Meghan shares why...

Chikmedia Closes Every Year for The Holidays

Hi Chik friends,
 
Meghan here (a.k.a. President & Chief Bad Ass of Chikmedia). This may seem like it’s coming early but every year I get lots of questions about why we do an annual Holiday Shutdown. Predicting this year will not be different, I thought I’d take this early opportunity to share why I have chosen to do this for over the past ten years since beginning Chikmedia.
 
Why we pause
 
Every year around Christmas we shut down for approximately 10 days (the days between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day). This is our intentional pause. It is a full team unplug, a chance to reset, recharge, and hit the next year ready to rock.
 
Here’s the deal: in the always-on, digital world of content, marketing and creative work, it is all too easy to stay plugged in, keeping up with client demands, algorithms, pings, social edits, brand launches and more. Rooted in wellness, our Shutdown is designed to push back against that pace.
 
We want each Chik to spend quality time with friends and family, reflect, unplug, maybe binge-read or hike or cook, and let their minds wander away from the day-to-day hustle. This isn’t just vacation, it’s strategic. I believe when you give creatives space to breathe they come back more alive, more inspired and more ready to innovate.

​A real need for rest
 
Creative teams and marketing professionals are under real strain, but don’t take my word for it, here’s what the data says:

• 70% of professionals across media, marketing and creative sectors reported experiencing burnout in the past 12 months according to a 2024 study.
• 76% of creative leaders say they and their teams felt burned out by workload over the past year.

 
This info tells us something important: we’re in a field driven by ideas, fast-moving platforms, evolving client expectations; and if we don’t build in the rest, creativity falters, morale dips and innovation suffers. So our shutdown is preventative. We don’t want to wait until someone hits the wall. We’d rather skip the crash and revive the engine before we need it.
 
Why clients should care
 
You might ask: “Does a shutdown mean our projects stall?” Not at all. In fact, it means the opposite. Creating this space allows us to serve you at our best – not just delivering but over-exceeding. We plan far ahead, schedule accordingly, and let every client know our rhythm. And we come back with sharper vision, deeper clarity and the kind of creativity that only full replenishment allows.
 
We believe creativity thrives when each Chik is properly fueled. So yes, we shut down our offices for a bit. Because in a world that expects continuous output, we choose sustainable excellence instead. Who is ready to join us in giving yourself and your team permission to rest, reflect and return in 206 with intention?
 
Hears to a restful holiday season and a kickass new year!

~ Meghan
President & Chief Bad Ass
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