This quarter, Mile Marker leaders engaged in conversations and celebrations that reinforced the importance of agency culture—how we connect, collaborate, and lead within an evolving industry. From Toronto to New York, our team was at the forefront of events that spotlight creativity, innovation, and the people who make this business thrive.
Ad Age Small Agency Conference & Awards | Toronto, July 22–23
In July, our leadership team joined peers from across North America at Ad Age’s Small Agency Conference & Awards. The two-day event was designed for independent shops with fewer than 150 employees and focused on building sustainable businesses, creating effective client work, and cultivating rewarding workplaces.
While CEO Scott Shamberg and CAO Anthony Costanzo attended the awards ceremony, CMO Shattuck Groome experienced the full conference.
Shattuck’s Takeaways: Community as Culture
For Shattuck, the standout lesson was how agency culture is sustained through shared resilience. Across two days of workshops and conversations, one message was clear: small agencies are proving that creativity isn’t just a differentiator—it’s a force for growth, even in challenging times.
He noted three key themes:
Creativity as Courage – Taking bold swings in media and messaging remains essential to cutting through noise and driving results.
Community Over Competition – Independent agencies succeed when they lean into collaboration, not isolation, forming a broader ecosystem of support.
Culture as a Catalyst – The health of an agency’s internal culture directly shapes the work it delivers and the results it achieves for clients.
Shattuck came away reminded that culture is both a foundation and a future-forward strategy—a way to sustain momentum in an unpredictable landscape.
Celebrating Culture Through Recognition
The conference closed with the Small Agency Awards, where Mile Marker proudly celebrated Wilton Bealle, Senior Vice President of Client Solutions, being named Ad Age’s 2025 Media Planner of the Year.
In her acceptance speech, Wilton reflected:
“I chose media and I cose an independent agency, and I am so happy I did… I really want to thank my team Shattuck and Anthony… Thank you Scott as you are leading us into this next chapter with Mile Marker. And thank you to all of my teammates who I work with every single day. I could not do it without you.”
Her recognition is not only a personal milestone but also a reflection of the agency culture we’re building at Mile Marker—one that fosters fearless thinking, collaboration, and pride in the craft.
BrightTower Future Forward Executive Conference 2025 | New York City
CEO Scott Shamberg represented Mile Marker at the BrightTower Future Forward Executive Conference, an event dedicated to shaping the future of B2B marketing, data, and technology.
Hosted by New York-based investment bank BrightTower, the event convened executives across finance, commerce, and technology to explore the forces transforming industries. Key discussions focused on innovation in data, e-commerce, and marketing strategy.
Scott’s participation reinforced Mile Marker’s commitment to not only adapting to change but helping to shape it—ensuring that our agency culture remains future-forward, resilient, and ready to guide clients through complexity.
Looking Ahead
From Shattuck’s reflections on creativity, community, and resilience, to Wilton’s award-winning recognition, to Scott’s executive insights at BrightTower, Q3 underscored how agency culture drives both our internal strength and our external impact.
At Mile Marker, culture isn’t a buzzword—it’s the foundation of how we navigate the complex, support our people, and deliver fearless media that helps brands grow.
Here’s to the culture we build, the community we share, and the milestones that remind us why creativity still matters.
