HumanContact

What HumanContact does

HumanContact is a privately held, full-service creative agency headquartered in Toronto, Canada, with a secondary office in Ottawa. Founded in 2005, the firm delivers an integrated suite of capabilities including brand strategy, creative development, commercial production, food photography, animation, web and app development, motion graphics, out-of-home and digital advertising, and end-to-end event production including AV and staging. Its client base consists predominantly of large Canadian enterprise corporations across pharmaceutical (Novo Nordisk, Lilly Canada, Roche, AstraZeneca Canada), retail and grocery (Shoppers Drug Mart, Loblaw Companies Limited), food and beverage (Gay Lea Foods, Arla Foods Canada, Nestle Purina Petcare Canada), financial services (CFA Society Toronto), consumer goods (Kruger Products), and automotive (Canadian International AutoShow) sectors. The agency's most notable proprietary product is the AutoShow+ mobile application, built and managed in-house for the Canadian International AutoShow to deliver year-round video content and engagement features.

The firm operates on a project-based professional services revenue model, with multi-year contracts and Agency of Record engagements (e.g., Kruger Pro) that provide recurring revenue. Services are quoted individually per scope of work rather than via published pricing, and the agency relies on direct enterprise sales motion supported by case-study-driven content marketing, LinkedIn and Instagram presence, and industry event participation such as the Canadian Meetings + Events Expo. HumanContact maintains a 35+ person in-house team that spans executives (President Gareth Musico, CSO Todd Shannon, CCO Randall Graham), VPs, directors, creative staff, developers, and account management, enabling the agency to execute complex integrated campaigns and large-scale events (including a 3,000-attendee supplier summit) without external vendor dependencies. The agency has introduced AI-powered photo and video booths and real-time visual platforms (TouchDesigner, Blender, Unreal Engine) for immersive event experiences, signaling a technology-led extension of its experiential service offering.

Name

HumanContact

Legal name

HUMANCONTACT Inc.

Website

https://humancontact.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

HumanContact is a Toronto-based full-service creative agency serving large Canadian enterprise clients across pharmaceutical, retail, food and beverage, and financial services with integrated strategy, production, digital, and event management services delivered by an in-house team.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Creative Agency Services

NAICS

Indoor and Outdoor Display Advertising (541850), Graphic Design Services (54143), Motion Picture and Video Production (51211)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Activation/Experiential Creative Agencies (MPAAAAAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Experiential Digital & Hybrid Events (Virtual Platforms, Livestream) (BPAFAGAI), Trade Show & Exhibition Marketing (Booth Design/Build) (MPAAAGAC), Staging, Scenic & Set Fabrication (Stages, Backdrops, Scenic Builds) (THAHAEAC), Experiential OOH & Ambient Media (Guerilla, Pop-Ups) (MPAAAKAH)

Keywords

• Creative agency services
• Brand strategy development
• Commercial video production
• Corporate event management
• Digital advertising production

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Creative Agency Services: Professional services revenue from full-service creative agency including strategy & creative, commercial production, branding, animation, web development, motion graphics, and event production. Revenue is project-based and recurring through ongoing client relationships as Agency of Record for clients like Kruger Pro.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

HumanContact is a full-service creative agency that delivers integrated strategy, creative, and production services for enterprise clients. Offerings include branding, animation, commercial production, photography, food styling, OOH and digital ad production, web and app development, video production, motion graphics, and event management with AV and staging. The agency also produces proprietary digital products, most notably the AutoShow+ mobile app for the Canadian International AutoShow.

Product overview

HumanContact is a full-service creative agency offering an unrivalled breadth of capabilities including strategy & creative, branding, animation, commercial production, photography, food styling, OOH & digital ad production, web development, app development, video production, motion graphic design, event management, and AV & staging production. The agency's primary offering is service-based creative work, with AutoShow+ being their notable proprietary product—a companion mobile application for the Canadian International AutoShow that provides year-round access to exclusive video content, contests, and prizing. Services are delivered through collaborative teams across their Toronto and Ottawa offices.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• AutoShow+: Mobile app developed by HUMANCONTACT for the Canadian International AutoShow, allowing attendees to explore exclusive video content and engage with features year-round

Products and services

• Strategy and Creative Services Full-service strategy and creative development for enterprise clients, including brand strategy, campaign planning, concept development, and creative direction for advertising, branding, and event initiatives.
• Commercial Production and Photography End-to-end commercial video production, food photography, food styling, and post-production services for advertising campaigns and branded content.
• Branding and Identity Brand strategy, visual identity development, brand guidelines, sub-brand creation, and rebranding support for enterprise clients.
• Digital Advertising and Web Production Production of OOH, DOOH, digital, and print advertising assets, plus web development and digital campaign execution for enterprise brands.
• Event Management and AV Staging Production Full-service corporate event management including theme creation, venue management, staging, AV production, lighting, d\u00e9cor, entertainment, and presenter support for conferences, summits, and product launches.
• AutoShow+ Mobile App A mobile application built and managed by HumanContact for the Canadian International AutoShow, offering attendees year-round access to exclusive video content, contests, prizing, and engagement features.

Quantifiable outcome

• Tens of millions of impressions generated for Gay Lea Foods Nordica campaign through two-year media buy
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature3 records

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• TAXI (TAXI Advertising): Canadian full-service creative agency known for brand strategy and integrated campaigns across CPG, retail, and financial services. Directly comparable to HumanContact as a Toronto-based independent serving enterprise clients with similar service breadth.
• Zulu Alpha Kilo: Toronto-based independent creative agency offering brand strategy, advertising, design, and content production. Comparable in scale, geography, and full-service creative positioning, with similar mid-sized enterprise client mix.
• lg2: Quebec-based independent creative agency with offices across Canada offering brand strategy, advertising, and digital production. Directly comparable as a Canadian full-service independent with similar enterprise client roster and integrated offering.
• Bensimon Byrne: Toronto-based independent creative agency specializing in brand strategy, advertising, and content for Canadian enterprise clients. Closely comparable in size, independent positioning, and enterprise client orientation.
• john st. Toronto-based independent advertising agency known for brand strategy and creative campaigns. Comparable as a similarly sized Canadian independent competing for enterprise brand work in retail, CPG, and financial services.
• Bruce Mau Design: Toronto-based design and branding studio offering brand strategy, visual identity, and experiential design. Comparable on the design and branding dimension of HumanContact's offering, with similar enterprise client focus.

Broad incumbents

• Cossette: One of Canada's largest marketing communications networks offering advertising, digital, media, and design services. Comparable service breadth but at significantly greater scale, representing the scaled incumbent that HumanContact competes against for enterprise RFPs.
• Dentsu Canada: Canadian arm of global holding company Dentsu, offering integrated creative, media, and digital services. Represents scaled competition for enterprise mandates that HumanContact pursues, particularly in pharma and retail verticals.
• McCann Canada: Canadian operations of McCann Worldgroup, a global advertising network. Directly overlaps with HumanContact in pharma and CPG campaign work at the enterprise end, but with substantially greater scale and global resources.

Regional players

• Eidolon Communications: Specialized pharmaceutical and healthcare marketing agency. Comparable to HumanContact's pharma vertical work (Novo Nordisk, Lilly, Roche, AstraZeneca) but with deeper specialization in the regulated healthcare category.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInca.linkedin.com/company/humancontact
• Instagraminstagram.com/humancontactinc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about HumanContact