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With the rise of AI and the consolidation of major holding companies, many longtime agency executives are stepping away from the traditional models that once defined their careers.
Some industry veterans are taking bold steps to launch independent shops—designed to be faster, more agile, and equipped to tackle the demands of modern marketing.
As the ad landscape evolves, these new agencies, each founded within the past 18 months, are challenging the big holding company model to change the game with fresh ideas, business models, and approaches.
1. Studio.One
Founded: May 2025
Agency type: Brand innovation studio
Location: London
Headcount: Undisclosed
Founder: Ajaz Ahmed, former founder and CEO, AKQA
Clients: Undisclosed
Why it started: Frustrated by the slowness and hierarchy of large agencies and on a mission to challenge legacy bureaucracy, Ahmed launched Studio.One six months after his high-profile exit from WPP. His goal: create a more agile, client-focused alternative to the big agency model.
What sets it apart: Backed by private equity firm Atrum Capital, Studio.One aims to tackle bureaucracy by eliminating traditional structures like time sheets and office mandates while emphasizing collaboration and agility. In addition to agency services, Studio.One also has an innovation lab and a venture investment arm.
Fun fact: Studio.One is forgoing the return-to-office mandates that have been contentious at big holding companies—including his previous agency’s owner—as Ahmed believes that creative talent can’t thrive when stifled by rigid structures.
2. ImaginaryFriend
Founded: January 2025
Agency type: Creative
Location: Remote
Headcount: Three co-founders, plus a network of senior talent
Founders: Daniel Bonder, former ECD, adam&eveDDB; David Brown, former ECD, adam&eveNYC; Caroline Doyle, former vp, head of brand team, Observatory
Clients: Fontainebleau Blue Las Vegas, STARZ
Why it started: After years at Omnicom-owned adam&eveDDB, Bonder and his partners saw an opportunity to build a more independent, agile agency set up to service modern brands.
What sets it apart: ImaginaryFriend works as an extension of client in-house teams, with its network model allowing it to spin up custom teams for each project. With a focus on bespoke creative solutions, the agency brings in talent as needed, allowing it to scale up and down depending on the project without the overhead of traditional agencies.
Fun fact: The name “ImaginaryFriend” refers to the agency’s role as an extension of in-house teams.
3. Antidote
Founded: January 2025
Agency type: Brand consultancy
Location: New York
Headcount: Undisclosed
Founders: Jonathan Isaacs, former CCO, TBWA\Health Collective; Carlene Esposito, former managing partner, TBWA\Health Collective
Clients: Undisclosed
Why it started: Isaacs and Esposito launched Antidote to build a health and wellness agency focused on high-quality brand work, delivered quickly.
What sets it apart: The founders leverage their backgrounds in healthcare marketing to deliver emotionally resonant work specifically for health and wellness clients.
Fun Fact: Isaacs has strong views on how a shift to data-driven, AI-powered models impacts health and wellness brands. In an op-ed for Pharma Live, he argues that independent agencies are better positioned to offer the agility and humanity these brands need to thrive.
4. Geezer Creative
Founded: January 2025
Agency type: Creative
Location: Minneapolis, New York, and Boulder
Headcount: Undisclosed
Founders: Karen McKinley, former ECD, Leo Burnett; Brent Rivard, former CMO, Internova Travel Group; John Kieselhorst, former head of creative, Fact & Fiction
Clients: Undisclosed
Why it started: Motivated by their own experiences, McKinley, Rivard, and Kieselhorst recognized that the 50-plus audience was overlooked by the advertising industry. So they established Geezer Creative to offer brands a more authentic and effective way to connect with this lucrative demographic.
What sets it apart: Geezer Creative is focused only on the 50-plus demographic and is staffed exclusively by professionals with over 25 years of experience.
Fun fact: The name “Geezer” aims to turn a negative stereotype into a badge of honor, signifying wisdom, experience, and an informed perspective.
5. Definitely Real
Founded: October 2024
Agency type: Creative and production
Location: Vancouver, BC
Headcount: 9
Founders: Alexis Young, former designer at Lululemon Athletica; Danielle McNeill, former VIP artist marketer at TC Helicon
Clients: Cactus Club, Nimmo Bay Resort, BC Cancer Foundation, Creative BC, Fresh Tracks Canada, and more
Why it started: Young and McNeill first teamed up in 2019 to start freelancer collective The Social Circle. By 2024, the had co-founded Definitely Real, a creative and production agency with 9 full time staffers.
What sets it apart: Definitely Real operates with the “yes, and?” approach from improv comedy to emphasize collaboration. With a team primarily made up of women and LGBTQ+ creatives, fostering diversity is a chief priority.
