Six years after launching as a small, independent-minded creative shop, Lifelong Crush has entered a new chapter. In July 2026, the Toronto agency was integrated into sister company Broken Heart Love Affair as Lifelong Crush Studios, bringing its production capabilities closer to BHLA's creative operations.

But before that transition, Lifelong Crush earned one final distinction under its original structure: Silver in Small Agency of the Year.

Founded in 2020 under the same ownership as BHLA, Lifelong Crush initially had a distinct mandate to develop, produce and execute campaigns. Over time, it evolved into a multidisciplinary agency capable of taking ideas from brief through production, with a team working across creative, strategy, directing, photography and emerging technology.

CCOs Christina Yu and Derek Blais believe that versatility gave Lifelong Crush an advantage. By keeping teams small and reducing handoffs, the agency could move quickly while taking on increasingly ambitious assignments.

“Three years ago, we were still proving ourselves and now we’re not afraid to punch above our weight class as a small agency, as our team and production capabilities have gotten significantly stronger,” says Blais.

That confidence was reflected in campaigns that found opportunities beyond conventional advertising. Kicking Horse Coffee's “Canadiano” tapped into rising Canadian patriotism during trade tensions with the US, encouraging cafés to rename Americanos and generating 1.8B impressions and an 87% increase in direct-to-consumer sales. M&M Food Market's “Homemade-ish” celebrated the small touches that make frozen meals feel personal, delivering a 1,567% return on ad spend. And HomeEquity Bank's “If These Walls Could Talk” shifted attention from property values to the memories that make homes meaningful, generating more than 16M social impressions.

Beyond individual campaigns, Yu and Blais have emphasized the importance of building lasting brands rather than chasing short-term results. Getting involved earlier in client planning also allowed the agency to develop more ambitious ideas while keeping budgets and execution aligned.

That philosophy will carry forward under the Lifelong Crush Studios name. Although the structure has changed, Blais believes the advantages of staying small remain.

“The ambition to continue to grow is definitely there, but the prize isn’t about becoming a giant agency,” explains Blais. “That’s just inviting bureaucracy. There’s a real magic when you stay small, and for us that means winning more clients and getting bigger opportunities.”