The Casting Call — Spark Pitch Deck
Spark Recruiting · A TIFF-Week Event

TheCasting Call

now casting Toronto's tech leaders.
Red Carpet · People's Choice · September 2026
01 · The Idea

We put out a casting call — and the RSVPs are the cast.

An awards-style evening where Toronto's tech leaders are the stars. The price of admission: their honest take on what's breaking in hiring. We capture it live — then publish what the room told us.

our "More Human" pitch, live — the one week the whole city is obsessed with exactly this.
02 · The Experience

An awards night — with real stakes.

Red carpet & step-and-repeat  — everyone arrives like the talent.
Director's-chair photo ops  — the shot that seeds their LinkedIn (and ours).
Champagne & a goodie bag  — it's a celebration, not a seminar.
The People's Choice vote  — the interactive heart of the night.
03 · The Mechanic

One casting card. It's the keepsake and the ballot.

01

Scan the QR

Vote from your phone in seconds — no clipboard, no line-up.

02

Two tiers

Fun hiring takes first. The real hiring questions second.

03

Live tally

Votes climb on the big screen. We reveal winners awards-style.

04 · Tier One — The Fun Vote

The takes we're all too polite to say out loud.

People's Choice · Most Overused Buzzword
"Rockstar / ninja / wizard"0%
"We're like a family"0%
"Wear many hats"0%
"Fast-paced environment"0%
Also on the ballot
  • Biggest red flag in a job description
  • Worst interview cliché
  • Most meaningless perk
  • The interview round that should be illegal
  • The role everyone claims to be hiring for
  • Most cringe LinkedIn hiring phrase
05 · Tier Two — The Real Vote

Then the ballot turns serious.

The role you can't fill right nownames the exact gap — a warm lead
How long has it been open?6 months+ is the hottest lead in the room
Where does hiring actually break?sourcing · screening · speed · comp · volume
Roles you're hiring in the next 6 monthspipeline volume, at a glance
Are you using AI in hiring today?our whole conversation, opened for us
One thing that'd make hiring easier tomorrowthe real pain, in their words
06 · The Shareable
07 · Run of Show

A tight ~2.5 hours.

5:45
Doors, red carpet & champagnearrivals on the step-and-repeat; casting card in hand.
6:00
Mingle + the fun vote openshot takes do the icebreaking for us.
6:45
Spark on the micfive warm minutes — then the turn to the real ballot.
7:00
The People's Choice revealawards-style, off the live data — the headline stat, to the room.
7:40
Encore mingling + goodie bagsthe room now knows what everyone's struggling with.
08 · The Ask
TIFF · Sept 10–20, 2026
Runway · ~7 weeks out
Dependency · none — built adjacent
Control · fully ours
Are we in?
say yes and I'll lock venue, ballot & run-of-show.