From Racetrack Kid to Agency Owner: Motorsports PR and Marketing with Éliane Gilain | FanAmp Fast Lane

Getting her start in motorsports

#1. What was that moment when you decided motorsports was something you were in love with?

Well, my dad raced when I was younger in Formula 1600, and he was the agent to drivers here in Canada, so I always grew up at the racetrack. And then he stopped racing for a while, for 10 years. And then when I was 15 years old, there was this Toyota Echo Cup with spec Toyotas and he wanted to start again. I was like, “Dad, please, I miss the racetrack so much.”

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#2. When did you decide that this is where you wanted to build your career?

So, I grew up in motorsports. But my parents are lawyers. I never was brought up to work in motorsports, but it fell into my lap. It's my passion. I love the sport. I love cars. I love the people that are in motorsports. When I got out of university, I started working on a racetrack here in Montreal (Circuit ICAR). It's a racetrack on the old tarmac of an airport that is no longer- that we don't use anymore.

I worked there for I want to say three years, four years. And then from there I met people and I got into the Nissan Micra Cup, which was like the Toyota Echo that my dad raced in. So, you know, I was familiar with that realm and from there I just started my company.

‍Greg: Did you ever think for a minute that you wanted to be behind the wheel or it was always a different kind of role?

I mean, I shouldn't say that, but I did try to drive a Formula 1600 car. I'm not going to tell you in detail what happened, but a wall was...

Greg: No, no, please do. Please. How's the car? Is it still working?

The car is still working because thankfully I hit the tire barrier but I was going so slow that nothing happened to the car. I'm way better behind and on pit lane than behind the wheel. So, it's not for me. But I did have a little go-kart at some point, but it's not for me. I'm not a good driver.

Greg: Fair enough. I'm not either. I ripped the bumper off a car next to me at a parking lot. So I’m never going to get behind the wheel.

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#3. When you started at the circuit, what was the first job that you took on?

It was PR and I was under the marketing director. We had, and the track still hosted, NASCAR Canada coming to the track. That was the big event, the main event. So that's how I learned the ropes of PR and I was involved with journalists and putting together the event. But again, it was a jack of all trades situation where I learned a lot about different departments and not only PR, which I'm really thankful for.

So that experience at that racetrack, it's family owned. It was a limited staff, a limited team. So, I learned a lot about behind the scenes and how a company works and how to do PR, but also marketing. And so, I was really grateful for that experience. It taught me a lot.

‍Greg: And then what prompted you to start the agency? What was it where you said, “Hey, I don't want to do this for someone else. I want to do this for me.”

You know what? It kind of like came together progressively. I didn't think one day - I didn't wake up and think and thought, okay, I'm gonna start the agency. But it's just like with the opportunity that I had with the Nissan Sentra Cup, I left a job at the racetrack and I started that.

You know, so it's funny, I said that my dad was in motorsports and racing, and my mom wasn't. And my mom was like, “Okay, you want to do that? You're going to do it well. Go for it. You know we support you.” So I had help, you know, from my mom on that side.

And so progressively I had Nissan as a client. And then I wrote for a magazine here in Quebec. It's called Pole Position. I wrote for I want to say eight years. So I was a journalist, too.

And then three or four years ago I stopped writing because my other clients took over and I didn't have time anymore. So yeah, I started writing as a journalist and then fell into more PR, marketing, social media.

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Éliane’s current role

#4. With everything under your umbrella, what does a standard day look like for you?

First of all, my agency is named The 5 AM Agency because I don't work nine to five, I work five to nine.

Thankfully, I don't have a typical day because it's so busy with traveling and at the racetrack, it's so different. And also my roles depending on the clients.

But you know, for instance, this morning I came back from California and I have a client here; it's a dealership. It's called Decarie Motors, and we have Bentley, Aston Martin, Jaguar and Land Rover, which are, you know, great manufacturers.

So I woke up, went to the dealership to manage a photo shoot and then came back home, had a few meetings. But then tomorrow I'm going to the airport and flying to Sebring. And then at the racetrack in Sebring I'll take care of all the journalists and media requests.

