People: Girgis Leaves Pattison Onestop

November 9, 2012 by Dave Haynes

Not too surprisingly, at all, Mike Girgis has left Onestop Media Group – 18 months after the company he started was acquired by Pattison Outdoor Advertising, Canada’s biggest pure-play out of home media company.

Girgis is best known as the guy who got the Toronto subway system equipped with screens on its station platforms – the contract and infrastructure being a key reason Pattison was interested in Onestop.

Girgis is also well known and expected as the guy who drove and put a lot of his company’s resources behind the Canadian Out of Home Digital Association in its formative years.

His departure, along with co-founder Jake Neiman, from “day-to-day operation of Onestop” was pretty predictable. Going from a startup media company environment to the very old-school work style of Pattison would be tough, as would no longer being able to call any shots. Some entrepreneurs embrace structure, extended decision chains, and a lot more rules, but most find it very frustrating.

Pattison will be just fine, but unless I’ve missed something Mike provided a content vision and digital acumen that no longer really exists in Pattison – though Onestop VP, Technology Ian Gadsby is very sharp.

I had a chat with Girgis last night, who is focused for now on enjoying life with a young family. He and Neiman are making and taking some calls about what they might do next, but Girgis stresses he has no immediate plans. He didn’t absolutely say he’s staying in this space, but senses a ton of energy around it that’s he’s not really picked up on in the past.

Girgis actually left a couple of weeks ago.

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