Today, the #WeLeadComms spotlight falls on Canadian communication leader and IABC World Conference speaker Sam Chen.

Sam is a digital marketing and media professional with over 12 years of experience helping brands connect with their audiences through authentic, human-centered storytelling. Throughout his career, Sam has collaborated with some of the world’s most recognized names — including Disney, General Electric, and Subaru — crafting media that finds the real voices and real people that audiences actually trust.

Today, Sam serves as the Digital Marketing Media Manager for the University of Waterloo’s Faculty of Engineering, where he leads social media, video, and photo storytelling that puts youth at the centre of the conversation. His work focuses on capturing the real moments, real breakthroughs, and real students whose stories are making a difference — and making sure those stories reach the audiences who need to hear them.

A proud member of IABC for over 10 years, Sam brings a deep respect for the craft of communication to everything he does. That same commitment to authenticity extends beyond academia. As a Media Producer and Coach at Pickleplex Cambridge, Sam works with over 50 pickleball brands to build genuine community trust — proof that no matter the industry, real connection is always the winning strategy.

Sam’s upcoming session tackles one of the most pressing challenges facing communicators today: the rapid disruption of AI into our creative workflows — and what we stand to lose if we aren’t careful. As AI-generated content floods every channel and platform, the line between real and manufactured is becoming harder for audiences to see. Sam argues that this isn’t just a creative problem — it’s a trust problem. And trust, once lost, is extraordinarily difficult to rebuild.

At its core, Sam’s session is about learning AI the right way — because at the end of the day, it’s just a tool, and we should treat it as one. Attendees will get a practical, hands-on look at how AI is being used across the full creative spectrum — video production, photography, music, written documentation, coding, and website development — and how to wield these tools in ways that enhance rather than erode your brand’s credibility. And yes, there will be laughs. Sam brings a collection of real-world AI fails that are equal parts hilarious and eye-opening, because sometimes the best way to learn where the guardrails are is to see exactly what happens when someone drives straight through them.

At the heart of Sam’s message is a belief that has only grown stronger as the technology has advanced: in a world saturated with generated content, being real is not a soft value — it’s a competitive advantage. And the communication professionals who understand that are not being replaced by AI. They are more essential than ever.

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#WeLeadComms is a partnership between IABC and Strategic.

The communicator’s role is evolving, and #IABC26 is where we’ll explore what’s next.

Join a global network of communication professionals 14-16 June in Toronto for practical insights, peer learning, and new ideas you can take back to your organization. https://wc.iabc.com/