Altavians

CloudRaker’s Creative Director Étienne St-Denis has had a passion for writing since he was 16. Four years ago, he published his first novel, “L’absence”. We look back on a rich and diverse career, shaped by decisive encounters, in which writing eventually took centre stage.

Could you tell us a little about your career?

I started work in an advertising agency, Twist Image, in 2001, before gaining my university diploma. There were 6 of us at the time. Six years later, the agency had no fewer than 125 staff! Over the years, we fine-tuned our range of services and specialised in the digital field. I learned a great deal on the job, by reading books. Twist Image is today part of the WPP group and has been renamed Mirum. I then joined the digital team at SidLaee, where I also stayed for 6 years. We upgraded the agency’s range of services by diversifying it and proposing more digital experiences, whether on the web or in sales outlets, including through the use of tablets or interactive projections, etc.…

You witnessed major changes back then, such as the arrival of smartphones…

Exactly. And this changed both the way people surfed the Internet and our approach to it, including new factors such as small screens or data caps, etc. We had to reinvent ourselves. Following this experience, I worked Freelance and 3 and a half years ago I joined CloudRaker. At that time, the agency was at a strategic turning point and was looking to reconsolidate its range of products and services.

Tell us a bit about CloudRaker

CloudRaker was founded in 2001 and has always been specialized in the digital industry, also adding consultancy work and content production over the years. CloudRaker has also launched its own paper magazine Cloud & Co.

What was your key challenge when joining CloudRaker?

This was to refocus on interactive aspects and experience design. In particular, the agency developed the Action Shot application, aimed at the general public. The principle involved is to capture several moments of action in a single picture. More than 2.6 million people use this app worldwide! When CloudRaker joined the Altavia Group a year and a half ago, we naturally focused on the retail sector.

Could you tell us a little about yourself and about your love of writing?

Between the ages of 12 and 16, the two great loves of my life were drawing and the guitar. A little later, for financial reasons my parents suggested that I should look at a career in graphic design and that I should keep the guitar playing as a hobby. At the same time, while still at high school, I developed a growing interest in the humanities thanks to my philosophy and French teachers .  This new interest gave me a new way to express my creativity. It’s highly complementary. Writing is a more tangible and more long-lasting medium than music, for example. And it requires more thought. At least that’s been my experience of it.

How did the idea come about to write a book?

I’d been writing short stories since school and I wanted to set myself a challenge and to find out if I was capable of seeing a project through to completion. The mental ability of finding just the right words is one which is quickly lost…

Could you present your book?

It’s called “L’absence” and it came out 4 years ago. I intended it to be a very personal book and I deliberately chose to write in the first person. I also wanted to give it a philosophical aspect, without it becoming pretentious however. I set about designing it in the same way as I do in my day-to-day work, when I’m designing websites. I drew up a plan, a sort of “user experience map” using two rows of post-it notes. Each post-it note represented an event. The top row symbolised the psychological development of the character and the bottom one the key moments from their life.

Little by little, at a rate of a chapter a month on average, my book took shape.

It then required proofreading and revision, not an easy task when you’re working alone. I therefore got several people to read my book, which gave me some perspective: even if writing is a very personal experience, you should never forget that the end goal is to share the results with others.

What is “L’absence” about?

It’s about understanding that we experience death at different times in our life. As an example, the first chapter adopts the point of view of a 5-year-old child. The second explores the thoughts of a 16-year-old teenager.

How was the book published?

The Société des Ecrivains proposed an arrangement to me, halfway between traditional publishing and self-publishing, with them handling the editorial work, from proofreading to printing, while I had to manage the promotional side by participating in events for example. During the launch in Montréal, I realised that I certainly wasn’t a “pro” when it comes to organising events!

Have your colleagues read “L’absence”?

Most of my colleagues have read the book and almost all of them liked it. They particularly appreciated the fact that the viewpoints change as you progress through the chapters, creating a wide variety of atmospheres.

Do you have any plans for a second novel?

Yes, definitely! For the time being, the draft is called “Le Duel” and it explores the idea that each of us wants to leave their mark on history and to find their raison d’être. A serious subject which once again I seek to develop in a not-to-serious way.