So I know I'm not answering your question because I don't have a typical day, unfortunately, but every day is pretty busy, which I'm lucky for.

‍Greg: Well, I think the through line in that, if I even think about it for myself, is your standard day is having to juggle so many different things. How do you become really good at just managing and prioritizing all of those elements?

It's tough. I'm not gonna lie, it's tough. Thankfully, I surrounded myself with really good people.

Two years ago, Cassidy joined my agency full-time. So I have Cassidy working with me and she takes on a lot of work.

And recently I have a friend of mine, so we've known each other for I want to say 15, 16 years, she joined my agency as well. So we are three. And we tag team everything.

They are really good people. And I think surrounding yourself with good people is important, but we are all on the same level. We understand, you know, and we're all so dedicated in the work.

For instance, Marie-Ève right now, she is taking care of everything NASCAR Canada, because this weekend we have a perfect storm. As you know, there's [the Indy 500]. So we have Acura and [Honda Racing Corporation (HRC)] as a client in Indy. So Cassidy is there taking care of that. I'll be in Sebring taking care of SRO and Marie-Ève will be at CTMP in Canada taking care of NASCAR Canada and Nissan Canada. So we're all spread out this weekend and across all of that we take care of Ferrari Challenge as well that's racing in Miami.

So we each know what we have to do and our tasks. So I would say the priority is to just surround yourself with good people which I was lucky to do.

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#5. What are the most rewarding and the most challenging aspects of the job for you?

Rewarding

That's a tough question. Well, I'm a very humble person, but the other day I realized how lucky I was to have my own company and proud of where I am now. It was a tough road to where I'm at. It didn't start off the way it did when I had one or two clients to now where we have 15 with the agency. So that's really rewarding to see where I've come.

And it's rewarding also to see the people that I work with, you know, how they succeed. Like Cassidy for instance, in just a short two years she is now in charge of the entire HRC Acura account which makes me really proud to see. That's rewarding.

And then Marie-Ève taking care of NASCAR Canada. Marie-Ève doesn't come from a motorsport background, but she learned everything really quickly. And you know, that's for me, it's rewarding. I'm proud of that.

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Challenging

But the challenges, there's a lot of challenges with the work. You know, we care so much about our clients that it's challenging when they have a challenging day. It takes a toll.

At end of a season, I would say it's challenging to find the energy to work because we're always “go, go, go.” But yeah, there are challenges every day that we always overcome. I guess the challenges are also rewarding because it's fun to always overcome challenges. But I guess I'm not really answering your question.

Greg: No, you are. And I think it's a great attitude, right? It's this optimistic look at it. And to keep the energy, you've got to just get back up and do it again, right? Same at the end of the year: you come back from a race, you're tired, and you're back on the road tomorrow.

Yeah, exactly. You know, it's tough, but again, rewarding in a sense. And, you know, but of course you have tough moments. Like last year I was very tired at the end of the year and I was lucky enough to go on the starter stand for the Indy eight hours in SRO. And when the green flag waved and I had all the cars – well you know Indy and the starter stand was on top of the track - I had all the cars go under me and I was like, “Oh yeah, okay, that's why I love this job.”

You need those little pushes to keep you going. But yeah, this job comes with a lot of challenges and owning your company, too. There's a lot of stuff that people don't necessarily see that is challenging, like keeping clients, for instance. We are in an entertainment business, so if a client has a hard year, for instance, and they don't raise next year, well, I'm directly affected, right? So, it's a challenge to always find new clients, but not be stretched thin.

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#6. What are the top 3 qualities that enable you to succeed in your role?

Dedication

Three qualities? I think that's also a good question. I think I am extremely dedicated. So, you know, I care a lot about my clients. I really am part of their team. And I think a quality, a good quality, is to be extremely dedicated.

You know, sometimes I'll see people that are not extremely involved in their work and you can tell. For me, it's really important to be dedicated.

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Aim for perfection

Also, I'm a bit of a perfectionist so you know I like to... I always try to do my best and you know aim for perfection. I have clients that are also- that expect perfection from everybody in the team, so I put that on myself.

