Office Archive for
“We are our work.” As a creative agency, Critical Mass has always believed that we are ultimately judged by the caliber of our work. It’s not just about delivering extraordinary for our clients, but also for the standard that we set for ourselves.
The CMMYs is Critical Mass’ annual awards competition, honoring the best of the best work from each year. Winners are selected by a jury of executives and peers, and the honors are bestowed during a company-wide party that spans our offices in Calgary, Toronto, Chicago and London.
We’re proud to share this year’s CMMY 2011 Winners:
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Here’s the rest of our 2010 CMVP crew. (If you missed the first half, you can find them here.)
Ricel Almadovar
Role: Senior Project Manager
Office: Toronto
Nomination Quote: “If Ricel is handling a project then you can be sure that things will get done and done the right way. She has that rare ability to know when to crack a joke and when to crack the whip and it is this juxtaposition that makes her an invaluable team member.”
Getting to know Ricel:
1. What are your passions/hobbies outside the workplace? Scuba Diving, wining and dining.
2. Your favorite place on the planet? Tubbataha National Park (http://www.tubbatahareef.org/)
3. Your go-to gadget? My iPhone – never leave home without it!
4. If you were faced with your last meal, what would you want to eat? Fresh Atlantic Lobster paired with Grand Cru Chablis from the Burgundy region!!!!
5. Who do you most admire? I am fascinated by the tranquility radiated by the 14th Dalai Lama.
Julie Luu
Role: Financial Controller
Office: London (She’s just moved there after working in our Calgary office for 4.5 years)
Nomination Quote: “She takes the time to understand the needs of the people she’s working with and instead of sticking to the “safe” or “its just how we’ve always done it” path, she tweaks, asks questions, updates and reformats her outputs with the goal of providing extraordinary financial support for our company.”
Getting to know Julie:
1. What are your passions/hobbies outside the workplace? Watching movies, reading, going for walks.
2. Your favorite place on the planet? I’ve never been, but would love to go to Hawaii.
3. Your go-to gadget? Hmmm, I don’t really have one. I’m not that technologically savvy.
4. If you were faced with your last meal, what would you want to eat? Hot pot!
5. Who do you most admire? My dad.
What’s bigger than SxSW? CMVP.
A lot of companies have recognition programs in place for their employees, but no one does it like Critical Mass. In addition to anniversary bonuses, spot bonuses, and inter-office “shout-outs,” CM has a unique program we call CMVP. Each month we pick one individual globally, who embodies the true spirit of CM and exemplifies our values. These people tend to be hard workers with terrific attitudes–applauded by their clients and beloved by their teams.
For 2010, we had 12 standout individuals honored who are now enjoying the annual CMVP Retreat in Las Vegas. They’ll enjoy delicious meals, exciting excursions of their choosing (spa? casino? shopping? stretch of desert and a dune buggy?) and a night on the town with promises that the evening’s festivities will “stay in Vegas.” These people are the “secret sauce” of CM and we’d like to introduce them to you.
Kim Clifford
Role: Director of Insight & Planning
Office: Chicago (and previously Calgary)
Nomination Quote: “She’s truly customer centric in her approach doing whatever it takes to make the client, CM, and her team successful. Her strategic thinking, counsel, and insight-led approaches have helped the client to think differently.”
Getting to know Kim:
1. What are your passions/hobbies outside the workplace? Eating! Yumorama 
2. Your favorite place on the planet? Tofino. Surfing, napping, eating fresh crab, hot tubbing off the coast of the gulf islands.
3. Your go-to gadget? My iPhone. Its a little compulsive…. Eek.
4. If you were faced with your last meal, what would you want to eat? Lobster poutine from Brava in Cowtown.
5. Who do you most admire? Everyone.
Laura Studley
Role: Senior Copywriter
Office: Toronto
Nomination Quote: “Flexible enough to achieve excellence in pretty much any style or challenge, and just awesome to hang out with, people want to work with Laura.”
Getting to know Laura:
1. What are your passions/hobbies outside the workplace? Traveling, spinning (on a stationary bike, not as a DJ) , surfing (even though I’ve only gone like 6 times, I’m still claiming it’s my new hobby, ’cause it’s cool).
