Critical Mass

Critical Mass is thrilled to see Steve Savic selected as an Executive Member of the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. This means he’ll participate in the final selection of Webby nominees each year and will help recognize the creativity, innovation, and craftsmanship that continue to redefine what’s possible in digital experience. Congrats, Steve! 🎉👏 

Huge congratulations to Joshua Brain Jaffe, Creative technology director at Critical Mass, for being named a 2026 Campaign 40 Over 40 honoree! Come celebrate their incredible achievements with us on September 24! 👉 Grab your tickets here: https://lnkd.in/ePx5DeRC #CampaignUS40Over40

Hear from our CCO and upcoming jury lead for The Drum Awards, Valerie Carlson, on the wrong (and right) way to use AI, her advice to B2B brands, and how human investment is the best investment.   Check out the full piece: https://lnkd.in/gYQvb9mz

We're psyched to see our own Valerie Carlson stepping in as Vice President of the creative jury for The Drum B2B Awards this year! 🎉 Val will be on the lookout for work that’s bold, strategic, and genuinely moves culture. Excited to see what catches her eye! 

It's that time of year again: the summer Intern edition of CM Pulse is out now! Which means you're getting insights from the CMers who are living right in the middle of what’s trending—the rise of hobby tracking apps, romance going mainstream, brands going rogue with guerilla marketing, and more.  If you're trying to stay ahead of how culture's actually shifting, this is an essential read. 

Joshua Brain Jaffe just got nominated for #CampaignUS40Over40, and we’re over the moon! 🚀   Joshua is the kind of leader who keeps CM at the top of our game. He drives our prototyping culture and has helped reshape our creative technology practice. Plus, he launched the CM Vibe Code Club that's training our teams and giving CMers the skills they need to innovate.   He's the backbone, the one behind the scenes making the magic happen, all while being unapologetically himself. We're beyond proud and grateful to have him as part of the CM family! Congratulations Joshua! 🎉

There’s nothing like going to Cannes for the first time, especially when you’re a Young Lions winner like our own Meagan Enriquez! Take a peek behind the scenes to learn more about her experience there: "If you would have told me a year ago that I’d be at Cannes representing Canada as a Young Lion, I wouldn’t believe you! I had the opportunity to attend the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity this year and it was UNREAL. Aside from all the excitement on the Croissette, the 48 hour Young Lions Film competition, and the inspiring work in The Basement, what I will forever carry with me are the connections and new friends I made along the way. The incredible work I saw from my fellow Young Lions in Canada and around the world showed me that this generation of creatives are going to challenge the status quo, inspire change, and are ultimately going to be just fine! I left feeling humbled, inspired, and ready to sink my teeth into the next brief. 🦁"

2026 Stampede breakfast in the books! 🥞   Pancakes were stacked, hearts were made full, and our Chief Cuteness Officer, Allen, stole the spotlight... as is tradition!   Moments like this remind us of our roots and what we're built on. That CM is a place where culture and connections are real. And that you should always bring Alpaca energy! 🦙

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity just wrapped and we're still riding the high! 🦁 We spent some time at the Omnicom space connecting with colleagues and clients, learning about cutting-edge innovations, and enduring the Cannes heatwave (worth every sweaty moment).    Valerie Carlson shared her insights at Luma House alongside CMOs, CEOs, and more to discuss “The Rise of the (New) Creative Technologist.” Our Adobe clients had an incredible presence at Cannes, including the Disney x Adobe experience where Perry Cottrell and Jen Dorman got to hang out with some very interactive droids 🤖 Big shoutout to Meagan Enriquez, who was a winner of the 2026 Canadian Young Lions Competition in Film! Seeing her earn her place at Cannes as a Young Lions winner was a proud moment for our CM family 👏🎉 This year, it felt like the best moments at Cannes weren’t on the schedule. Running into colleagues while walking the work. Conversations between meetings. Hearing how CMOs, creators, technologists and agencies are wrestling with the same questions and working on solutions together. Getting to be with our clients and partners in that kind of inspirational setting is what it’s really about! Excited to share more soon! ✨

Innovation alert: Critical Mass TechFest 2026 ⚡️ What started as a spark in our Costa Rica office in 2024 has grown into a global, week-long festival that creates spaces for innovation, experimentation, and community at Critical Mass. This year, our Colombia, Costa Rica, and London offices hosted TechFest activations, culminating in a global hackathon with CM participants from around the world. Session topics included unconventional automation with AI, gamification in brand experiences, systems thinking applied to creativity, and the future of QA. The range was wild, and the energy was high. Shoutout to the incredible teams, speakers, and collaborators who showed up ready to experiment and learn together. The future's moving fast, and we're right there with it!