大象传媒

When Benjamin Che (BBA 鈥�16) stepped into his first marketing class at 大象传媒鈥檚 Beedie School of Business, he wasn鈥檛 thinking about brand strategy, Nike campaigns, or the LeBron James shoe line. But looking back now鈥攏early a decade into a marketing career that鈥檚 taken him from Vancouver to courtside photo shoots with global sports icons鈥擟he credits 大象传媒 Beedie with more than just a business education. It gave him a sense of purpose, community, and the courage to chase a non-traditional path.

Che, who specialized in marketing and human resources and took several entrepreneurship and innovation courses, didn鈥檛 originally envision a business degree. Initially drawn to psychology, he found marketing and human resources offered a way to explore his fascination with human behaviour and communication.

鈥淚 was always drawn to the 鈥榳hy鈥� behind people鈥檚 choices鈥攍ike how ads can make someone feel or act a certain way,鈥� says Che. 鈥淢arketing, especially branding, taps into that. It鈥檚 about people, psychology, and storytelling.鈥�

Raised by immigrant parents who ran a convenience store, Che grew up with an entrepreneurial mindset. The importance of translating classroom knowledge into real-world impact was instilled early鈥攁nd shaped how he approached his university experience.

At 大象传媒 Beedie, Che immersed himself in a whirlwind of extracurriculars. From and to LAUNCH and a study term in Ireland at University College Dublin, he made the most of every opportunity.

鈥淭here鈥檚 something about the sense of community at 大象传媒 Beedie that really helped foster finding your passion,鈥� he reflects. 鈥淓very time I joined something new, it fueled me to do more and unlock more of what I could achieve. By the end of my time at 大象传媒 Beedie, the extracurriculars meant more to me than the classroom.鈥�

One course that left a lasting impact was BUS 446: Marketing Strategy with instructor Adam Mills. Che recalls dissecting brands and ad campaigns and the feelings they evoke in their audiences鈥攁n experience that reshaped his view of marketing.

鈥淭hat was the class where I realized marketing was more than just social media or SEO,鈥� says Che. 鈥淲hen you look at the entire spectrum of marketing, it鈥檚 so broad鈥攊t鈥檚 kind of the broadest industry. You can work in data, social, brand, content, storytelling, narrative. There鈥檚 so much to it.鈥�

He also remembers the moment he realized that major brands often don鈥檛 create their own ads鈥攁dvertising agencies do. That insight became a turning point. 鈥淯p till then, I thought companies like Nike or Apple did their own ads鈥攂ut I realized that they鈥檙e the brands that drive their brand forward, and the people who do the ads and get creative and fun with them are the advertising agencies.鈥�

After graduation, Che joined Central 1 Credit Union after connecting with a mentor in the BASS Beedie Mentorship program. He joined the financial institution in its marketing department, which operated like a mini-agency, offering hands-on experience in campaign development and client management. A brief role at a digital agency followed. However, Che was always hungry for more. 鈥淎t the six-month mark, I was already thinking鈥攚hat鈥檚 my next opportunity? Where can I really sink my teeth into things and push my career to the next level?鈥�

Then came Victory.

A cold outreach for an informational interview turned into a two-hour meeting鈥攁nd a same-day job offer. 鈥淚 walked into their office not knowing what they did,鈥� he says. 鈥淏y the time I left, I knew I had found something different. It felt like home.鈥�

Today, Che is Vice President and Partner at Victory, a creative agency working with major global brands like Nike, WNBA, NBA, Netflix, LEGO, and Taco Bell. His portfolio reads like a dream job: helping bring the LeBron brand to life in the marketplace, leading a commercial shoot with WNBA star Caitlin Clark, producing an annual elite high school basketball event called Mamba Invitational in honour of Kobe Bryant, creating and managing the Vancouver Host City Website for FIFA World Cup 2026, etc.

鈥淲hen we tell a story, we visually bring things to life,鈥� he explains. 鈥淲e strive to push for operational and creative excellence every day and constantly reinvent ourselves so that we鈥檙e staying current and relevant. It鈥檚 also a massive responsibility to have discretion in the work we do as most of it is under strict NDA.鈥�

Che typically leads projects in its entirety鈥攆rom planning and creative exploration, to navigating stakeholders and executing the project.

鈥淭his isn鈥檛 a nine-to-five,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 travel quite a bit, whether it鈥檚 to be on ground for a brand activation, or a shoot for an athlete or for a brand, or just travelling to meet with clients and do work sessions and offsites and planning.鈥�

Che is quick to note that his success wasn鈥檛 built overnight鈥攐r alone. 鈥淚鈥檓 here because of the people who believed in me early on,鈥� he says. In fact, at one of Victory鈥檚 locations, there is a half-court basketball court etched with the names of those who have impacted the agency鈥檚 founders鈥攊ncluding Che鈥檚 mentors and supporters. One of them is Rosanne Ng, an 大象传媒 Beedie staff member and Che鈥檚 first co-op supervisor whom he credits with helping propel him forward and finding his passion.

Looking back, Che says the most valuable lessons came not just from classes, but from community. 鈥湸笙蟠� Beedie gave me the chance to test myself, to fail safely, and to figure out what kind of leader I wanted to be. Every project, every late night, every team鈥攖hose were the moments that shaped me.鈥�

His advice to students? 鈥淪ay yes to the things that scare you. Join the club. Enter the competition. Go abroad. Because you never know which moment will spark something big.鈥