Fun Fact: Young and McNeill met at Canadian Music Week, where their bands—Blonde Diamond and Lovecoast—crossed paths while touring Western Canada. They bonded over music, and both are singers who married their drummers.
6. Beers With Friends
Founded: August 2024
Agency type: Creative
Location: Hybrid, NYC
Headcount: Undisclosed
Founders: Dana Hork, former SVP of marketing, Wonder; James Wood, former CCO, Code3
Clients: Grubhub/Seamless, Virgin Galactic, Goodwipes, Violife, Perfect Bar, Manitoba Harvest, Curio Wellness, Thoughtful, Hally Hair, GORGIE, Don’t Ban Equality
Why it started: Like many agencies on this list, Hork and Wood were frustrated with the traditional agency model, so they designed Beers With Friends to focus on just one client at a time.
What sets it apart: The agency offers creative solutions on-demand through a five-day sprint process, which it aptly calls “Beer Runs.” Its “Agency on Call” model is set up to deliver fast work by senior talent.
Fun fact: Beers With Friends leans hard into its branding. “Beer Runs” are offered in four, six, or 12 packs and can be purchased on the agency’s ecommerce-like website. The agency also hosts Happy Hours where the team tackles fun challenges—like rebranding “Black Friday” and “The Big Game”—to keep their creative juices flowing.
7. Narratory Capital
Founded: January 2024
Agency type: Brand strategy
Location: New York
Headcount: Undisclosed
Founder: Tom Morton, former global CSO, R/GA
Clients: Zip, Tools For Humanity, Virgin Galactic, D&AD, M&C Saatchi PLC
Why it started: Morton launched Narratory Capital to help businesses with brand strategy through pivotal moments, such as leadership changes or business transformations.
What sets it apart: Morton draws on his experience working with major brands like Amazon, Samsung, Reddit, and Uber to help businesses redefine their brand narratives during times of change. Unlike traditional agencies with long-term client contracts, Narratory Capital addresses specific, time-sensitive challenges.
Fun fact: The name “Narratory Capital” emphasizes the power of a strong brand narrative on business outcomes.
8. RECE Inc.
Founded: January 2024
Agency type: Creative
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Headcount: Undisclosed
Founders: Toygar Bazarkaya, former CCO, Havas Worldwide; Ole Pedersen, former head of brand strategy, McKinney; Ole Lund, founder, LundPartners
Clients: Undisclosed
Why it started: After working in large, traditional agencies, the founders of RECE identified a gap in the market: even the best agencies can struggle when they don’t fully understand their audience’s emotional needs.
What sets it apart: RECE Inc. also subscribes to “high-speed anthropology,” a methodology that immerses the agency and clients directly with audiences to drive faster, more relevant creative work. The agency aims to bypass the traditional model of “strategy first, creative second” by approaching both in an integrated way.
Fun fact: The founders’ international backgrounds inform their approach, having honed their craft in Europe and built their careers in the U.S.
9. Corner Table Creative
Founded: May 2024
Agency type: Social-first media and creative
Location: New York City
Headcount: 37 (11 full-time)
Founders: Madeline Meade, former director of creative strategy, Code3; Rachel Brandt, former head of creative, Code3
Clients: Sweetgreen, Peacock, Marriott International, Yahoo!, and more
Why it started: Meade and Brandt co-founded Corner Table Creative to deliver high-quality work fast and cost-effectively.
What sets it apart: The agency’s quick, efficient approach to involves assembling bespoke teams for each project by tapping into a diverse network of talent.
Fun fact: Instead of using time sheets, the team submits “brag sheets” to celebrate their accomplishments.
10. Zurda Agency
Founded: January 2024
Agency type: Creative
Location: Buenos Aires
Headcount: 42
Founders: Denise Orman, former CEO, Grey Argentina; Diego Gueler Montero, former ECD, BBDO Argentina
Clients: BBVA, PepsiCo, Netflix, Unilever, OSDE, Tulipán, LALA, NotCo, and more
Why it started: After years of working at multinational agencies, Orman and Gueler Montero sought to break free from the bureaucratic constraints they encountered at larger firms. They founded Zurda to create an agency that could operate nimbly, focus on innovation and foster closer connections with clients.
What sets it apart: Zurda says its approach removes the red tape typically found at larger agencies. By streamlining processes and eliminating internal politics, the agency says it can focus on creativity and execution.
Fun fact: Meaning “Lefty” in Spanish, Zurda’s name is a nod to legendary left-footed Argentine footballers—Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi—and is an homage to creative misfits and offbeat individuals.
