Most business origin stories get cleaned up before they’re told. Emily Lyons doesn’t do that.
She started Femme Fatale Media in 2009 with $80, no business degree, and no roadmap. What she had was a grade 10 education, an unshakeable work ethic, and a clear vision of what the events and brand staffing industry was missing. Fifteen years later, her roster includes Mercedes-Benz, Louis Vuitton, and Warner Bros., and Femme Fatale Media is one of Canada’s most respected experiential marketing and event staffing agencies.
That’s not a rags-to-riches headline. That’s the whole story.
Building Femme Fatale Media From the Ground Up
In 2009, the experiential marketing industry in Canada had a gap. Brands needed on-the-ground representation that was polished, professional, and actually moved the needle — not just warm bodies filling a shift. Emily saw it before most people were talking about it.
She built Femme Fatale Media into a full-service brand ambassador and event staffing agency that Fortune 500 companies trusted to represent them at their highest-profile activations across North America. Mercedes-Benz. Louis Vuitton. Warner Bros. These aren’t clients you land with a pitch deck and a prayer — you earn them by delivering, consistently, at a standard most agencies can’t hold.
The agency grew because the work was good. Not because of ad spend or investor backing. Because Emily showed up, delivered, and built a reputation that compounded over time.
Today, Femme Fatale Media is considered one of the leading event staffing agencies in Canada, with a network of professionally trained brand ambassadors deployed at corporate events, product launches, trade shows, and experiential campaigns from coast to coast.
Expanding Beyond Events: A Multi-Industry Founder
Emily didn’t stop at one company. While running Femme Fatale Media, she identified two more gaps worth solving — and built businesses around both.
She founded Lyons Elite, a luxury matchmaking agency serving high-achieving, high-net-worth singles across North America. In a market flooded with apps and algorithms, Lyons Elite offers something entirely different: a human-first, curated approach to finding a genuine life partner. The agency operates on discretion, exclusivity, and results.
She also co-founded True Glue Beauty, a clean lash adhesive brand now carried at major retail. In an industry where ingredient transparency is rare, True Glue was built around it — offering a formaldehyde-free, sensitivity-tested alternative that performs without compromise.
Three companies. Three industries. One operating standard.
In 2024, Emily was named Entrepreneur of the Year — a recognition that reflects not just business performance, but the way she’s built: with integrity, consistency, and an eye on long-term impact.
The Real Story Behind the Success
It would be easy to write a list of Emily’s accolades. It would also miss the point entirely.
Emily built everything she has through 14 years of sobriety. Through the loss of her sister Julia, who she honours through The Julia Lyons Foundation. Through the kind of personal setbacks that end most entrepreneurial runs before they ever really begin.
She started with $80 and a grade 10 education at a time when female founders in the events industry weren’t exactly being handed opportunities. She didn’t wait for permission. She built proof instead.
With over 235,000 Instagram followers and a content presence built on radical honesty, Emily speaks openly about those experiences — not for sympathy, but because she believes the real story is more useful than the polished version. Founders who are actually in it recognize that immediately.
That honesty is what resonates. On social media, in mentorship conversations, in how she runs her companies — she doesn’t perform success. She demonstrates it.
Why Femme Fatale Media Stands Apart
There are a lot of event staffing agencies in Canada. Most of them sell you a number — here’s our database, here’s our rate card, here’s a headcount. Femme Fatale Media was never built that way.
It was built by someone who understood that your brand is only as good as the person standing in front of your customer. That the staff representing you at a product launch, a trade show, or a VIP activation IS the brand experience in that moment. There’s no recovering a bad impression made by underprepared, uncommitted staff.
Emily built the agency to solve that problem at scale — and the Fortune 500 client roster is the evidence.
For brands looking for a brand ambassador agency in Canada that brings that standard to every activation — that’s what Femme Fatale Media was built on, and it’s what it’s maintained for over 15 years.
Frequently Asked Questions About Emily Lyons
Who is Emily Lyons?
Emily Lyons is a Canadian entrepreneur and founder of three companies: Femme Fatale Media (event staffing and experiential marketing), Lyons Elite (luxury matchmaking), and True Glue Beauty (clean lash adhesive). She started her first business in 2009 with $80 and no formal business education, and was named Entrepreneur of the Year in 2024.
What is Femme Fatale Media?
Femme Fatale Media is a Canadian event staffing and experiential marketing agency founded in 2009. The agency provides professionally trained brand ambassadors and event staff across North America, with a client roster that includes Fortune 500 companies such as Mercedes-Benz, Louis Vuitton, and Warner Bros.
Where is Femme Fatale Media based?
Femme Fatale Media is based in Canada and operates across North America, staffing brand activations, corporate events, trade shows, and experiential marketing campaigns for national and international clients.
What other companies has Emily Lyons founded?
In addition to Femme Fatale Media, Emily founded Lyons Elite, a luxury matchmaking agency, and co-founded True Glue Beauty, a clean beauty brand available at major retail. She also runs The Julia Lyons Foundation, a charitable organization named after her late sister.
What makes Femme Fatale Media different from other event staffing agencies?
Femme Fatale Media was founded and is still led by someone with direct, hands-on industry experience. The agency is known for the quality and professionalism of its brand ambassadors, and has maintained long-term relationships with Fortune 500 clients for over a decade — built entirely on performance and results.
How did Emily Lyons build her business?
Emily started Femme Fatale Media in 2009 with $80, no formal education beyond grade 10, and no outside investment. She grew the agency through direct client relationships, consistent delivery, and a reputation built over 15+ years in the industry.