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Listen to people

For instance, I have a team owner in IMSA. He's extremely adamant that the team image has to be a certain way. And so it's important to really listen to your clients and understand and that way you can do better work.

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Éliane’s advice

#7. If you were to look back and give yourself advice when you wrecked that car – kidding! – back at the beginning of your career, what would it be? Would you have done something differently or taken a different perspective?

Well, you know about that car accident, I would not mix the gas and brake pedal. So that's one thing.

Be patient. I guess sometimes I was really impatient and I am too. So, you know, we were talking about qualities just now, I think patience is one of them, which I don't have. So that's why I didn't name it. I'm not a very patient person, but that's the most important thing because I'm a very like “go, go, go” person. But sometimes it's okay to take a minute, reflect, come up with a plan, you know, simmer down and move forward in a better, more structured way. I'm telling that to myself now, but also to me 10 years ago. Be patient and everything will fall into place.

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#8. If you could give one piece of advice to someone looking to follow in your footsteps what would that be? For example, running the NASCAR portfolio on their own after just a couple of years.

Well, again, I think it's going to tie into what I said earlier, but dedication and motivation. When you have dedication and motivation, it will reflect in the work you do and your clients will see that and appreciate it. And I will see it and appreciate it.

It's hard to tell someone to go the extra mile, but that's what I do. I go above and beyond for my clients. And I think that's one thing they appreciate.

So, I would recommend people to just show that you're there, you're ready to listen, ready to work. Some people nowadays don't necessarily show that. And I know my clients appreciate it. I'm always there, I'm always there to support them.

Greg: As someone who hires for this and wants to see it from others, how do you test for that? How do you measure or get the sense for their dedication going above and beyond?

So honestly, it's a trial and error thing. It's hard. So again, it's not a corporate job, right? So it's tough to see. It's tough to ask of people because some people that are outside of the industry that want to work in it don't realize the tough hours. As much as I love the way Drive to Survive opened up our sport, it kind of gives the wrong illusion that it's glamorous when it's not. Like waking up at 5 AM is not glamorous, unfortunately. It's tough hours. It's not easy work. You get sunburned. So it's trial and error.

For myself, I like to see people, how they work at the track. I would not necessarily hire someone who has never worked in motorsports. Like this weekend, I met with this lovely young Canadian woman named Alexandra and I saw her on pit lane and she was super dedicated. She wanted to help me out. She wanted to shadow me and I really appreciated that. And you know, I was looking at her, she impressed me. I enjoy seeing those young people that want to get into a sport. For me, I appreciate seeing that because now I know that I can call her if I need help.

So, I would hire someone who's already at the track and showing how they work.

Greg: Yeah, the show, not tell. There was someone I spoke with through this - Jess Ellis - who had stuck with me. She showed up at the track, handed out business cards and said, “I will do free work. I'll be back tomorrow. Let me know if you want me to do it." There's no skin in the game for you or there's nothing off your back, right, to do it. And she showed them.

Exactly. And that's the right way to go about it. Though I would never ask for free work. I have a good friend of mine now, but I want to I think it was five years ago I met him at CTMP. He was very young. I think he was 16 years old filming for a driver, and we ended up talking and I said, “Oh, so you're charging this driver?” And he said, “No, I'm doing it for free.”

And I yelled at him. I said, “Never work for free. Never sell yourself short. Your work is worth something.” Now, if you're starting in motorsports you won't charge what the videographers that have 15 years of experience will usually charge, right? But still, your work is worth something, you need to charge. And to this day, we're good friends. To this day, he tells the story of how I yelled at him and made him realize that.

But to your point, I really appreciate people going above and beyond, going to meet, give out business cards and explain what they do and show me the work. Again, this Alexandra. I told her, “Do you want to film the podium?” One of our teams was on the podium at Laguna and she was in the first row. So poor girl, she got all the champagne on her, but I got the best video out of it! I'm thankful for that.

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Éliane’s career highlights and thoughts on the future

#9. We were doing a bit of social media stalking and we talked a bit about this job taking you all over. In your travels and everywhere this work has taken you, is there any race or moment that really stands out as your favorite?

