Meet Chemistry: 10 Years In, Still Without a Cake
The Atlanta indie’s leadership trio on naming the agency for a no-asshole rule, the data science turn, and why “permanent imposter syndrome” is a feature
Duncan Channon’s specialty: brands and causes everyone’s mad at
For over 30 years, the San Francisco indie has turned negative narratives into a niche — and a competitive edge
Quality Meats: Proud Weirdos That Cut the Fat
5 years in, the Chicago indie operates like a local butcher shop — small team, senior cuts, no frills and a smart/dumb philosophy designed to keep brand work out of the 86% that gets ignored
Welcome to Guesthouse: The Agency That Asks First
Three years in, Mitch Bennett’s Chapel Hill shop produces in-house, lands briefs in two meetings, and treats client marketing teams as partners — not problems
Lookwell Media Takes the Projects Denver’s Bigger Shops Walk Away From
Kyle Johnston built a full-service video company with no film school and no playbook — and 11 years in, he’s still the first to raise his hand.
30 Years of Building Fandom. McGarrah Jessee Still Isn’t Done.
The Austin indie that turned Yeti from a cooler brand into a global lifestyle icon has a theory about what comes after loyalty — and they’re building the tools to prove it.
$10K in Overhead, Zero Ego and a Yard of Nachos: TiNY Runs on Democracy and Over-Delivery
Michael Stoopack, Mike Rovner and Tom Christmann built an agency where one vote means go — and they can never have an even number of partners
We’re Marketing Plumbers: Heartlent Group Does the Work Nobody Sees Coming
Jonah Ballow, Keith Stoeckeler and Eliot Gerard left a holding company during COVID, started a collective and now build trophies for the NFL Players Association
The Media Agency That Thinks Your Media Plan Is Broken — and Can Prove It
Danny Weisman and Barry Dan launched Obsessed Media to fix what holding companies won’t: where your money goes and whether anyone sees it
The Agency Behind the Sounds You Can’t Get Out of Your Head
Made Music Studio has been turning 3 seconds of sound into decades of brand identity — and the work they’re most proud of is the stuff nobody knows how to categorize
From Dunk in the Dark to Charles Barkley’s GLP-1 Scripts: 8 Years of Young Hero
Roberto Salas and his co-founders built a creator-led agency in Williamsburg — turns out, casting your team like a film crew makes better ads
Interview Like a Therapist, Dance With Jimmy Fallon and Forget to Take the Photo: Meet Powell Communications
Katy Hendricks and a team of self-described weirdos have spent 26 years making every agency sound like the only one
From Nickelodeon Promos to Peacock and the Owl: Meet Apostrophe
Ryan O’Hare built a design, animation and video production shop in Louisville with a global team — and yes, the apostrophe in the name is doing double duty
The Agency That Only Does Sports (and MLB Said Yes)
Josh Bogdan left Wieden+Kennedy to build Good Sports Creative in Portland — and his biggest client came with him
Venables Bell + Partners Has Been Proving Independence Works Since 2001
Paul Venables, Will McGinness and Brittni Hutchins on the partnership pure play, coaching culture and why brand love beats performance marketing
Something Different Is Exactly What It Sounds Like
Tommy Henvey and Patti McConnell on independence, craft and why flat leadership matters