Speed and efficiency: M&H brought the entire “This is Seneca Polytechnic” campaign together in a month.

Agencies and brands often turn to Montreal- and Toronto-based M&H for its speed and efficiency – but what keeps them coming back, explains VP of growth Dave Nourse, is the dependability. “It’s the quality of our production that has truly kept us in business for over 50 years,” he says. 

While many firms focus purely on execution, M&H handles what Nourse calls “mission-critical stuff” – the kind of production work that can be pivotal to an agency’s relevance and trajectory.” For more than five decades, the studio has built its reputation not by chasing flash, but by delivering high-volume, high-quality content that supports the creative without ever overshadowing it.

When it comes to creative production work, says Nourse, it pays to focus on doing that one thing, and doing it well. “It’s not to say agencies don’t or can’t do studio work well,” he says, “but they can’t always do everything well,” or at least to the level Nourse says is (or at least should be) required for every campaign. “Our partners typically say they’d rather trust somebody who is an expert, and sleep better knowing we have it all under control,” he explains.

As an indie creative production studio, M&H inserts itself seamlessly into the client content stream. It can develop, format and localize content for specific audiences in virtually any media – including social, digital, video, OOH, print and packaging – whether it’s for a campaign, brand launch or refresh. 

When it comes to creative production, the goal is for the creative – the brand message, the promise – to stand on its own. “We ensure audiences get the message and feel the impact of the execution, rather than focusing on how it was all put together,” Nourse says. “Good creative production is just like good design… you notice when something’s wrong, and you don’t (or shouldn’t) notice it when it works.” If they start paying attention to the details of the execution, instead of the message, that takes away from the campaign. 

He says their objective is to be in the background to ensure the campaign delivers on its full potential, with the creative agency ultimately getting the credit for the concept. “We aren’t in it to win the Oscar for Best Picture,” Nourse explains. “But we will take Best Production.” That said, M&H can and has delivered it all, but that’s not why they are the ideal partner. “It’s about the fundamentals,” Nourse emphasises. “It’s the work and process, delivered with an efficiency that’s second to none.” 

He highlights the “This is Seneca Polytechnic” campaign M&H worked on via the client’s agency, UltraLight Creative. Launched in January 2025, the work spanned television, digital/online and OOH. The goal for M&H was more than just bringing the campaign to life. Yes, ensuring a wide range of assets were seamlessly integrated across multiple activations was pivotal, but M&H’s expertise and experience also brought streamlined systems and efficiencies to the table, reducing unnecessary revisions and improving the approval process – in fact, the entire campaign was able to come together in a month.

“We bring solutions to the table, not problems,” Nourse says. And how does M&H typically earn a seat at the table? In many cases, it comes down to capability and capacity – but not just in terms of bandwidth. Agencies often bring in M&H when they’re scaling quickly, taking on new business or expanding into areas like creative production where deep expertise is essential. 

With banners, wall signage and double-sided flags, M&H helped transform a New York City theatre for a production of “Death Becomes Her.”

Whether it’s supporting a growing client portfolio or complementing in-house capabilities, M&H integrates seamlessly, bringing both experience and efficiency to the table.With campaigns like Seneca, Nourse adds, M&H isn’t just brought in for execution, although that’s a big part of what they do and what they’re known for. Increasingly, they’re also being sought out as reliable production experts within the OOH space. “These projects had tight timelines and unique specs that required deep knowledge of production best practices and fast, seamless delivery. Clients count on us because we understand the OOH space, from visual best practices to troubleshooting site-specific challenges, and we know how to bring creative ideas to life without compromising on quality or speed.” That reliability and hands-on expertise is why agencies see M&H as more than just vendors. 

That said, whether it’s agency or client-side partnerships, Nourse says one of M&H’s core competencies is being able to identify what works and what doesn’t for the campaign at hand. “Whether it’s creating net new assets, or adapting, translating or re-using existing work, we are experts in it all.”

Really, at the heart of M&H’s approach is a simple but effective model. “We use marketing tech to drive production efficiently while keeping creative control squarely in the hands of the lead agency,” says Nourse. That balance has made M&H a trusted partner to some of the world’s most creative agencies, helping bring big ideas to life without overstepping. 

“We know our role and play it well,” he adds. “It’s about being humble and giving the creative room to breathe.” But simple doesn’t mean easy. “It is a true partnership, dealing with mission-critical elements of a campaign that can be pivotal to an agency’s reputation, so it is critical to ensure timelines and quality standards across every component are adhered to.” 

That’s what working with M&H means.

CONTACT:
Dave Nourse
Vice-President Growth
dnourse@mh.ca

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