Margaret Lee has always been creative. She started out drawing and painting, absorbed in the artistic worlds she imagined and over time, learned how images create mood and tell stories. Eventually, this led her to study the visual and media arts. She immersed herself in animation, motion design, film, photography, sound design, and editing — learning to use them together.
“I loved how those elements could connect to build narrative through image, sound, and movement,” she recalls.
When she graduated from Toronto Metropolitan University, she began her career at companies such as Rogers Sports & Media before becoming head of brand and marketing at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2023.
“Early in my career, I had the chance to work across film, design, animation, and media,” Margaret says. “This gave me a broad foundation in both storytelling and how creative projects come together at scale.” Over time, that experience grew into building creative teams and shaping brand direction for media platforms and cultural organizations such as TIFF.
It’s her artistic sentiment that has kept her going. Margaret Lee is passionate about visual storytelling and experimentation — conceptualizing and directing projects, photographing filmmakers and artists, and shaping the creative identity of institutions and brands.
“Today my work moves between those areas,” she says, “combining creative leadership with directing, photography, and collaborations with cultural organizations and creative partners.”
Shaping global identities
TIFF is one of the world’s most prestigious film festivals. Launched in 1976, it showcases Hollywood, independent, and international cinema. The festival screens 300–400 films and attracts hundreds of thousands annually. Held in September, it is often seen as a precursor to the Academy Awards.
As head of brand and marketing, Margaret Lee oversees TIFF’s brand, marketing, creative, content, editorial, digital, and retail teams, all of which align to shape a global identity for the year-round cultural organization. She describes it as balancing culture, creativity, and business to drive audience growth, revenue, and brand equity.
“At its core, my work is about shaping how one of the world’s leading film festivals connects with global audiences while supporting filmmakers, artists, and celebrating cinema,” Margaret says.
Since joining TIFF in 2022, she says, leading the creative and brand strategy for the festival’s 50th edition in September 2025 has been a milestone.
She describes TIFF’s 50th edition as an “opportunity to honour five decades of cinema,” while also reimagining how a global festival can engage audiences emotionally across both digital and in-person experiences, as it looks toward the future.
Another achievement has been spearheading the evolution of the TIFF Shop at the TIFF Lightbox in Toronto. The store also extends online, offering merchandise, cinema books, and collectibles, while the physical space hosts experiences such as book signings and special pop-up collaborations.
As part of this transformation, Margaret collaborated with her team and TIFF’s partners to reimagine the shop as an extension of TIFF’s broader brand and cultural presence, positioning it as a year-round hub for film lovers beyond the festival itself.
“Through in-house merchandise and collaborations, it has become a destination for film lovers,” she says, “and a way for audiences and fans to take a piece of the festival experience with them.”
A consummate artist
A lot of the skills she’s put to work at TIFF were honed in her previous role at Rogers Sports & Media, the media and broadcasting division of Rogers Communications, one of Canada’s largest telecommunications companies. At Rogers, Margaret led a 40-person team and directed large-scale rebrands, campaigns, and multi-platform initiatives across broadcast, digital, e-commerce, social, and radio. In total, she spent nearly a decade at the company in senior creative leadership roles.
Throughout her career, she has also worked as a photographer and director. Margaret’s portrait and editorial photography with filmmakers, celebrities, and cultural figures has reached millions across digital channels. Denis Villeneuve, Cate Blanchett, Jodie Foster, Park Chan-wook, and Lee Byung Hun have all stood for their portraits.
“Those experiences gave me a unique perspective on the film industry,” says Margaret, “and how images become part of cinematic history.”
Her client list should sound familiar to anyone. Margaret has worked with The New Yorker, Neiman Marcus, HBO, FX, Sesame Street, United Airlines, and Hollywood Reporter, to name a few higher-profile collaborations.
For The New Yorker, her work was featured in its Arts issue. Margaret’s illustrations and story were inspired by a transatlantic crossing from New York to England and were later exhibited as part of the magazine’s “Passport to the Arts” gallery event.
“I’m particularly drawn to projects that sit at the intersection of culture, creativity, and innovation,” she says. “And I’m passionate about elevating underrepresented voices, building teams, and creating work that resonates globally.”
Full circle
One interesting career moment for Margaret came via a project she did with David Cronenberg for the film eXistenZ, a 1999 science fiction horror film that has attained a cult status since its release. Margaret was part of the design team that created the movie’s title sequence.
“It was a formative experience that showed me how image, motion, and sound can establish the emotional tone of a film from the very first frames,” says Margaret. Years later, she crossed paths with Cronenberg at TIFF Lightbox, where she had the opportunity to photograph him.
“It felt like a full-circle creative moment,” she says.
Thinking of the future, Margaret is drawn to directing, a natural evolution for someone with her camera eye. She remains influenced by cinema, music and art, and these impact the brands she works with, the images she creates, and the stories she tells. Photography remains a constant, one that sharpens her instincts and helps her to connect with different characters. As a Korean Canadian, she is committed to bringing more voices and perspectives to the picture.
“Ultimately, I’d like to create work with a meaningful contribution to culture,” she says, “the kind of art that helps stories and artists be remembered.”
Main image: Margaret Lee – Toronto International Film Festival Tribute Awards