Recognizing the marketers behind 2026's most original, effective work.
Submit Your NominationSelections are made by a private panel of operators, founders, and investors from The Digital Fork community. They've built it, sold it, funded it — and they know real work when they see it.
Co-founders of Buddy Media (acquired by Salesforce for $745M) and authors of the New York Times bestseller Shoveling $h!t. Today they lead Velvet Sea Ventures, backing the next generation of category-defining founders.
Karen Cahn founded YouTube's Branded Entertainment business and helped modernize monetization at Google, pioneering creator–brand partnerships that reshaped online advertising. She also built AOL's first women-led video creator ecosystem. Most recently founded and exited IFundWomen.
Co-founder of Buddy Media (acquired by Salesforce for $745M) and former Chief Strategy Officer of Marketing Cloud; later led Semasio through its exit to Samba TV. Today, managing partner of Ragovin Ventures, founder of The Digital Fork Series, and producer of Bounty Uncharted.
Ryan Berman is the founder of Courageous, the author of Return On Courage, and the host of The Courageous Podcast. For 25+ years, Ryan has helped companies operationalize courage where they need it most — counseling Google, Procter & Gamble, Kellogg's, Kraft Heinz, Bausch & Lomb, Kohl's, LA Galaxy, and many others. His company fights corporate fear and guides clients through courageous conversations, decisions, ideas, and change. Ryan believes change is hard, but the hardships that come from not changing are far harder.
Andrea Mitchell is the founder of CREW UP and an executive producer helping brands and agencies build seamless, community-minded productions worldwide.
The Top Ten honors the marketing leaders who shipped work in the last twelve months that was undeniably original, measurably effective, and impossible to ignore. The panel above evaluates every entry against four criteria.
A creative idea or strategic insight that didn't exist in your category before you brought it to market.
Measurable business results — revenue, share, brand lift, cultural reach. Numbers that survive scrutiny.
Execution at the highest level. The kind of work that other marketers screenshot and study.
Something at stake. Work that required conviction to greenlight and a real defense to ship.
Nominate yourself or a peer. Tell us about the campaign and what made it work. One nomination per marketer.