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john st.

@thegramsofjohn

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We're a creative agency committed to making our clients' brands unignorable™.

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25 years of making brands unignorable (but who’s counting…)

To every client, partner, and john st.-er (past and present) who took this wild ride with us: thank you. Here’s to the next 25. 💛

2001 - Opened on John Street, so naturally…
2002 - Got crafty and hand-glued actual Scott Towels into magazines.
2003 - Wrote our Bible, “The Book of john”...it’s a good read.
2007/08 - Hit a massive growth spurt & landed The Hudson’s Bay, Mitsubishi, Suzuki, and Tetley.
2009 - Proved smaller, elegant brands like Manzer instruments could make a massive noise.
2010 - Sent a survivor hitchhiking in Stanfield’s briefs across Canada for charity. Raised $100k.
2011 - Made a mockumentary (not the last). The internet loved it.
2013 - Won Agency of the Year and was acquired by WPP. Became the “indie agency” inside the world’s biggest network.
2016 - Won Home Hardware & launched “Here’s How”.
2017 - Launched Carly Fleischmann’s talk show “Speechless”.
2019 - Made discount grocery shopping iconic with No Frills Haulers.
2021 - We forgot how to patio, so Boston Pizza retrained Canada.
2021 - Leveraged No Name’s literal tone to win a Gold Effie.
2022 - Entered the Allison Ballantyne & Krystle Mullin leadership era.
2023 - Welcomed Sunwing, Fit For Less, Entain, and Goodfood.
2025 - Celebrated the Blue Jays’ in “The Home Team”.
2026 - Hijacked Daylight Savings to take a stand against gender equity in sports. #The23HourPlay taken in Toronto, Canada by @thegramsofjohn

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3 months ago

A massive congrats to our CEO, Allison Balantyne, on her spot on the 2026 @cdnmarketing Awards Multi-Disciplinary jury!

Sorting through Canada’s absolute best work takes sharp strategic eyes and a lot of coffee, both of which Ally has in spades.

Good luck to everyone entering this year!

#CMAAwards #TorontoAdvertising #BusinessLeadership #AdLife by @thegramsofjohn

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3 months ago

We are incredibly proud and honoured to be shortlisted for the Moments Cut @geretyawards for the PWHL’s “23 Hour Play” campaign. Congratulations to the entire team! by @thegramsofjohn

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4 months ago

Confidence looks good on us ✨

Last night gave us inspiring conversations, real connection, and plenty of moments worth remembering.

Thank you to everyone who joined us and made it so special.

#YourVoiceYourConfidence #Confidence #Community #CreativeLeadership #johnst taken in Saints Editorial by @thegramsofjohn

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6 months ago

Sold out 💛

‘Your Voice, Your Confidence’ is almost here and we couldn’t be more excited to bring together some of Canada’s top creatives: Nellie Kim, Christina Yu, Shauna Roe, and Sucheta Shankar.

Couldn’t snag a spot? Follow john st. on Eventbrite for future events.

#CreativeLeadership #WomenInAdvertising #TorontoCreative #johnst by @thegramsofjohn

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6 months ago

We tried to play it cool. We couldn’t.

We’re incredibly proud to share that our very own CCO, Krystle Mullin, has been selected as a member of the 2026 @cannes_lions Jury for Industry Craft, joining a lineup of some of the sharpest creative minds from around the world.

Congratulations, Krystle. We’ll try not to bother you with messages while you’re judging the world’s best work. No promises.

#CannesLions2026 #IndustryCraft #johnst #CreativeLeadership #CreativeExcellence by @thegramsofjohn

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6 months ago

Join us in Toronto for ‘Your Voice, Your Confidence’ a speaker series inspired by Cannes Lions See It Be It program. The event will unpack the intersection of confidence and authenticity with some of Canada’s top creative minds.

From independent shops to global networks, we’re hosting a raw conversation on what it actually takes to lead and inspire world-class creativity today with confidence.

Featuring:
🎤 Keynote speaker: Nellie Kim (ChangeMakers)
🎤 Panelists: Christina Yu (Lifelong Crush), Shauna Roe (Burson), & Sucheta Shankar (VML)

And hosted by our very own, @krystlemullin , john st.

Special thanks to our co-sponsor @saintseditorial

Tap the link in our bio to grab your spot. 🎟️

#CannesLions #SeeItBeIt #TorontoCreatives #WomenInCreativity #Authenticity CreativeDirection by @thegramsofjohn

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7 months ago

Bring it Home.

@homehardware x @bluejays by @thegramsofjohn

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a year ago

No need to knock on wood — we’re D&AD winners! Last night, our stutter.ca campaign took home the Wood Pencil in the Press & Outdoor category. Congratulations to the entire team, and our amazing clients @csastuttering. ✏️ by @thegramsofjohn

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a year ago

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2 years ago

Last week, we hosted students from Humber’s Art and Copy program for a portfolio review! They were hungry for feedback… and even hungrier for all our snacks. We saw some truly great work and can’t wait to see all these creatives take their next step into the industry. by @thegramsofjohn

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2 years ago

Passion, patience, and proving people wrong. Take a listen to our fearless creative leader chat about her career journey and what it means to create unignorable work on the @theadcc Created podcast. Link in bio. by @thegramsofjohn

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2 years ago