About Us
You Are What’s Good is a creative agency that supports businesses in telling their stories through thoughtful, human-centered marketing. What began as a trade-based passion project in 2020 has grown into a creative team that’s collaborated with over 650 businesses across 40 industries. We use design, photography, and creative strategy to help brands communicate who they are—not just what they sell.
Our work is rooted in connection: between people and place, product and purpose. By blending visual storytelling with thoughtful brand insight, we create experiences that feel authentic, spark curiosity, and build trust. We help local brands earn the recognition they deserve and connect conscious consumers to businesses that reflect their values. Now, that’s What’s Good!
Curiosity
Connection
Collaboration
Community
Creativity
Continuous Learning
Our Values
Mission
To humanize the marketplace through storytelling.
Vision
Making you think differently about the local economy and the marketplace through storytelling.
The Team
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Sam founded What’s Good in 2020 as a way to reconnect with her roots — diving into local culture, exploring diverse industries, and getting back to documenting it all, behind the camera. As the founder and creative lead, Sam brings her background in Sociology and problem-solving mindset to fulfill her passion and curiosity for uncovering meaningful stories. She’s endlessly inspired by the entrepreneurs and changemakers she meets — people who’ve built beautiful solutions for the rest of us — and finds joy in capturing not just what they do, but in understanding why they do it.
For Sam, photography is a form of expression and clarity — a visual language that lets her show others the way she sees. Her goal is always the same: to help people feel something, learn something, or see something in a new way. That, to her, is What’s Good.
Favourite Colour: Mint Green
Loves Creating: A feeling that lasts a lifetime
This Local Business Holds a Special Place in My Heart: Village Coffee Roastery in Scottsdale, Arizona
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Jenn brings a strategic lens to her role as Lead Graphic Designer at You Are What’s Good. She loves combining business personalities with visual design elements to create thoughtful, engaging content that helps brands grow with clarity and character. Jenn is passionate about discovering what makes each local story unique, and translating that into visuals that feel both intentional and expressive.
Favourite Colour: Sage Green
Loves Creating: Community
This Local Business Holds a Special Place in My Heart: Little June in Fernwood
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With over a decade of graphic design experience, Donna brings a deep love for visual storytelling and brand identity to the What’s Good team. She's passionate about helping businesses craft content that truly reflects their unique brand — both in purpose and personality. Beyond this, Donna brings warmth, presence, and inspiration to everything she does — whether she’s in front of the camera modeling, connecting with creative communities, or collaborating on features.
Favourite Colour: Terracotta
Loves Creating: A meal to share with the people I love
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With a background spanning marketing, healthcare, project management, and over two decades of being Sam’s little sister, Mataya brings a rare blend of creativity and precision to the What’s Good team. As a photographer, editor, and administrative powerhouse, she keeps everything flowing — behind the scenes and behind the lens. Known for her sharp eye and exceptional attention to detail, her focus is always on clarity, beauty, and purpose.
Favourite Colour: pink
Loves Creating: candid moments
This Local Business Holds a Special Place in My Heart: Wild Joe’s Coffee in Bozeman, Montana
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Malaya brings a thoughtful, solutions-oriented and grounded perspective to What’s Good with experience across environmental management, floristry, and photography. she moves easily between strategy and creativity. Malaya’s environmental education and background allow her to move easily between strategy and creativity, making her the perfect candidate to provide businesses eco-conscious solutions. From showcasing eco-friendly endeavours to initiating new green processes, Malaya is passionate about being part of a community and a creative process that leads to real change.
Favourite Colour: Forest Green
Loves Creating: Memories
This Local Business Holds a Special Place in My Heart: Star Cinema in Sidney, British Columbia
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With a background in painting, floristry, administration, and delivery management, Emma brings a valuable blend of artistry and systems thinking to the What’s Good team as a content creator and communications coordinator. Process-driven and creative to the core, Emma excels at translating challenges into clear, productive solutions. With a deep appreciation for meaningful design and a natural instinct for organization, Emma helps turn big ideas into beautifully executed realities.
Favourite Colour: Fire Engine Red
Loves Creating: Beautiful things for special occasions
This Local Business Holds a Special Place in My Heart: The Papery in Victoria, British Columbia
What’s Good didn’t start as a business
It started as a question
Founder Sam Redmond shares how a question turned into so much more.
What happens when you cannot earn money on a student visa but you still want to create something meaningful? That’s where What’s Good began—with a sociology degree, a camera, and a slow, quiet rebellion against systems that did not feel quite right.
I could not build a traditional business at the time, so I built something else: connection, value, and a trade-based ecosystem rooted in community. A space for stories, for exchange, and for reimagining what value can look like in a local economy — something rooted in trade and connection.