Watch the 2016 Agency of the Year videos

Here's what some of the shortlisted shops came up with to entertain their peers at Tuesday night's gala.

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While the headlines from Tuesday’s Agency of the Year gala went (deservedly) to the winning agencies, some of the more memorable moments were provided, as always, by the videos that shortlisted agencies created for the show.

Those show reels – for which there is no brief but which typically satirize the industry, awards shows or the agency itself – have become another reason to attend the annual gala. For those who didn’t make it out, here are some of the highlights from Tuesday night’s show at Koerner Hall.

To read about the 12 agency winners, from creative, digital, media and PR shops, click here.

For now, take a look at a selection of the show reels below.

Agency life is not all fun and games

Call it the Mad Men effect. The show that launched a thousand careers also contributed to unreal expectations about the profession. Leo Burnett peels back the veneer and breaks down how agency life really is, with a nod to Wes Anderson.

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But agency life can be mostly fun and games

On the flip side, BBDO uses the story behind the creation of its AOY video to make fun of how the default setting for some creatives is still on “Bro.”

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Trolls trolling trolls

Brands are increasingly finding themselves at the mercy of a common foe. “Trolls take power from brands,” Bleublancrouge notes in its AOY video. But the agency has a secret weapon to take that power back.

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2016 will go on

The Most Interesting Man in the World. The iPhone headphone jack. The “MacLaren” in MacLaren McCann. We said goodbye to all of them this year. In this video, which featured a live performance at the gala, Taxi looks back at the topics and trends we (hopefully) won’t find in 2017.

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But the independents won’t

In another memorial video, ZAK commemorates the independent agencies that were recently bought up by some of the big holding companies in this tearjerkingly subversive ode.

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Speaking of brazen independence

Rethink took its own torch to any remaining bridges with the holding companies in this animated paean to the little guy.

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Of table tennis and teamwork

J. Walter Thompson takes us into the agency’s philosophy with this illustration of the benefits of collaboration.

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Introducing The Doggies

Awards shows and the industry’s penchant for self-congratulations are always ripe for satire and DDB Canada/Tribal Worldwide doesn’t hold back in introducing a new trophy agencies can compete over. Prepare to cringe.

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Just in time for flu season

John St. brings us this PSA about how to avoid spreading germs this winter (Hint: it’s not hand condoms).

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This is not a Trojan Horse

Grey doesn’t waste its opportunity to pitch an industry audience.

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Introducing the super ad

Cossette finds a cost-cutting solution that eliminates the “onerous planning process, the old-fashioned and, frankly, waste-of-time creative process” with ads that work for any product.

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