims, berry picking, conversation, good food, and the kind of reset only nature can give. We all needed it.

It’s been a smashing summer. We hope yours is too. 🌞

08/11/2025

In the family wealth space, we are increasingly talking about the importance of telling the family story and passing the history down to future generations.

How do we equip the Rising Generation with the tools to glean wisdom from their elders and prepare for the road ahead? And where does story fit in the big picture?

This summer, Sam was invited to unpack the neuroscience behind sharing authentic stories – both stories of success and of adversity – on the FOXcast CEO Series by the Family Office Exchange.

Head to our bio to listen to the podcast. 🔗

08/01/2025

July was packed with big events, connections, birthdays, and steady work, with room for the small summer comforts that add spark to our storytelling work:

✨Sam & John were invited to attend the 2025 FOX Family Office & Wealth Advisor Forum in Chicago. Amazing energy, conversations, and views!

✨We packaged up a couple of our favourite books for some big publisher awards next year 🤞

✨Our friends dropping off ice cream — a sweet tradition we’ve all been appreciating. Thank you Lindsay!

✨Successfully sending off a new legacy project to print, just in time for talks with a promising new memoir client

✨Quarterly goal-setting

✨Getting very stuck on this jigsaw of Banff for months, defeating it, then lamenting this one missing piece

✨Celebrating FOUR birthdays this month: Matt, Hélène, John and Shah.

✨Sam casually running into one of our former clients, Danielle Saputo, at the PPI’s 13th Annual Rendezvous, learning about her work as a Family Advisor, and her amazing new book, “I am enough”

On to August ☀️

07/30/2025

While in Colorado this week, Sam bumped into our former ECHO client, Danielle Saputo, at the Purposeful Planning Institute's 13th Annual Rendezvous. It was such a joy to chat with her.

Be sure to check out Danielle's wonderful book: "I Am Enough."

As a Family Advisor, her story is filled with lessons that speak to the next generation, and how they can find their own road to success. It resonates so deeply with what we do here at Echo, working closely with families and businesses to capture and celebrate their legacies.

daniellesaputo.com

07/30/2025

Bayshore Hotel, BC ferries, McDonald’s … René Fluri has had a hand at feeding nearly everyone in Canada.

In 2015, we began documenting his inspiring life story, from his humble beginnings in Switzerland being raised by a family of business-savvy bakers, to the successful bread-making enterprise he built in BC.
echostories.com/work/rene-fluri/