Nathalie Lemière took part in the Paris Marathon with her colleagues from Altavia.

She is from Normandy. She loves sailing. She is always looking for the next challenge to tackle. Nathalie Lemière, who joined the paper purchasing division at Altavia two years ago, has suffered from a heart defect since 2005. To strengthen her heart, she runs marathons. Her endurance and performance are constantly improving. In her blog, Coeur de finisher (Heart of a finisher), Nathalie writes about her life, her struggle and her wanderlust. Her next challenge? Trekking through Japan with her friend Marc Vettard. Read on for our interview with an inspiring woman who can move mountains.

Tell us a bit about your story…

In 2005, I underwent a routine varicose vein operation. I got a golden staph infection and went into a coma. I remained in that state for 2 weeks. Two heart attacks, pulmonary oedema and kidney failure all followed in quick succession. Staph destroys the body little by little. Even the doctors didn’t like my odds. But I made it out alive. I remember that during my coma, I dreamed of boats.

What happened when you awoke from the coma?

I had to learn to walk again. I quickly discovered that my heart was worn out, having lost 40% of its capacity—heart attacks cause necrosis of the muscle. But I never gave up. After 3 years, I started setting personal challenges for myself, like taking up running. My cardiologist encouraged me, even inviting me to run the marathon or the 100 km de Millau. It was his way of teaching me that endurance running was the way to strengthen my heart. I had to run as long as I possibly could, without setting time goals, maintaining a manageable pace. The goal is to overcome the heart failure, which leaves you breathless after expending the slightest effort, and learn to live with it. It’s been 12 years now that I’ve been setting annual challenges for myself.

What was the last challenge you overcame?

The Tour du Mont Blanc, in July 2017. It’s 170 kilometres, 10,000 metres of ascents and descents, 2,700-metre hills… After those 10 days, I was completely transformed. I decided to share my adventure and my struggle in my blog, Heart of a finisher. And to share my passion for travel with as wide an audience as possible.

How have you benefited physically?

I cut down on my medication by a factor of 8, thanks to working out, building endurance and cultivating a mind-over-matter mentality.

We hear you also love sailing?

Absolutely. I sailed to the Le Havre with a club. I also took on communications for a project led by Damien Seguin. He medalled in the Athens Special Olympics, and he is out there fighting to sail alongside athletes without disabilities on his boat, dubbed Des Pieds et Des Mains (Feet and Hands). At the time, it was radical. Nobody wanted to sail with him. So he joined forces with a friend of mine, Denis Lemaître. That’s how I got involved in the project. I took care of creating the brochure, Denis Lemaître’s website, etc.

When I saw Commeunseulhomme, I was immediately onboard. As a sailor, I am always on the starting line or the finishing line with my fellow sailors.

When I arrived at Altavia, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the group sponsored his boat for the Vendée Globe.

Tell us about your Japan plans…

I want to travel to the “Japanese Alps” with Marc Vettard, whom I met during the Tour du Mont Blanc and subsequently befriended. I heard about a trail in Japan known as the Temple Pilgrimage, sort of like the Camino de Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage. And of course, there’s Mount Fuji with its 3,776-metre summit. My goal is to report back on what I see there and on my inner journey.

I’m currently looking for a sponsor or donor. I submitted a request with Altavia, and they also got involved during People-with-disabilities Week by printing T-shirts.

Are you training in the interim?

I never stop training, otherwise I’ll lose all of the benefits. I run a lot of marathons (I’m on my tenth!) but I also do 90-km stage races. Plus, I do 6-hour endurance challenges. I’m preparing to shift my training focus to trekking.

My cardiologist advises me to always run endurance and, most importantly, to prevent injury at all costs in order to avoid having to take it easy during convalescence.

What is your favourite marathon memory?

The Paris marathon and the 40,000 people I ran it with. When you hit kilometre 30 and run past the Eiffel Tower, and the spectators are pressing in on both sides of the course and they’re screaming “Don’t give up!” —it’s an extraordinary experience.

For more, visit  http://coeur-de-finisher.org