Top independent advertising firms to keep an eye on, founded by leading advertising industry professionals
In the ever-evolving ad world, traditional agency models are taking a backseat as veterans dive into the independent arena to deliver faster, more adaptable, and modern marketing solutions.
The New-age Agencies
1. Studio.One - The Agile Alternative
Founded in May 2025, Ajaz Ahmed, former AKQA founder and CEO, launched Studio.One, aiming to disrupt the bureaucracy of big agencies. Backed by Atrum Capital, Studio.One eliminates traditions like time sheets, focuses on collaboration, and maintains an innovation lab and a venture investment arm.
2. ImaginaryFriend - A Client-focused Extension
Founded in January 2025 by Daniel Bonder, David Brown, and Caroline Doyle, this remote agency functions as an extension of client in-house teams, boasting a bespoke approach, reducing overhead by scaling up or down depending on projects.
3. Antidote - Health & Wellness Specialist
Launched in January 2025 by Jonathan Isaacs and Carlene Esposito, Antidote focuses on delivering high-quality brand work for the health and wellness market. Their backgrounds in healthcare marketing contribute to emotionally resonant work relevant to this unique market.
4. Geezer Creative - 50+ Demographic Marketers
Motivated by the overlooked 50-plus demographic, Geezer Creative, founded in January 2025, caters specifically to this lucrative market. Exclusively staffed with pros with over 25 years of experience, Geezer Creative aims to offer brands a more authentic connection.
5. Definitely Real - Collaborative Creative Agency
Founded in October 2024, Definitely Real is a creative and production agency built on improv comedy's "yes, and?" mentality. This diverse team, mainly consisting of women and LGBTQ+ creatives, fosters collaboration and is set apart by its approach to creating fast, quality work.
The rise of independent agencies can be attributed to factors like agility, innovation, flexible client relationships, and cost-efficiency. While challenges persist for traditional holding companies, such as bureaucracy, lack of transparency, competition from consultancies, and adapting to technological changes, the future is fiercely competitive. As the landscape evolves, independent agencies continue to push the envelope, offering fresh ideas, business models, and approaches that challenge the status quo.
- Studio.One, founded by Ajaz Ahmed, aims to capitalize on the bureaucracy of big agencies, leveraging the support of Atrum Capital to disrupt traditional practices like time sheets, focusing instead on collaboration and innovation.
- ImaginaryFriend, founded by Daniel Bonder, David Brown, and Caroline Doyle, serves as a client-focused extension, offering a bespoke approach and scalable resources that reduce overhead by adjusting to project needs.
- In January 2025, Jonathan Isaacs and Carlene Esposito launched Antidote, a specialized agency that caters to the health and wellness market, delivering emotionally resonant work due to their backgrounds in healthcare marketing.
- Motivated by the overlooked 50-plus demographic, Geezer Creative, founded in January 2025, exclusively employs professionals with over 25 years of experience to provide brands with a more authentic connection to this lucrative market.
- Definitely Real, founded in October 2024, is a creative and production agency built on the improv comedy principle of "yes, and?" Its diverse team, mainly consisting of women and LGBTQ+ creatives, fosters collaboration to create fast, high-quality work.
The independent agency movement is driven by factors such as agility, innovation, flexible client relationships, and cost-efficiency. Despite challenges faced by traditional holding companies, like bureaucracy, lack of transparency, competition from consultancies, and adapting to technological advancements, the landscape remains fiercely competitive. As the sector evolves, independent agencies continue to reinvent themselves, offering creative, business-oriented solutions, and challenging the conventional wisdom in finance, lifestyle, business, technology, education-and-self-development, entertainment, general-news, and sports.
