Alumni Highlight : Dave Culligan

Written by Hannah Birru

Thumbnail and Header Photo by threesixfive Media 

 Learning about Dave Culligan's story and success, it’s hard to believe he graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce in Management from Saint Mary’s University only 5 years ago.

Drawn to the strong reputation upheld by the Sobey School of Business, Dave transferred to Saint Mary’s University in 2013. During his time at SMU, Dave found great value in getting involved in extracurriculars; he played for the varsity football team until he discovered that life was bringing him into a new direction. From there, he got involved in Marketing competitions, hackathons, and the SMU Law Society. Dave also worked as an office clerk with the law firm McInnes Cooper, where he was able to gain practical experience and work alongside “accomplished, bright-eyed individuals”. When asked what the most valuable lesson he learned from Saint Mary’s was, Dave asserted that he values the lessons he learned from the people he surrounded himself with. He stressed the importance of getting involved in extracurriculars and finding out what you want to do, going outside of your social circle, and trying different things: “I didn’t know what I wanted to do, so I tried everything”.

After graduating, Dave worked in marketing. He started coding his own blog, writing, and attending networking events for tech-starters in his free time. Beyond his ambition, Dave is quite the philomath, with a true passion for learning and evolving. While making videos with friends for fun, Dave had a bright idea for a vlogging project. Without looking back, Dave committed to making 60-second vlogs every day for a year, showcasing Nova Scotia’s highlights and his everyday life. The 365-day vlogging project was an immediate hit - within just a month of starting, CTV and local businesses had contacted Dave for interviews and features. In his interview with CTV, Dave talked about how after graduating, for the first time in his life, he did not have an outlet for all his energy. As a result, this project became an outlet for him and a way to have new experiences while also showcasing Nova Scotia.

Despite having little background in videography, Dave’s 365-day vlogs are anything but amateur. With just an iPhone to start with, Dave’s talent shines through with the way he is able to capture Nova Scotia in a whole different light. One of my personal favourites of the 365 vlogs is Morning Paddle Kearney Lake. Dave’s ability to capture and portray what most Nova Scotians would know to be an unremarkable lake in such a pleasing new light speaks volumes about his talent and skills. 

Eventually, Dave left his full-time job to commit to his passion for film and videography. This unconventional route was a rough transition with many obstacles. For Dave, the biggest obstacle was initially fostering the courage to make this change when everyone, including his own family, thought he was crazy for quitting his stable job to make videos on the internet. But in the end, this decision worked out pretty great for Dave, who founded his own media company, threesixfive Media, in January 2018.

When starting his company, Dave’s biggest inspiration was seeing other people succeed in founding their own businesses. One of Dave’s biggest inspirations for making online content for a living was Ross Simmonds, Founder and CEO of Foundation Marketing. At the start of threesixfive Media, “there was a linear focus to grow, make cool videos, and eventually we will have a real company, and a real brand”. With no roadmap, Dave had to learn how to run a company on his own. While it was fun to make content, there was a lot of responsibility as the CEO to work smarter to effectively run and expand the business.To take his business to the next level, Dave relies heavily on reading, listening to podcasts, and “studying the great minds of business today”. Dave stresses the importance of self-care, sleeping, and living healthy after learning his lesson from being burned out from regularly working 80-100 hour weeks. Now, threesixfive Media has 10 full-time employees with a booming office in Halifax, and a budding office in Toronto. He hopes to replicate the same success the company has received in Halifax in Toronto. With threesixfive Media, Dave has worked with brands like Lululemon, Red Bull, Puma, Ford, and Ebay. 

It’s inspiring to see such success from someone who graduated only 5 years ago. Dave was the 2020 recipient of the Young Alumni of the Year Award, which comes as no surprise after learning about his journey and story. He has dared to dream and has achieved his goals and beyond.