Some friendships last a lifetime. Mine with John Blown certainly has. We met in Grade 5 at Braemar Elementary in North Vancouver. After a few years at different schools, we finished Grade 12 together at Carson Graham Secondary—and we’ve been side-by-side ever since.
Before we ever talked about marketing or business, John and I were kids chasing adventure on the North Shore Mountains. We spent countless weekends skiing, often until dark, and played soccer together—sometimes alongside our friend Mike Danks, who would later become North Shore Rescue’s team leader.
Those early experiences in the mountains and on the field shaped John’s commitment to teamwork, resilience, and helping others.
That commitment became a lifelong calling. For 25 years, John has served as a volunteer with North Shore Rescue, Canada’s busiest search-and-rescue team. He has lowered from helicopters in blizzards, navigated avalanche zones, and helped save countless lives—work featured in the Knowledge Network documentary series Search and Rescue: North Shore.
I’ve lost count of the times he has literally dropped everything to answer a call for help. We have been on the way to business meetings when John’s pager went off, and without hesitation, he’d pull over, grab his gear, and race to a rescue. If he’d been out all night searching for a lost hiker, the Major Tom team would step in and cover for him. It was never a question—we all understood that lives might depend on his presence.
Even as John was saving lives, we were building businesses together.
In 1999, we both worked at Stratford Internet Technologies in Yaletown, learning the fundamentals of web design, e-commerce, and digital marketing.
In 2000, we co-founded 6S Marketing, just as the dot-com bubble burst and then 9/11 shook the world economy. Those shocks forced us to stay lean and prove our value every single day—lessons that still guide our work.
In 2012, we launched Drive Digital, a web design and development agency that complemented 6S Marketing's strength.
By 2018, the two companies merged and re-branded as Major Tom:
“Eventually we decided to literally break down the physical walls between us … and combine our efforts into a new entity that would deliver better strategy, better design, better results and a better experience for our clients.”
The name Major Tom captures how we like to work—stepping back far enough to see the entire landscape and chart the right course. Today, Major Tom is headquartered in Vancouver, with a talented team distributed across Canada and the United States, known for innovative strategy, creative excellence, and measurable growth.
As Major Tom matured, our leadership evolved. In 2018, Lyn Bryan, who had been with us since 2005, became President and CEO. Lyn’s deep expertise in digital strategy and client growth—and her ability to rise through every layer of the agency—made her the ideal person to guide Major Tom into its next chapter.
Today, John and I are no longer involved in day-to-day operations. Instead, we focus on advising and mentoring the leadership team, supporting Lyn as she drives the agency forward. Under her stewardship, and with our ongoing founding partnership, Major Tom continues to thrive as a flexible, distributed team with Vancouver as its cultural and strategic hub.
John’s impact has been honoured at the highest levels. He received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for volunteer service and has been recognized by the Prime Minister of Canada for his life-saving work.
Together, John and I were named to Business in Vancouver’s Forty Under 40 list in 2009—a proud entrepreneurial milestone. And this year marks another: John turns 50 in November, and I follow in January (sharing a birthday with MacGyver star Richard Dean Anderson, which feels fitting given John’s real-life rescues).
Adventure has always been part of our friendship. In the mid-2000s, we travelled the world to kitesurf, chasing wind and waves in Brazil, Texas, Florida, and the Dominican Republic—experiences that bonded us and reminded us to live fully.
These days, our adventures often include our families. My nine-year-old son and John’s boys, ages five and eight, are regular companions—whether we’re skiing, biking, or exploring the North Shore together. We’ve simply traded kite bags for family backpacks.
Through it all, John’s commitment to service never wavers. Whether heading into the mountains after midnight or mentoring new volunteers, he continues to embody the principle he often repeats:
“It’s about being part of something larger than myself. At Major Tom, we help clients grow. With North Shore Rescue, I help save lives. Both are incredibly rewarding.”
Obstacles are like asteroids. Shoot 'em down and let's go to the moon.
