--- title: "The Studio: Culture Cartel in Toronto, New York, LA, London" description: "Culture Cartel is a founder-led Toronto creative and marketing agency. Senior strategy, creative, digital and live under one roof, proven on three continents." canonical: https://www.culturecartel.ca/studio language: en-CA publisher: Culture Cartel --- The Studio Toronto HQ / New York / Los Angeles / London # One studio. Four cities. ## Desks 1. TOR HQ Toronto [toronto@culturecartel.ca](mailto:toronto@culturecartel.ca) 2. NYC North America desk New York [newyork@culturecartel.ca](mailto:newyork@culturecartel.ca) 3. LAX West Coast desk Los Angeles [la@culturecartel.ca](mailto:la@culturecartel.ca) 4. LDN UK and Europe desk London [london@culturecartel.ca](mailto: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. ![Jarryd McDonald, founder and CMO of Culture Cartel, in a black turtleneck and jacket](https://www.culturecartel.ca/team/jarryd-mcdonald.jpg) 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. [Meet Jarryd](https://www.culturecartel.ca/team/jarryd-mcdonald) [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jarrydmcdonald) Where the work happens ## Stages, show floors, race days. - [Concerts Smirnoff x Migos, South Africa](https://www.culturecartel.ca/work/smirnoff-x-migos) - [Race days F1inTO, Toronto](https://www.culturecartel.ca/work/f1into) - [Expos GVA Lighting, Lightfair New York](https://www.culturecartel.ca/work/gva-lighting) - [Campaigns Kubota, Southern Africa](https://www.culturecartel.ca/work/kubota) - [Tours Nasty C, the Ivyson Tour](https://www.culturecartel.ca/work/nasty-c) - [Expos EGO at Decorex](https://www.culturecartel.ca/work/ego) - [Events Mabala Noise](https://www.culturecartel.ca/work/mabala-noise) Quick facts 01 ## The facts, first. 1. 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. 2. 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. 3. 03 Startups to multinationals Early-stage brands that need clarity and traction. Large businesses that need sharper positioning, stronger systems and joined-up execution. 4. 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. 5. 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. 6. 06 Cross-industry range Agriculture, automotive, mobility, manufacturing, entertainment, events, lifestyle, finance and B2B. Pattern recognition you cannot fake. How we work 02 ## Five steps. No theatre. 1. 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. 2. 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. 3. 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. 4. 04 Launch Launch week Into market with precision. Media, channels, dealers, the room. Everyone briefed, everything measured. 5. 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. Scale 03 ## 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+ Brands behind the experience 04 ## 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. - Kubota - Polaris - Club Car - The Toro Company - CLAAS - JCB - BOMAG - Monster Energy - CMO Council - Argo - Linhai - EGO Power+ - GVA Lighting - Smith Power Equipment - RX (Reed Exhibitions) - AUSA - Baoli - Trioliet - Agrifac - Reesink Canada Wholesale - Prairie Ag - CanBuyCars - Africa Travel Week - Nasty C - F1inTO - Mabala Noise - Peruzzo - Redexim - Unimac - Hepson Equipment - Mantis ULV - Perfect - Kaweco - Lawson Sales Kubota - Equal Africa - Kali Music - The Lab - The Jay Bar - Finery Guru - Laker Lures - LightServe - Achieve - Michael Kutcher - TA Speakers Management - Decorex SA - Potenza - Sidebar - [See the work](https://www.culturecartel.ca/work) Also [Linda Lemon](https://www.culturecartel.ca/work/linda-lemon) and [Athletic Hearts](https://www.culturecartel.ca/work/athletic-hearts). A seat at the table ## 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. 1. CMO Council Current Global Director, Global Circle Initiative Leading the 25th-anniversary transformation of the Council’s Global Advisory Board into an active network of regional leaders. 2. CMO Council 2024 to 2026, current North America Advisory Board A seat on the North America board of a global peer network of senior marketing officers. 3. CMO Council 2021 to 2024 Africa Advisory Board Three years on the Council’s board for Africa, before moving to North America. 4. Martechvibe Top 20 CMOs to Watch Named one of South Africa’s Top 20 CMOs to Watch. Governance 05 ## Governance you can audit. ### One accountable lead Every engagement is led by the founder. 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](https://www.culturecartel.ca/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 Live](https://www.culturecartel.ca/live) Values 06 ## Four rules. - Clarity over noise If it cannot be said simply, it is not ready. - Commercial first Beautiful work that does not move the business is a hobby. - Craft in the details Every button, every line, every frame. Default is wrong. - Straight talk We 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. Arjan Mulder Managing Director, Smith Power Equipment [Read the case study](https://www.culturecartel.ca/work/smith-power-equipment) --- Culture Cartel, 8 The Esplanade, Toronto, ON M5E 0A6. info@culturecartel.ca, +1 647 459 2154. Start a project: https://www.culturecartel.ca/start