“We’re Headed for a Breakout Season”: Dustin Rideout Discusses His Move to Arrivals + Departures

When Dustin Rideout announced his departure from The Hive in late 2024, a lot of people within the Canadian industry were left wondering where he’d end up next. After all, for a man with an advertising resumé as deep and extensive as his – ranging from Leo Burnett and Sid Lee to McCann and Juniper Park\TBWA – it seemed unlikely he’d be without a home for long.

Indeed, this is just about how things played out. Last month, it was announced that Toronto-based creative agency Arrivals + Departures would be the next stop in Dustin’s 15-plus-year career, with the long-time chief strategy officer joining the executive team to help shape the independent’s next chapter. “Arrivals + Departures has always stood out to me as an agency that marries craft with humility,” he said when revealing the move. “The chance to join a talented and kind team – alongside owners like Mike [Bevacqua] who are deeply invested in the business and in doing things the right way – made this an easy decision.”

Always a believer in the power of collaboration, empathy and creativity, Dustin now finds himself tasked with utilising his cultural fluency and years of experience to ensure Arrivals + Departures’ strategic thinking is equipped for an evolving world, and the demands of the current Canadian market. From boosting purpose-led organisations to aiding brands seeking drastic, in-market growth, the mandate is simple but effective: don’t be everything to everyone, but help businesses who want to become unmissable make their mark.

To learn more about all of this, as well as what inspired his decision to join Arrivals + Departures, and how he’ll be integrating his strategic experience into the team’s current offering, LBB’s Jordan Won Neufeldt sat down with Dustin for a chat.

LBB> Congratulations on joining Arrivals + Departures as CSO! What inspired the decision, and why this agency, at this moment in time?

Dustin> We're in a moment of massive industry disruption. Models are breaking, attention is fragmenting, and what used to be safe now feels risky. In a time like this, I believe independence isn’t just a structure, but a strategic advantage. Free-thinking, independent agencies like Arrivals + Departures (A+D) are the ones best positioned to drive meaningful, timely change. There’s no corporate playbook holding us back. And that freedom matters more than ever.

A+D was the right choice because we see the world differently. That’s not just a positioning line; it’s a mindset. The status quo is no longer the safest route… it’s the riskiest! So, the job now is to spot what others don’t see, act with conviction, and help brands not just react to change but lead it.

LBB> What are you hoping to accomplish in this role, both personally and professionally?

Dustin> This role is about helping A+D continue to build something special. Building teams, trust, talent, and belief. I want to help create an environment where everyone can do the best work of their lives, and feel supported doing it.

Personally, I’m here to listen, stretch, and serve. This isn’t about putting strategy on a pedestal. It’s about helping the whole agency operate with more clarity, more ambition, and more cultural relevance. When everyone feels like they're moving in the same direction, and understands what the mission is, momentum has the ability to build greatness.

LBB> With that in mind, specifically, what are your ambitions for the agency’s strategic offering? What does unlocking A+D’s next chapter look like?

Dustin> Well, I can tell you strategy isn’t here to be a department. Success will be to position the function as a team sport in service of great work and even better results. Our goal is simple: create the right conditions for the best ideas to thrive.

Tangibly, that means surfacing sharp tensions, elevating emotional insights, and proving our value both creatively and commercially. Strategy is at its best when it becomes invisible in the final product, but undeniable in the outcome. This next chapter is about servant leadership and proving that when strategy and creative are truly aligned, brands move further and faster.

LBB> In joining, you’ve been praised by your fellow A+D leaders for cultural fluency. How do you stay ahead, and what trends are shaping your thinking in the present?

Dustin> There’s never just one way to stay sharp. As a mentor of mine once said, “some days you’re a house cat studying research, deep diving in data. Other days, you’re an alley cat, roaming the streets, soaking up subcultures, eavesdropping on what’s not being said.”

The key is to spot patterns others might miss – those surprising intersections between cultural currency and brand opportunity. That’s where the unfair advantage lives.

LBB> Building on this, with such a diverse client roster at A+D, how do you make sure cultural insights resonate across categories?

Dustin> Often by starting from the inside out to understand the real truth behind the product, and the cultural tension behind the ask.

I’m also drawing on past experience while developing some new frameworks to help our teams move beyond trend-chasing. When an insight lands right, it doesn’t just work in-market – it lives in hearts, conversations, and memes.

LBB> Thus far, what have the early days been like? Are you enjoying collaborating with your new team in this pursuit?

Dustin> I’ve always believed that making great work is a bit like a production of ‘The Muppet Show’. It takes a cast of lovable weirdos, each with their own superpower, somehow finding harmony. That’s what it feels like a bit here. We’ve got thinkers, makers, dreamers, doers. We’re all working towards singing in tune together.

More specifically, it’s been nice to have an in-house media team to collaborate with, as this is something A+D added a few years ago. Our chief creative officer, Jeff MacEachern, has been an incredible partner, along with an ownership group that’s meaningfully involved in our clients’ business.

Collaboration isn’t about consensus; it’s about alignment. I’m excited to keep building that connective tissue so we show up to every challenge as one voice with one shared ambition: to see the world differently.

LBB> With that in mind, where do you see A+D’s place in the Canadian market right now? And where are you hoping to take things?

Dustin> We’ve got all the ingredients: cultural chops, client trust, creative firepower, and a team hungry to prove something. We’re a bit like that sports team who’s had a few key trades, dialled in their system, and now feels like they’re about to go on a run. If we keep putting the pieces together, I really believe we’re headed for a breakout season.

We’re continuing to bolster our capabilities that modern clients are asking for. We’ve got a robust precision marketing practice being led by a long-time collaborator of mine, Liam Steuart, a nimble social content team building at the speed of culture, and a growing internal media practice that enables us to create greater harmony and impact between medium and message.

We’re not trying to be everything to everyone, but are aiming to be unmissable to the right brands who want to make a mark.

LBB> Finally, what should your new co-workers know about you?

Dustin> Team is everything. I believe deeply in the power of collective wins; the feeling of everyone pulling together and achieving something none of us could’ve done alone. That’s the best feeling in the world.

I’m fiercely competitive, but emotionally empathetic. I care a lot about the work, about the people, and about the culture we create together. I’m also a sports dad to three incredible kids (two girls and a boy) who teach me more about life, resilience, and teamwork than any brief I’ve ever worked on.

And, if you ever want to grab food and talk about sports, radical ideas, who dropped the best track of the summer, or when AI will merge with human consciousness, I’m available.