Getting to Know... (Eastern)Block
(Eastern)Block is the east-coast outpost and energetic younger sibling of Block – a sharp, independent brand ideas agency delivering strategy-first, idea-led, design-conscious work.
Led by Josh Mullens (ex-Bear Meets Eagle On Fire and Revolver), (Eastern)Block brings Block’s 23-year reputation for smart, well-crafted thinking to the east coast, helping ambitious brands stand.
LBB spoke to Josh Mullens, head of (Eastern)Block, Mark Braddock, creative strategy director and Nat Green, director of special projects.
LBB> Tell us a bit about (Eastern)Block -- when did you form and why?
Josh> (Eastern)Block formally came together earlier this year, but the relationship behind it had been building for a while. Mark and I had worked together on several projects and quickly realised we shared a similar view of where the industry was heading: towards sharper, faster, more integrated work. The idea for an East Coast outpost had existed for some time; it just needed the right people and the right moment.
The East Coast market is shifting, and with Block’s heritage of thriving in a tough, resourceful environment, it felt like the perfect time to launch something built for this new landscape.
Mark> Josh and I met through a mutual friend, director Richard Bullock. Josh was setting up his for-purpose production outfit, Drover Productions, and asked if I’d help design its identity. Around the same time, Block had been invited to take part in The Pitch segment on Gruen, and Josh produced it through Heckler. We enjoyed working together, and over the next year or so, we collaborated on a few more projects. (Eastern)Block evolved naturally out of that.
Nat> The timing felt right. Our industry was recalibrating and continues to change. Meanwhile, Block has been doing strategically led, beautifully crafted work, often on leaner budgets, for more than two decades. While others are trying to re-engineer themselves to fit this new reality, for us, it’s how we’ve always worked. Time to share the love!
LBB> What’s the story behind your name?
Josh> Naming is always tricky. Luckily, this one was already written. Block has existed for over 20 years, and (Eastern)Block is a natural extension of that - not a franchise or a spin-off, but a second front. It connects east and west while acknowledging their difference in temperament. Same foundation, different flavour.
Mark> When Tanya and I started Block in our bedroom in Richmond, Virginia, in late 2001 -- while I was still at The Martin Agency - we wanted a name that wasn’t tied to either of us. Something short, solid, and open to interpretation. Our first thought was Concrete, but that was taken. Block evolved from the same idea.
I liked that blocks are components from which something larger can be built - symbols of creative play - but that 'to block' is also an action. It disrupts. It forces you to change direction, to rethink your path. That duality always felt right for the kind of work we wanted to do.
How much of that is post-rationalisation, I’m not sure. By the time we’d moved back to Perth in 2002 and set up shop in my parents’ poolroom, the name had become us. It’s strange now to think it could ever have been anything else. From the early days, I used to joke that one day we’d open an East Coast version just for the name - (Eastern)Block. This year, there finally became a real reason to make it happen. The name preceded the business by decades. We’ve just caught up to it.
LBB> Tell us about up to three campaigns that epitomise what you do as a company.
Josh> Kitchen Warehouse’s '60 Days of Prepmas' -- an ambitious, AI-assisted Christmas campaign that celebrated the chaos of preparation by producing 60 radio spots in 60 days, and a bunch of social videos too. It was a perfect blend of human creativity and machine efficiency, pushing both production boundaries and client expectations.
Wolstead was a rebrand for a premium cookware line that positioned quality craftsmanship at an accessible price point. It’s a commercial strategy meeting brand storytelling; proof that smart thinking can make affordability aspirational. And to date, the rebrand has contributed to a 50% sales increase that will continue to trend upwards.
And TheFulcrum.Agency - we’re rebuilding the website right now, taking a brand-first approach to craft an online presence that reflects the social purpose and architectural intelligence of a practice that’s quietly redefining its field.
Mark> Josh’s examples sum up a lot of what makes (Eastern)Block tick -- clear ideas, crafted execution, and a willingness to experiment at the edges of technology and production. For me, the work that best captures our broader DNA as a company is equally diverse in subject but unified by intent.
Denada’s 'Indulge: More, Sugar: Less' turned a low-sugar ice cream into an unapologetically bold lifestyle statement -- simplicity with swagger
PICA’s 'Where Answers Are Questioned' did the opposite: a quiet, conceptual campaign for a contemporary art institution brave enough to question its own relevance.
Each is different in tone, audience and medium, but all share the same starting point: clarity. Find the truth that unlocks the idea, then build the craft around it. Whether it’s retail, art or social impact, the process doesn’t change - the right idea, made right.
Nat> Before joining Block, I worked with them from the client-side. Together, we created The Support Project for community services organisation Avivo - part installation, part social experiment -- where an architectural intervention became a public conversation about care and connection that ultimately drove recruitment growth. It positioned Avivo as a contemporary care provider by telling their story in an entirely unexpected way.
LBB> What are your strongest opinions about your industry?
Josh> That craft and care still matter. You can’t automate taste, and you can’t fake attention to detail. It’s not about chasing trends or over-engineering process; it’s about making something good and making it count.
Mark> I have a lot of opinions - far too many, apparently - which is why they’ve been exiled to Medium. We’ve also launched Notes on Block, a more collaborative project where we invite writers and thinkers to reflect on two decades of work, culture, and context. It’s less nostalgia, more documentation - the hits, the misses, and what we’ve learned from both.
Nat> That nothing will ever replace the magic of humans. Discernment, emotional resonance, and tonal depth are essential for creating connection and community and will only ever be achieved by beautiful human minds.
LBB> What are you proudest of as a company?
Josh> It’s early days, but delivering a campaign for Gruen that tackled smartphone addiction felt like a statement of intent. So did 60 Days of Prepmas for Kitchen Warehouse - proof that new technology can serve ideas, not replace them. Both showed how we can operate at the intersection of strategy, creativity and production.
Mark> For me, it’s the fact that (Eastern)Block even exists. It’s an evolution that makes sense culturally and creatively. There’s no duplication, no cloning - just the same DNA adapting to a new environment.
And personally, I’m proud that what Tanya and I started two decades ago has become something a talent like Josh wanted to help build on. That says something about the kind of company we’ve become - one that attracts people who care about doing things properly.
Nat> At Block, we don’t take ourselves too seriously. We’re a team of passionate, creative humans who care deeply about making work that works. We’re all about the aesthetics, but never at the expense of purpose, function and craft.
LBB> What are some upcoming projects our readers should keep an eye on?
Josh> We’re working on a few projects that bring the 'brand idea' and the 'campaign idea' back together again - work that doesn’t separate strategy from storytelling. A major new product-line launch for Kitchen Warehouse goes into production early next year, which will see that philosophy in full flight. It’s a great collaboration with some outstanding creative and production talent.
And then there’s a self-promotion piece we’ve been developing for (Eastern)Block - a gloriously unhinged, Pythonesque exploration of our so-called 'WA-ness,' told in three acts. Don’t ask.
Nat> For me, it’s the range. On one side, we’re working on an experience design and branding piece for a show debuting at this year’s Perth Festival - something that blurs performance, identity, and public space.
On the other, a significant brand strategy project for a social enterprise delivering mobile ear clinic services to remote Indigenous communities across Western Australia. Really different projects but both driven by the same question: how do we make brand work mean something beyond the surface?