I wish we had this conversation a month from now because I'm going to Le Mans for the first time in June. I've never been. It's on my bucket list. I was talking to Marie-Ève, who joined my agency, before the interview and I told her about this and she said, “Oh, you have to tell your story about Le Mans.” And I'm like, it's so cheesy, but here it is: So in 1991, my dad was an agent to a driver that raced at Le Mans. And my mom was pregnant with me and she went to Le Mans. So for me it's full circle. I'm going back now like in real life. So technically it will be my second time in Le Mans but first time witnessing it. So I'm excited for that.

I'll go with AWA which is an Ontario-based team here in Canada. They won the Bob Akin trophy last year in IMSA which gave them an entry to Le Mans. I'm really excited to see that because it's the biggest race in the world.

However, an event that I've done before that I really enjoy is [the 24 Hours of Daytona], as cliche as it sounds, because first of all, it's the kickoff of the IMSA season. So for me, it's always like a great, you know, it's fun to see everybody again. And AWA again won it this year. So, you know, it was extra special. Daytona is always fun.

I've seen Spa, though I've never attended an event there. I've seen it and it's super spectacular. You're there and you see Eau Rouge. So I wanted to go to the 24 Hours of Spa this year, but I think we have Le Mans, landing in Montreal, going to Watkins Glen right away, and then Spa is the next week. So it's like boom, boom, boom. I don't think I'll be able to go.

Greg: One more thing. We saw you'd met Fernando Alonso and wanted to ask if you spent a lot of time working with him, and if he's as funny in person as he seems to be on TV?

I met him in the- I think I was doing McLaren hot laps back in the days. He's such a nice person. And as I said, I work with Aston Martin Montreal. So obviously he's one of our drivers with [Lance Stroll], but his personality is great.

Funny story, actually one year, my dad was racing in Montreal in Formula 1600. I was crossing the bridge in Montreal - you know it's on an island, the circuit - so I was crossing the bridge and drivers were going out of the track and I saw Michael Schumacher in a car and he was yelling. I don't know what was happening, but he was so pissed off and yelling and the car behind was Fernando Alonso and he was just smiling and waving at people. I was like, there you go. That's his entire personality where he’s super happy, super nice. He's great.

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#10. As the founder of your own agency, you probably have a lot more latitude to at least suggest innovative ideas or try new things that others may not in a more corporate or buttoned up job. Are there trends or things that you've just been dying to try with clients?

You know what, we're going to try some things in Le Mans for sure. I have a whole content plan. But it's hard to make the drivers do exactly what I want because they're not necessarily in the mood to do these things. But yeah, so actually with the Nissan Sentra Cup every year I've done a movie poster at the end of the year for the last race. And I always take a movie that came out from the year. Last year it was Twister, another year was Star Wars, another year was Top Gun. I love to do these trends where you do posters for the series. They always work super great.

But in terms of trends, Cassidy had a great idea this weekend, so I encourage everybody to go on the Gradient Racing account. It's with one of our driver, Robert Megennis. So I look forward to actually working with Jenson Altzman and Robert because their personalities are so funny.

With my agency, we have a group on Instagram and we share trends and we share like what we want to try and whatnot. So we have plenty of ideas for that, so stay tuned. But not necessarily on social media.

For our Le Mans effort, I will give away merch that is a bit unusual, I would say, so I'm pretty proud of that. I'll say it now because it's okay. But we're going to give out shoelaces to everyone. Branded shoelaces with the AWA #13 and Orlando logos on it.

There's another one, too, and that one I’m pretty proud and excited to see. We're going to give out shot glasses with the AWA logo and Mardi Gras beads. I hope we're going to leave a mark on the Le Mans fans with those little giveaways.

Greg: All the people camping are going to have a field day with that!

Yeah, exactly. But you know, drivers are not necessarily the easiest to do funny trends [with] because they're so concentrated in the weekend to work on their stuff. And I don't work with factory drivers that are mandated to do PR stuff. But in NASCAR Canada this weekend, we're going to do little cute questions like, “would you wreck your mom for a win?” It's all about the little content you can take.

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Want to learn more about other professionals across motorsport series? Then check out all of our Fast Lane interviews, or jump right into one of these:

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