All In, Always: Inside TLC’s Record-Breaking 2025 and Its Vision for 2026
In a year that has cemented their place among Canada’s most respected creative agencies, The Local Collective (TLC) has proven that “small” can indeed be mighty.
Fresh off winning Silver Small Agency of the Year and Campaign of the Year for their emotionally-driven work with Safehaven, the independent Toronto shop is redefining what success looks like in a competitive landscape.
Speaking with founders Kaitlin Doherty and Matt Litzinger, LBB’s April Summers learns that TLC’s secret isn’t scale or headcount, but about being ‘All In’. This is the ethos that drives every partnership, every pitch, and every campaign: no B teams, no bureaucracy, just complete commitment to their clients’ business and creative goals.
The agency’s focus on purpose-led, meticulous work has not only delivered industry recognition but also laid a foundation for 2026. And as Kaitlin and Matt explain in this conversation, the plan is to continue raising the bar, exploring bold ideas, and collaborating with new partners to make more work that resonates deeply with audiences.
LBB> Let’s start by discussing your ‘All In’ philosophy — how does this approach show up in your creative process, from pitching to production?
Kaitlin> 'All In' is truly baked into the culture at TLC. Matt and I lead this way, we don’t expect our teams to be the ones who fulfill promises we make in pitch rooms. We are in it with them, because we love the work. We love that we can closely mentor our team and we love making the work. And I think that’s really important. It seeps into how our team approaches work. They get deeply invested in each campaign and the success of our clients business, they get excited about collaborating together.
Matt> Our interpretation of that term is really evident in our people. Our band of humans are a ‘mixed bag’ of personalities and perspectives, but one quality they all share is entrepreneurial spirit. They love to dive into whatever problem they are challenged with solving. And that permeates through every role in the agency and throughout the full process: from brief to production to the end of the media cycle.
LBB> How does being independent enable you to live that ‘All In’ mindset?
Matt> It grants us the freedom to say "yes". In our careers, both of us have experienced situations where what gets decided or created is not based solely on what is the right thing to do but, instead, about what makes sense from a macro level involving multiple factors that benefit the 'greater whole' that an agency is a part of. We hate that. Being 'All In' for us means being able to say “yes” when it makes sense for our clients' business. Always.
Kaitlin> Exactly. Being independent means our focus can be purely focused on our clients business and the creative. We’re not tied up in complex networks, shared P&Ls, or a web of services. We’re laser-focused on our clients’ goals and making the best work that beats every KPI.
We also have the freedom to shape the process for each partnership. That might sound small, but it’s not. Every client needs something slightly different to get to great work, and that flexibility lets us truly be a partner. That focus and freedom fuels our entire agency and makes us approach each campaign with an ‘All In’ mentality — and it shows in the work.
LBB> You’ve said that small doesn’t mean less, in fact, it can mean more. Can you unpack that idea?
Kaitlin> Oh, I think small is a total superpower. I have never been in a meeting with 10+ people and thought “well that felt super productive”. And when it comes to the work, if you have a $100 million media buy, thinking broadly can work, but if on the off chance your annual media spend is less than that, the creative needs to connect. I often tell clients a clear sign their creative is working is if it's beating media KPI’s. When you really tap into small, the business results are anything but.
Matt> We believe small is huge. The benefit of approaching things by focusing on small, thorough questions and creations allows us to provide great solutions. And we've found those executions seem to resonate on a much deeper level with consumers. Depending on the category or product the execution tone always varies, but its resonance is consistent. We find that by starting small.
LBB> Ok, so with that in mind, can you tell us how you measure success at TLC, beyond traditional growth metrics?
Matt> Well, we've never chased growth. It doesn't interest us the way it might at a different agency. Of course we love being successful, and continue to strive for great work and great results for our client partners, but our reputation and what we create drives us much more than our headcount.
Kaitlin> In the past year, TLC has not had a single campaign that underperformed its set KPI. Who cares about headcount? This is the success measure I want to talk about. We grow intentionally and hire meticulously. Our turnover is low, our people are happy, and we’re producing world-class work that drives real results for our clients. I don’t know a better definition of success than that.
LBB> TLC’s Safehaven campaign is a perfect example of meaningful, emotionally-driven work. How does partnership embody TLC’s philosophy?
Matt> We love collaboration because, for us, it’s not wording in a PowerPoint presentation. We’ve always believed that together with our client partners, we’re like a band recording music. Sometimes, you have great hits, sometimes you don’t, but if the band members are all vibing, it usually leads to great, soul filled work. We do a great job because we partner with the right ‘bandmates’.
Invisible, the latest campaign for Safehaven.
Kaitlin> When we started TLC, we wanted to build an agency that felt different. One that wasn’t limited by category, format, or medium. Creativity should never be limited by format, and neither should the agency that builds it. Safehaven is a great example of our approach, brought to life.
One in 100, part of the launch campaign for Safehaven winning Campaign of the Year.
Their story is nuanced, their work is vast, and our challenge was to help people truly connect with them and to see themselves as part of that story. In year one, we took a charity with zero awareness and built something powerful enough to beat every KPI and win Campaign of the Year in Canada. I can’t think of a better articulation of our philosophy in action.
Where Hope Lives, a boardgame created this year tackling complicated conversations around the medically complex.
LBB> So, what lessons from 2025 are guiding how you plan to build in 2026?
Kaitlin> The landscape is shifting fast, it always is. Our focus for 2026 is to stay obsessed with the work, with our clients’ business, and with learning. The work we do next year won’t look like this year’s because we raise the bar every time. That’s what keeps it exciting. It’s passion-fueled, it’s deliberate, and it works. One thing it’s not, is sheer luck.
Matt> We love the struggle of the process. We obsess over the development and continued improvement of ideas. Obsess. And hopefully that obsession leads to validation in the work, the results and the notoriety that follows. But, we don’t look at it that way (or at least I don’t). We believe that if you embrace the process of creativity, with the right people around the table. Greatness is ALWAYS the result.
LBB> And finally, what do your recent wins – Small Agency of the Year and Campaign of the Year – say about where TLC stands in the Canadian creative landscape today, and where you’re heading next?
Matt> It’s been great. Kaitlin and I love making our clients and their brands famous. We love creating work that leaves a lasting impression. Winning these two things is massive for us! That being said, it’s not up to us to continue to reflect on what was, more accurately, we focus on what’s next. We are standing shoulder to shoulder with all of the very best work that is being created in this country. So, I guess next year, our goal is to continue to maintain that standard and hopefully collaborate with some new ‘bandmates’ to make more great ‘music’ together.
Kaitlin> 2025 has been an incredible year. We’re proud to be producing some of the best work in Canada, surrounded by competitors who set the bar high, it pushes us to go further.
There’s a real energy in Canada right now. Yes, some are nervous, but that tension creates opportunity. It’s an exciting moment for bold brands and brave creativity and those who capitalise on this moment are going to see the dividends for the next decade as Canada grows. After seven years of building TLC, we’ve made some of the best work of our careers and happily we’re just getting started.