2. Your favorite place on the planet? Really? Only one? Ummm, right now it’s this little surfing town on the west coast of Mexico. Last year it was Fraser Island in Australia. I could go on, and on…
3. Your go-to gadget? My iPhone. DSLR when I travel.
4. If you were faced with your last meal, what would you want to eat? Ice cream. Is that a meal? 3 scoops of ice cream then.
5. Who do you most admire? My mom. Hands down. That lady is awesome.
Sexy digital. Those 2 words don’t really pair together very often. We hear about sexy adverts or sexy product design all the time, but digital isn’t really thought of that way. It’s often functional, it’s sometimes fun, it’s frequently structured- but it doesn’t have that va-va-voom s-e-x-y of the more obvious creative mediums. And if you think about it, from a tool, personalisation and possibilities POV, that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.
When I think about all the places digital could go I think of the Never-ending Story. Vast kingdoms, mind-bending experiences, Sebastian realising he was in the story all along…Oh, the possibilities! Experiences that can be so much more surprising, charming, authentic and emotionally in-tune with the individual than nearly any other medium.
Sexy doesn’t come from a spray of cologne or a pair of cufflinks, nor does it come from a place of desperation to be liked. Tarting something up with a new logo or colour scheme does not cut the mustard, nor does a social media campaign for a brand that needs bigger help. Sexy is a way of carrying an attitude–a swagger, an elegance, a charm…and those things start from within. They start before the wardrobe door is opened to dress the body; they are built on a foundation. They’re built on everything we do, from the ground up.
Photo Credit: CNN
After watching a talk with Dennis Crowley the founder of Foursquare, one of the big thought provoking statements he made for me was that Foursquare is about‘ getting people out into the real world’.
Later, as I watched him play a real game of Foursquare with a group of kids, it got me wondering, could location based mobile games be the answer to getting kids of their bums and out of the house again? Obviously I’m not talking about 3 years olds here, but kids who should be outside discovering the big wide world (then again, with a parents participation it could even work for 3 year olds!).
I grew up in a world of tree climbing, outdoor swimming and bike riding through the leafy suburbs of London UK, at it shaped the adventurous side of my personality that I have today. However, with the world of education, sharing and gaming becoming increasingly digital, it’s often commented on that kids don’t get outside enough to get their hands dirty and breathe in what’s around them.
Our digital industry is on the verge of literally erupting tomorrow when South by Southwest Interactive begins. Whether or not you’ve been there before, there’s no question of you’ve heard of it. A convergence of thousands in Austin, TX to celebrate and debate emerging technology and digital trends. Complete with tweeting/blogging/uploading frenzy that no telecom network can keep up with.
SxCM
As you can expect, CM will most certainly be present. We’ve got 13 people from across our company, led by two of our executives, currently on their way to sunny Texas. We encourage you to follow these folks directly on Twitter, not just for SxSW, but because they’re some of our best.
Chris Gokiert (@cgokiert) – President
Darren Delichte (@darrendelichte) – Executive Creative Director
Beth Kelley (@bethkelley56) – Account Manager
Darren Wood (@sevenbitme) – Sr. Designer
Dave Vieser (@dvieser) – Tech Director
Jeana Anderson (@jeanaanderson) – Social Media Manager
Jim Kim (@jimkim) – Creative Director
Johnathan Bonnell (@digitalinfant) – Planner
Kerry Janes (@kjsxsw) – Planning Director
Kristie Brown (@klbrown99) – Account Manager
Leif Fescenmeyer (@ebreakdown) – Community Moderator
Natalie Prout (n/a) – Associate Planner
Richard Tseng (@richardtseng) – Copywriter
Stacey Perkins (@slperkins80) – Account Manager
Zach Graham (@zachgraham) – Sr. Planner
Wanna keep in the loop?
If you CM is a brand you know and trust, we highly recommend you follow us for the latest scoop during the next four days. We’ll of course share some content here, but you can also follow us on Twitter (#cmsxsw) or on Facebook. Twitter will serve up-to-the-minute quotes and sightings. Facebook will give you a visual with videos and pics. And this won’t just be your standard “session recap.”
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