The Studio
One studio.
Four cities.
Desks
- TOR HQ
Toronto
toronto@culturecartel.ca - NYC North America desk
New York
newyork@culturecartel.ca - LAX West Coast desk
Los Angeles
la@culturecartel.ca - LDN UK and Europe desk
London
london@culturecartel.ca
We are a design and creative studio. Strategy, design, digital, campaigns, AI and experiences under one senior team. We have built brands for tractors, golf carts, quads, race days and hip-hop tours, on three continents. The work is made to be chosen.
From CMO to founder
Founder-led.
On purpose.
Culture Cartel was founded by Jarryd McDonald, a CMO, creative strategist and brand builder with a track record across Canadian, U.S. and international markets.
Former CMO at Smith Power Equipment and Argo. Group Head of Marketing at GVA Lighting. Executive Creative Director at Mabala Noise. Today he is Global Director of the CMO Council’s Global Circle Initiative and sits on its North America Advisory Board (2024 to now), after serving on its Africa Advisory Board from 2021 to 2024. Martechvibe named him one of South Africa’s Top 20 CMOs to Watch.
He built Culture Cartel to bring clear strategy, strong creative and real commercial thinking together under one roof, with a sharp, practical approach to helping businesses grow, reposition and move forward with confidence.
Stages, show floors,
race days.
The facts,
first.
- 01
Toronto-based. Proudly Canadian.
Built in one of the most diverse, fast-moving business and cultural cities in the world. 8 The Esplanade, a few minutes from Union.
- 02
Executive-level firepower
Senior marketing leadership, brand building, creative direction and marketing operations across multiple markets. The thinking you would hire a CMO for.
- 03
Startups to multinationals
Early-stage brands that need clarity and traction. Large businesses that need sharper positioning, stronger systems and joined-up execution.
- 04
Built to move fast
No waiting for a junior to relay the brief. Senior thinking from day one, quick turnarounds, creative that is ready to work, not just ready to present.
- 05
Strategy and creative, together
We do not separate the thinking from the making. Positioning, design, messaging, systems and execution are built to work as one.
- 06
Cross-industry range
Agriculture, automotive, mobility, manufacturing, entertainment, events, lifestyle, finance and B2B. Pattern recognition you cannot fake.
Five steps.
No theatre.
- 01
Diagnose
Week 1
We get under the hood. The business, the numbers, the market, the brand as customers actually see it. One senior read, written down.
- 02
Decide
Week 2
Positioning, priorities and the plan. We make the hard calls with you, not for you, and put them on one page.
- 03
Build
2 to 8 weeks
Identity, site, campaign, event or system. Made by the people who did the thinking, so nothing is lost in translation.
- 04
Launch
Launch week
Into market with precision. Media, channels, dealers, the room. Everyone briefed, everything measured.
- 05
Raise the bar
Ongoing
We read the results, fix what is soft and push what works. The Cartel Retainer keeps a fixed senior team on it every month.
Proof, not
adjectives.
- Brands orchestrated for one distributor
- 19
- Countries in a single portfolio
- 6
- Continents of shipped work
- 3
- Dealers supported for Kubota
- 80+
47 brands.
One standard.
Across Canadian and international markets, the experience behind Culture Cartel is connected to these brands. Global manufacturers, category leaders, artists and events.
Also Linda Lemon and Athletic Hearts.
In the room where
marketing gets decided.
The thinking behind your brief comes from inside the global marketing establishment, not from the outside looking in.
- CMO CouncilCurrent
Global Director, Global Circle Initiative
Leading the 25th-anniversary transformation of the Council’s Global Advisory Board into an active network of regional leaders.
- CMO Council2024 to 2026, current
North America Advisory Board
A seat on the North America board of a global peer network of senior marketing officers.
- CMO Council2021 to 2024
Africa Advisory Board
Three years on the Council’s board for Africa, before moving to North America.
- Martechvibe
Top 20 CMOs to Watch
Named one of South Africa’s Top 20 CMOs to Watch.
Governance you
can audit.
One accountable lead
Every engagement is led by Jarryd. Specialists join where the work needs them, and they answer to the same standard. You always know who owns the outcome.
Plain commercial terms
Scoped work has a fixed scope and a clear price before we start. Retainers have a defined senior team and a monthly plan. No surprise line items.
Your data stays yours
Accounts, assets and analytics are set up in your name. AI tools are used with care and disclosed. See our privacy policy.
Selective by design
We take on a limited number of builds per quarter, so every client gets the senior attention they are paying for.
Culture Cartel Live
Our events division.
Culture Cartel Live is where original, event-driven platforms are built, positioned and grown. F1inTO is the proof: a boutique Formula 1 watch party brand for fans who want more than a screen in a bar. Elevated, social and distinctly Toronto.
Enter LiveFour rules.
- Clarity over noiseIf it cannot be said simply, it is not ready.
- Commercial firstBeautiful work that does not move the business is a hobby.
- Craft in the detailsEvery button, every line, every frame. Default is wrong.
- Straight talkWe tell you what we see. Then we fix it.
Culture Cartel played a major role in shaping Smith Power Equipment into the business it is today. From leading the rebrand and repositioning the company in the market to driving marketing operations across the business, their impact went far beyond creative execution. They brought clarity, structure, and momentum at a level that genuinely changed the trajectory of the company. Quite simply, we would not be where we are today without Culture Cartel.