Basis of Presentation

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2016

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Basis of Presentation

1. Basis of Presentation

MDC Partners Inc. (the “Company” or “MDC”) has prepared the consolidated financial statements included herein pursuant to the rules and regulations of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles of the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”).

Based in part on feedback from the SEC, the Company performed a comprehensive review of its reportable segments, reassessed the aggregation of its operating segments, and identified four new reportable segments. As each Partner Firm represents an operating segment, the Company aggregates Partner Firms that meet the aggregation criteria pursuant to the guidance of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (the “FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (the “ASC”) Topic 280, Segment Reporting, into one of four reportable segments and combines and discloses those Partner Firms that do not meet the aggregation criteria in the All Other category. For further information, see Note 14, “Segment Information.”

Nature of Operations

MDC is a leading provider of global marketing, advertising, activation, communications and strategic consulting solutions. MDC’s Partner Firms deliver a wide range of customized services in order to drive growth and business performance for its clients.

MDC Partners Inc., formerly MDC Corporation Inc., is incorporated under the laws of Canada. The Company commenced using the name MDC Partners Inc. on November 1, 2003 and legally changed its name through amalgamation with a wholly-owned subsidiary on January 1, 2004. The Company operates primarily in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Asia, and Latin America.