The company was founded in 1993 in Montreal by Philippe Meunier and Jean-François Bouchard under the name Diesel.
During its early years, Diesel worked on advertising campaigns for clients such as Sleeman Breweries and the Pizzédélic restaurant chain.[1] In the mid-1990s, the agency began developing digital capabilities, including building commercial websites.
Bertrand Cesvet joined the company in 1997.[2] In 1999, Diesel merged with Stratège Media, and Martin Gauthier and Daniel Fortier joined the management team.
The agency also established a working relationship with Cirque du Soleil during this period.[1]
In 2007, the company changed its name from Diesel to Sid Lee to avoid confusion with the clothing brand Diesel. The name "Sid Lee" is an anagram of "Diesel".[3]
In 2008, Sid Lee began working with Adidas Originals on global campaigns.[4] The company subsequently expanded internationally, opening offices in Amsterdam (2008) and Paris (2009).
In 2009, Sid Lee established Sid Lee Architecture, a division focused on architectural and retail design.[5] The division was founded by Jean Pelland and Martin Leblanc.
The company opened an office in Toronto in 2010,[6] followed by offices in New York City (2012) and Los Angeles (2014).
In 2012, Sid Lee co-founded C2 Montréal, a business and creative conference organized in partnership with Cirque du Soleil.[7]
In 2013, the company launched Sid Lee Entertainment, a division focused on content and experiential projects.
Sid Lee developed the "We The North" marketing campaign for the Toronto Raptors in 2014.[8]
On 6 July 2015, Sid Lee was acquired by kyu, a strategic operating unit of the Japanese Hakuhodo DY Holdings.[9][10]
In 2017, Sid Lee Paris acquired YARD, a French creative and production agency.[11]
In 2019, the company expanded its presence in the United States through the integration of agencies including Hornall Anderson, Infrared, and Red Peak. Digital Kitchen also became part of the organization.[12]
