John Bilney, for creative director for Mediacom, passed away at his home in Victoria, BC, Canada, on July 18 at the age of 76. He had been fighting cancer for a short time.
He was born in England and moved to Canada in 1953.
John, working in advertising throughout his life, began his career with Sears in Ottawa. He also worked as a creative director for various companies in that country.
He worked as creative director at Mediacom before his official retirement in 1996, speaking to large ad industry groups about creativity in Canada, the US and internationally. The company featured John as the keynote speaker when hosting events for the Toronto and Montreal ad communities.
While retired, John published a book of poetry and a book of short stories. He also contributed to the New York Times and the Toronto Star.
He is survived by wife Derris, sons Brook and Blaise, and grandchildren Ruby, Sean, Orian and Ella.