2026 Winner

The rise of true crime content has turned real-life violence, particularly against women,
into entertainment, contributing to public desensitization despite the ongoing reality of
gender-based violence in Canada. To disrupt passive consumption and drive advocacy,
“Too True Crime” reframed the genre itself as a tool for awareness and legislative
pressure. Launched on Spotify and Apple Podcasts with more than 600 episodes
released simultaneously (one for every woman killed by gender-based violence in
Canada since 2020), each one told factually and without sensationalism. Episodes were
recorded by a network of volunteers, including activists, survivors, families and public
figures, and were promoted directly to true crime listeners through targeted audio
placements. The podcast continues to update in real time, generating more than 5M
impressions and contributing to the introduction of Bill C-16, which formally defines
femicide in Canadian law and strengthens penalties for gender-based violence.

Credits

Chief Creative Officer: Aaron Starkman
Chief Strategy Officer: Sean McDonald
Chief Operations Officer: Caleb Goodman
Executive Creative Director: Leia Rogers, Morgan Tierney
Creative Director: Eric Seymour
Associate Creative Director: Thom Peters
Art Director: Ashley Visvanathan, Eric Seymour
Junior Art Director: Matt Funk
Copywriter: Thom Peters, Sophia Storti, Angus Merry, Brendan Banks
ECD, Design: Hans Thiessen
Associate Creative Director, Design: Justin Kowalczuk
Associate Creative Director, Digital: Alex Fleming
Digital Designer: Dustin Gamble
Senior Motion Graphics: Ignacio Florez Zelaya
Head of Production: Laura Rioux
Director of Broadcast Production: DW Fraser-Winsby
Associate Director of Digital Production: Kyle Hicks
Senior Integrated Producer: Terri Winter
Broadcast Producer: Paula Gill
Integrated Producer: Jessica Yoshimura
Head of Public Relations: Meredith Burns
PR Account Director: Chenda McKissick
PR Manager: Anne Marie Scanlon
PR Specialist: Tara Lush Benson
PR Coordinator: Ricardo Felix
Group Account Director: Kennedy Crawford
Account Director: Tianna Fung
Account Manager: Mika Labreque
Account Management Intern: Dawson Yates
French Adaptation:
Directrice de création: Karine Doucet, Geneviève Jannelle
Traductrice-réviseure: Marie-Hélène Lessard
Concepteur-rédacteur: Nicolas Doyon
Audio Production House: Wave Productions Ltd
Managing Partner: Megan Hughes
Creative Partner: Craig Warrian, Craig Zarazun, David Gaudet
Production Coordinator: Avery Reid
Audio Engineer: Cooper Garnett
Music: Wave Productions Ltd
Charitable Partner:
Founder, Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice & Accountability: Dr. Myrna Dawson
Director of Research and Communications, Provincial Association of Transition Houses and Services of Saskatchewan: Dr. Crystal Giesbrecht
Executive Director, Battered Women’s Support Services: Angela Marie MacDougall
Research Coordinator, Centre for the Study of Social and Legal Responses to Violence: Angelika Zecha