Gloves Off. Season 2.
Canadian Realpolitik Podcast.

How do you follow up a podcast that beat Joe Rogan?

What started as a limited 8-episode series didn’t just land. It hit hard enough that people asked for more (due to the incredible podcast team, brilliant guests, and host Stephen Marche). Gloves Off became Canada’s #1 culture and society podcast, outranking Joe Rogan, The Daily, Stuff You Should Know, and The Mel Robbins Podcast. Not bad for Canadian realpolitik, and yes, season two came with pressure.

We kept the sharp, authoritative brand system that made the first season instantly recognizable: Canadian hockey energy, pre-war propaganda references, and a visual language with some bite. But season two needed its own point of view. This time, the concept was built around Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Davos speech and the rise of middle powers.

The system had to work harder this time. Season two needed a new website, video assets, ads, and a broader identity system that could carry the same bold energy across every touchpoint without turning into a copy-paste of season one.

We also branded Cross Check, the YouTube-exclusive aftershow for Gloves Off. It brings Stephen Marche, Vass Bednar of The Canadian Shield Institute, and Jon Shell of Social Capital Partners into the room to to dig deeper into each episode’s issues—with insight, expertise, and the kind of strong opinions that make the format actually worth watching. (If you haven’t watched the aftershow yet, you’re missing out. Pure gold.)

The result is a second-season brand that felt familiar where it needed to, sharper where it mattered, and big enough to carry the show into its next chapter.

It’s about knowing what to keep, what to evolve, and how to move the story forward.
Same DNA. New direction. Still unmistakably, unapologetically Gloves Off.