In 2025, Strut Creative turns 25. That’s 25 years of stories, ideas, risks, reinventions, creative breakthroughs, and one hell of a ride. We thought this was the perfect time to take a look back—not just at the work we’ve created together, but the people, places, and moments that made Strut what it is today.
The origin story (aka: humble beginnings in a spare bedroom)
Strut began in the simplest of places—a spare bedroom in Nat’s apartment. That PowerMac she used? It’s practically legendary now. From that first makeshift office, we soon moved into a space shared with the Calgary International Film Festival, above Café Beano on 17th Avenue. The creative energy was high, the coffee was free-flowing—and the work spoke for itself.
Many of us came from the same art school—Alberta College of Art—here in Calgary. Nat, Russ, Chelsea, and I all went through those halls at different times, and plenty of other Strutters came from the same place. They eventually added “Design” to the name, and more recently it’s become a university, but it’s always been known as a place of creative problem solving.
We started scrappy. But even back then, it was clear—we were onto something.
The early years: parties, pixels, and purpose
In those early days, Strut grew fast. Within five years, we merged with a company called Space Relations, led by the charismatic and party-savvy Archie Louis. We kept the name Strut for the combined venture, and moved into their office space, an old Victorian house in Sunalta, where desks filled every room and had to be pushed aside for our now-legendary parties.
After Archie’s departure, we kept his wild spirit and corporate culture alive, and kept pushing for bigger and bolder projects. Wilson Wong, one of our early team members (and designer of our logo that still stands strong today), probably put it best: “We worked hard and played even harder.”
Growing into our own
Eventually, the old house couldn’t contain us. We moved to a new space in Inglewood—and quickly outgrew that too. So we cut through a wall, literally, and made room for more ideas, more people, and more magic.
Strut became more than just a creative studio. We discovered our secret sauce was in combining communications with technology, finding that sweet spot where storytelling and strategy intersect.
We had an opportunity to move back into our original neighbourhood, and built out a dream space on 17th Avenue, a perfect mix of collaboration hub, workshop, and clubhouse. And we kept dreaming. We tackled everything from brand building to campaigns, and from digital platforms to national public engagement programs.
Projects that made an impact
We’ve been lucky to work on projects that matter—to our clients, to our communities, and to us.
From branding The Road Hammers and working on their reality show on Country Music Television, to producing Canada’s first-ever Sustainable Development report for Shell, we’ve been telling stories across platforms and across decades.
We helped rebrand the Razer network for Bell Media with a wild visual identity package that beat out Disney and CNN for gold at the ProMax awards in New York. And yes, we even rebuilt their famous Pegacorn mascot into a bloodier, “mech” version for their Kamikaze anime programming block. (You had to be there.)
We built the world’s first real-time, community-powered child search platform for the Missing Children Society of Canada. We created a digital platform to help Suncor employees navigate their vast transportation system—the largest private transit network in the country. And we helped Shell launch an award-winning retail loyalty program that donated $7 million to fund important environmental projects by more than 250 charities.
From the Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada—a Canada 150 project—to Canadian Geographic’s Live Net Zero initiative, to energy education programs and science centre capital campaigns—our work has always balanced creativity, strategy, and heart.
Reflections from Strutters past
Over the years, we’ve had the pleasure of working with so many incredible humans. And the best part? They still remember Strut as a place that made an impact on them, too.
“Without knowing any different, I learned quickly about the strength in collaboration, putting people before profits and creating safe spaces for creativity to thrive.”
– Karen Pearce, former Strutter, now GM at Rethink Vancouver
“I developed skills that made me a better strategist and a better person. I made lifelong friends. And I loved coming to work every day.”
– Michelle Caplan, former Strutter, Communications Strategist
“Strut is the best place I have ever worked… I learned so many things while working and collaborating on amazing projects with ridiculously talented people.”
– Danielle Erickson, former Strutter, freelance Illustrator
A pandemic pivot, and a new chapter
When COVID hit, we were ready. Thanks to solid infrastructure (big shoutout to Dave and Nat), we didn’t miss a beat. We’ve since gone fully remote, and continuing to evolve how we work, connect, and collaborate.
Our mission has always been to help clients build meaningful relationships with their audiences. Whether through brand, campaigns, or digital experiences, we help organizations reach and rally their stakeholders, and help them to inspire, teach, and move people to action.
We may not always know what label to put on ourselves—advertising agency? digital studio? design firm? communications partner?—but we know what drives us: passion, curiosity, and purpose.
Still strutting
So here we are. 25 years in, and still just getting started.
We’re still tackling tough challenges. Still creating work that makes a difference. Still combining design, marketing, and technology in new ways. Still having fun while doing it. And most importantly, we’re still the same purpose-driven problem-solving team—just with a few more wrinkles, a few more awards, and a lot more stories to tell.
To everyone who’s been a part of this journey—thank you. Here’s to the next 25.
