Darrell Keezer

Pilon School of Business
Program: Business Administration Marketing
Year of Graduation: 2005
Year of Induction to Hall of Fame: 2014

President, Candybox Marketing

Darrell is an award-winning entrepreneur, digital marketer, author of two books, and keynote speaker.

Darrell founded digital marketing agency Candybox Marketing in 2008, at the age of 23.

Built with a goal to make the web sweet, Candybox met with unprecedented success and quickly became a recognized leader in digital marketing campaigns, serving a broad and influential client base across the U.S and Canada.

With clients including FOX broadcasting, Spin Master Toys, IBAO, KwikKopy and the Toronto Police, Darrell has launched hundreds of lead generation and creative social media campaigns that have been used as case studies in many industry publications.

Darrell has become known as a leading digital marketing expert, helping clients make the switch from traditional advertising and reducing their marketing carbon footprint. With a focus on implementing new initiatives that better support client success, his social media workshops have seen over 1,000 businesses trained in the benefits of integrating social media and building customer relationships online.

Darrell’s a sought-after speaker and has given keynote addresses at many marketing and entrepreneurship events across Canada and the U.S., inspiring companies to embrace how their customers have changed. He speaks at over 50 events per year, on topics including digital marketing trends, social media, and how to reach a new generation of buyers. Some recent events have included The National Franchise Show, Customer Service Conference, Small Business Summit, and the Internal Branding Conference.

Darrell has a passion for equipping the next generation of marketers. He’s built a young, effective team at Candybox who are pushing the limits of where traditional agencies have gone.

He’s enjoyed numerous opportunities to interact with and influence the Sheridan student body, assisting with the direction of its Marketing program and hiring Sheridan graduates. Married with four children, Darrell believes strongly in giving back and he prioritizes serving several not-for-profits each year, assisting them to market themselves online and to effectively engage with their donors.

“Sheridan College was the starting point in my journey, and a lot of what I do now is as a result of the passion that I picked up from the faculty who mentored me. It wasn’t ever about just getting the job done, but about inspiring us to go beyond the status quo.” – Darrell Keezer