AUNZ Indies Want To Push Beyond “Pearl Clutching,” Challenge Orthodoxy in 2026
Smart and strategic growth, plus work that “challenges orthodoxy” is top of the agenda for top creative indies across Australia and New Zealand this year.
Rick Barry, Berlin, jnr., Princess, and TRUE all want to make work that cuts through, reshapes categories, and defies convention.
John Marshall, managing director and founder of two-year-old trans-Tasman indie jnr., told LBB the agency’s ambition is to create “meaningful, strategic work that genuinely drives business results for our client partners,” and to focus on “quality over quantity”.
Alex Derwin and Hugh Munro’s Rick Barry also launched in 2024. A couple of years into making work for the likes of Pirtek and Ray White, the chief creative officer wants to make “work that works” because it rejects rigid formulas and “challenges the orthodoxy”. jnr.’s chief strategist, Ryan O’Connell, noted “creativity and effectiveness are so intrinsically linked, they should never be separated.”
Alex hopes the industry gets “beyond the pearl-clutching and handwringing about the future of human creativity” this year.
“Unlike AI, human creativity is not a finite resource; it’s an endless source of thrilling, impactful, and importantly, original ideas, and it blossoms in times of tension,” he said.
“Let’s stop the doomsday chatter and get out there every day to prove our case in engaging and invaluable ways.”
Beth O’Brien, creative director at five-month-old Princess, wants to create work “that makes the rest of the category feel outdated [and] makes a statement,”changing how someone looks at a brand. It launched with a Matt Berry-fronted spoof for foundation client MLC.
In Western Australia, meanwhile, John Linton, managing partner, strategy at Perth’s Berlin, added “playful is powerful” and work that will cut through will play “with convention, expectation, and emotion”.
Kiwi indie TRUE is striving for “bold, idea-led work that is creatively ambitious, earns attention, and delivers business results,” according to general manager Abby Bolstad.
Chasing Revenue Growth, Expanding Services
Berlin’s John is heading into the year with confidence because he’s realised an agency doesn’t “need to be the biggest to make a meaningful impact”. Every indie is chasing some form of growth that matches their age and stage.
Jenny Mak, who joined jnr. last year as ECD and partner, sees the opportunity as one of “refinement and elevation.” Since she joined, the business has won a Gold Effie, launched work for the likes of Ārepa, and won Pizza Hut, and Hume Bank. Next up: diversifying its offering and expanding its capabilities to grow “into the design space”.
“Where 2025 was about establishing ourselves, 2026 is about capitalising on the momentum and creating long-term growth and impact,” Ryan said.
Princess’ bar is to “redefine what’s possible for a client’s category” and “strapping rocket boosters” to the fledgling shop, while TRUE will focus on acceleration: “backing ourselves, our point of view, and the work we believe in,” Abby said.
Matt Dickinson, TRUE's CEO, said the agency plans to deliver 20% revenue growth this year “by partnering with ambitious New Zealand brands”, specifically within the agricultural sector. John similarly wants to expand Berlin’s “pro-environmental awareness and advocacy” work.
Rick Barry is taking a different tack in its second full year, prioritising “experimentation and discovering what we’re capable of rather than endlessly chasing revenue”. He and Hugh will hunt for ambitious tech start-ups, and offer them the experience they gained working at BMF and Droga5, respectively, on the likes of ALDI, Tourism Australia, and NRMA.
“Our ambition is to be constantly challenged by stimulating and inspiring projects.”
Headcount Isn’t Everything
Rick Barry, Berlin, and TRUE aren’t hyperfocused on growing headcount. Alex wants growth that is healthy, and “more fit for the moment”.
“A better measure for us is how many talented people from different backgrounds with unorthodox skillsets we get to work with. We’re built to flex and bring the right collaborators in for each project to work with our core team.”
TRUE will grow “through smarter ways of working” such as “leveraging new tools, evolving our operating model, and doubling down on high-craft, premium work at the top of the funnel.”
“We prioritise client growth first, then shape our people and offering around those needs, adding the right talent at the right time, rather than scaling for scale’s sake, so we stay sharp, collaborative, and creatively ambitious,” Abby said.
Headcount “isn’t really a goal” for Berlin. John is more interested in growing in “in a way that genuinely improves the work and the culture”.
“If we come across someone exceptional -- someone who shares our values and ambition, and who we can see making Berlin better -- we’ll always look for a sensible way to bring them on board.”
There is no rush, he added, and freelance specialists provide the flexibility of scaling up “when needed, without growing the permanent team just for the sake of it.”
Upping headcount is “definitely on the cards” for jnr. and Princess. Jenny at jnr. noted, “it’s not about hiring for the sake of scale,” and instead a matter of finding the right people for the right roles.
“We want to be deliberate, ensuring every new team member adds unique value and fits culturally with the agency and our client partners.
“Growth is on the horizon, but thoughtful and sustainable growth, not rapid expansion.”
Beth said it’s a “hell yes.” Princess is “here to play on the world stage. The more diverse talent we can put in one room, the more interesting Princess gets.” But the line between “meaningful growth” and “toxic growth” can be thin, she acknowledged.
Good Results and a Good Time
John wants Berlin to be a place with “real mojo” and is “increasingly powerful in positively influencing Australian society.” Ultimately, he wants it to be an agency “I’m still proud to talk about at school parent BBQs.”
Last year, Rick Barry “develop[ed] an odd and interesting creative culture” where it could “create without fear of failure and be honest and open with each other, and clients, in pursuit of better work.” Alex wants the Rick Barry of 2026 to be the same, “just with a little more art on the walls”.
jnr. wants to be known “as the independent agency that clients turn to for true partnership, creativity, and results,” John said, and “where collaboration is central, the work environment fosters growth and fun, and where success is shared across the team.”
Beth wants her agency to be “deliberately and wholeheartedly, Princess”.
“We never want to default to ‘how an agency has done things in the past.’ So we keep self-checking -- across the four founders -- that we’re choosing the most original, most deliberate approach to everything.” This includes, she said, “how we work with a client, how we price. how we fit out our space, and, of course, the work itself.”
And TRUE's biggest goal is deceptively simple. CEO Matt said he wants to run a creatively ambitious shop “that never loses sight of delivering on results, and has a bloody good time doing it.”
Read more: An A to Z of the 70+ AUNZ Indies You Need To Know About23
