December means year-end holiday parties at most companies. This year things had to be done a little differently so we decided to make the most out of it. We, therefore, hosted our first virtual award ceremony -The Tommies – with the goal of recognizing the incredible team at Major Tom and have a good laugh. From special guests performances to award presentations, this year’s virtual holiday party is a special one to remember. Although we cannot wait to celebrate with all our coworkers in real life, we wanted to share our top moments and the winners at The Tommies 2020.
Top moments of the 2020 Tommies Awards
Guest performer – The Comedy Magic of Rod Boss
We were lucky enough to invite the winner of the 2018 and 2019 Comedy Magician of the Year to The Tommies this year. Rod Boss has performed for thousands of audiences in Europe, Asia and across North America. He had us all laughing, engaged and entertained throughout the entire night with his card tricks.
![rod boss the magician](jpg/maxresdefault-310b8.jpg)
Rob was also kind enough to spin the Wheel of Fortune at different points of the night. Everyone had received a goody bag earlier in the week with a unique number for the chance to win three cash prizes. This definitely had people’s eyes glued to the screen.
![wheel of fortune](png/wheel%20of%20fortune5c06.png)
Ben Van Exan and his cat Butter’s musical performance
At Major Tom we love our cat content. So, without a doubt, Ben and Butter’s holiday party performance of them singing Silent Night is part of our top moments.
Happy holidays 2020: Zoom Dickies
Half way through our holiday award ceremony, we were introduced to pandemic personalities, zoom fatigue and Zoom Dickies. Now what’s a Zoom Dickie? We’ve all been there, but imagine hurriedly trying to button up a collared shirt in time for a surprise video call. Well, Scholar Collars is bringing you a quick fix to those last-minute client calls. A collared ‘business bib’ that fits in your desk drawer and slides underneath your sweater or t-shirt.
Created by our copywriter, Colleen Christison, these dickies started as a fun concept that we quickly jumped on board to support. See them in action and pick your pandemic personality in the below video!
They’re great, right?! Get yourself a free Zoom Dickie from our Tin Can online store – while stocks last!
Winners of the 2020 Tommies Awards
Our award categories were based on our agency’s core values and a list of nominees was put forward for voting. We asked all employees to cast their votes to determine the winners prior to The 1st Annual Tommies Awards ceremony. Although we know everyone is an all-star, there could only be one winner for each category. Now here are the winners of the 2020 Tommies Awards.
![tommie award](jpg/tommie%20awardcffc.jpg)
The humblest heart award
This person provides help and support. Always listens and learns and is one of the first to show appreciation for others.
- Winner: Mihn Nguyen – “He is such a kind soul and always puts others before himself.”
Professional growth award
This person has spent the last year learning new things, taking on challenging and demonstrated professional growth.
- Winner: Ben Van Exan – “He has progressed from being an amazing Web Account Manager to a killer sales rep.”
Owned the most impact award
This person hustles when they are busy. Does any tasks to the best of their ability and perseveres when faced with adversity
- Winner: Christine Downing – “She owns her impact in everything she does. Constantly improving every process and client engagement to be better every single time.”
Under 90-days all-star
This category was created for our employees who have worked under 90 days.
- Winners: Julia Zhang, Demi Adeleye, Zeynep Kucukerol – “All our nominees are winners in this category! Thank you for everything they have done in such a short period of time.”
Most adaptable attitude
This person is vulnerable when they need help, they lean in to change and take initiative to fix things for the better.
- Winner: Darren Maher – “He’s always happy to help others. Darren always shoots his thinking if there is a good rationale for it and always thinks about the why of things.”
Best performance by a student
Although all our students have done very amazing work this year, this award really recognizes someone who’s gone above and beyond to make the most out of their MT experience.
- Winner: Chloe Reynolds – “She’s owned her impact on client accounts. She’s crushed all her work like a pro and has honed all of her presentation skills.”
The calming presence award
- Winner: Kari Winfield – “The Queen of Calm.”
The plusest person
This person rises with challenges, meets negativity with positivity and leaves everything better than what they found them.
- Winner: April Yau – “There is no explanation needed.”
Most curious mind
The person with the most curious mind is always exploring what’s new, shows up to learn and is resourceful when they don’t have the knowledge they need.
- Winner: Linda DeRuiter – “She has been highly involved with the LPC project and has grown that account during Covid-19. Linda has also had insanely creative solutions with Lazy Gourmet.”
Most likely to lend a hand
The person who is most likely to lend a hand – this person is always one of the first people to raise their hand when a colleague needs help and makes life better for their colleagues.
- Winner: Sandy Cho – “Sandy seems to just truly love her work and as a result, this lightens the load for everyone on her team.”
Most likely baby to work at Major Tom
- Winner: Minh’s darling Francis
Best dad jokes
Major Tom’s 20th anniversary and the lifetime achievement award
![chris and john](png/chris%20and%20john4c92.png)
It was Major Tom’s 20th birthday in November! We celebrated this by giving out the Lifetime Achievement Award to Major Tom’s co-founders, John Blown and Chris Breikss. Without them Major Tom will not be here today. Join in the celebration fun by treating yourself to the specially created GIFs and a particularly good tune found in this our special post.
2020 has been a crazy year but it has reminded us to always be adaptable. Virtual holiday parties are definitely new to us so we’d love to know if you liked our ideas and if you had any others to share. Let us know by commenting on our post to help inspire others.