We’re hyped to announce that Column Five just won the 2025 Breakthrough Culture Award from the Maya Awards.
It feels good to be celebrated, but it feels even better to know we’ve built something worth being celebrated.
Over the last 15 years, we’ve done our best to put people first. Our goal is to create a culture of belonging where people feel safe to show up as themselves, encouraged to explore their creativity, and inspired to do work they’re proud of.
Of course, it’s easy to say that. But bringing that vision to life takes many different forms.
It’s being a distributed team so that we can bring the best people in, no matter where they live.
It’s overhauling our hiring practices to eliminate bias.
It’s designing flexible systems that let people work the way they want.
It’s sharing company financials with our entire team each month.
It’s constantly evolving our benefits and policies around what people actually need, not what sounds good on paper.
And none of this happened overnight. We’ve made mistakes, heard tough feedback, and taken a hard look at our blind spots because we know that, at the end of the day, our agency’s longevity and success depend on our people.
So this recognition isn’t just for our company. It’s for every team member who’s contributed to building and protecting this culture. It’s about the partners who’ve helped us get here (shout out to LifeLabs Learning, Jonathan Raymond, and Better Company). And it’s proof that you can run a successful agency without sacrificing the well-being of your people.
Most importantly, to everyone who’s been part of the Column Five story, both past and present, thanks for helping shape our culture.
