OUR TEAM
Who are we?
Here at Great Pretenders, we are a small but dynamic group of people (and an occasional dog or two!) We have designers with a love of children, fantasy and fabric. Talented cutters and sewers who bring designs to life. Reliable shippers who keep it all-straight and make sure the right products get to the right places. Plus, an amazing administrative group who dot the ‘i’s and cross the ‘t’s. Our team shares a passion for children, toys & female entrepreneurship.
More than just a costume brand, we on a mission is to inspire & empower children to explore their creativity, embrace their individuality, and unleash their imagination.
Joyce's Story
Feeling disconnected from an industry that lacked imaginative, open-ended play, Founder & CEO Joyce Keelan set out on an ambitious journey to launch a brand that would deliver on her vision of innovative high value lifestyle toys. 35 years later, with a team comprised of over 75% women, Great Pretenders is proud to have shipped products to boutiques, concept stores, gift shops and some of the best toy stores across the globe, all while introducing innovative new designs and trend setting categories from our hometown of Sarnia, Ontario, Canada.
FROM THE FOUNDER
“I think it was Agatha Christie who once said, one of the luckiest things that can happen to you is to have a happy childhood. For me, making products to cultivate happiness and enrich childhood... it's been my life's work. "
My family has always been a huge part of my story. When my children were young, I am the first to admit I was frustrated by the lack of options in children's toys. I remember shopping for a birthday present for Katie, & being presented with an isle of plastic cleaning appliances; toy vacuums & irons. I realize there were of course puzzles & some choices, but I really felt as a young mom that if I wanted to raise independent, creative & intelligent children, I had to provide them with toys that allowed them to express their creativity freely. At Great Pretenders, we’re shifting the focus from traditional gender roles displayed in toys to open-ended dress-up that allows children to be whoever & whatever they dream to be. Anyone can put on a tutu, there are no rules with our products, only hours of imaginative play.
–Joyce Keelan, Founder & CEO
Our Commitments
Our Team
Kate Frey — VP Brand Strategy
✨ Magic Power: Turning big ideas into sparkly realities. What She Does: Daughter of the founder, born into the job, she shapes the creative vision of Great Pretenders: from packaging to brand storytelling, making sure every detail feels magical and memorable. ⭐ Particularly Proud Of: Our Made-in-Canada 5th Avenue Paillette Capes.Fun Fact: Writes romance novels and political campaign songs. PS. Her daughters are all over our Tiktok and IG!
Jenn — Finance Guru
✨ Magic Power: Making the numbers behave (and throwing axes from time to time). What She Does: Keeps everything running smoothly behind the scenes so creativity can shine. Fun Fact: Loves spreadsheets more than coffee… almost.
Lisa — Customer Happiness Hero
✨ Magic Power: Answers your emails faster than a fairy flies. What She Does: Helps customers every day with warmth and care — tracking orders, checking details, and making sure special gift notes land on the right packages. Fun Fact: Probably knows your order history better than you do. Her husband (Garett) also works in our warehouse — it’s a full husband-and-wife happiness duo!
Brenda — The Operations Backbone Everyone Loves
✨ Magic Power: Making the impossible happen daily. What She Does: Keeps production and logistics running seamlessly so everything arrives where it should, when it should. Fun Fact: Before joining Great Pretenders, Brenda worked in the cosmetics industry. She loves audiobooks (favorite genres TBD — we’ll ask her!).
Julie — Product & Quality Champion (and Our Longest-Serving Team Member!)
✨ Magic Power: Dreaming up costumes kids never want to take off. What She Does: Manages new items, oversees quality control, and brings creative ideas to life — she even taught our VP of Brand Strategy how to sew! Fun Fact: Known for dressing up and performing skits at our Christmas parties and serving as our unofficial party planner.
Lukas — Innovation Driver
✨ Magic Power: Predicting trends before they happen. What He Does: Works on demand forecasting, system improvements, and strategic oversight — and now knows never to underestimate pop-culture fandom (especially era dresses!). Fun Fact: Loves escape rooms and even helped build one.
Jake — IT & Digital Protector
✨ Magic Power: Keeping everyone connected (and protecting our data). What He Does: Helps the team stay secure, keeps systems running, and occasionally assists our fearless — and delightfully tech-challenged — president in getting online. Fun Fact: Into MMA and camping. A quintessentially kind Canadian. Still lobbying for a ninja costume.
Maggie — Director of Asian Operations
✨ Magic Power: Making global production run like clockwork. What She Does: Leads our Asian operations, coordinates raw material sourcing, manages OEM partnerships, oversees safety testing, and ensures the highest quality standards. Fun Fact: Has been with Great Pretenders for over a decade, is the best tour guide ever — and her mom makes legendary dumplings.