Prolific North can today reveal the full Independent Agencies to Watch list for 2024, showcasing 15 fast-growing, ambitious agencies emerging from across the North of England and Scotland.
Sponsored by Sedulo and Nimbus Hosting, it marks the second year of this initiative from Prolific North, with the list designed to celebrate a fresh wave of ambitious independent agencies who are creating the biggest waves as they grow, be that financially, creatively or as an employer.
The list was first unveiled at a special event last night (19 September) at Colony One Silk Street in Manchester. Uniting the agency ecosystem, the event kicked off with a fireside chat with Michael Heaven, who has been at the forefront of agency operations and growth for over a decade, and is now co-founder and managing director of Butterfly 3ffect.
Next, there was a panel discussion that delving into the future of independent agencies and the best ownership structure for indies with Sam Gregory, co-CEO of Tangerine; Mark Hancock, managing director at ZUT; Louise Vaughan, co-founder and chief client officer at Definition; and Alex Willcocks, founder and managing director at Engage Interactive, We’ll be bringing you the full event review next week.
But now, we can share the 15 agencies on the list for 2024. Please note this is not definitive or ranked.
Prolific North’s Independent Agencies to Watch 2024
*Please note this is not a ranking
Meanwhile
Founded: 2022 | Location: Manchester | Key clients: tombola, Travel Supermarket, Iceland, Chester Zoo, Coventry Building Society, Liverpool FC, Comic Relief and parkrun
With a mission to ‘see what everyone else is doing, and then create something different’, creative independent start-up Meanwhile was first launched in Manchester in 2022 by BAFTA-winning, former creative directors from BBC Creative – James Cross and Tim Jones – and former Chapter MD, Al Marchant (CEO). The agency now has a core team of 12 staff plus a number of freelancers and in July 2023, the agency welcomed Mike Rose, founder and former CEO of Chapter, as chairperson to help with business growth and operations.
Butterfly 3ffect
Founded: 2023 | Location: Remote – with Manchester staff | Key clients: Square, The Cheesecake Factory, Bumble UK, Apartment List, McDonald’s USA, Netflix UK&I
Gymshark’s ex head of social Elfried Samba (CEO) and founder of Social Chain Michael Heaven (MD) are both Manchester-based and recognised a critical gap in the industry – the lack of relatable role models and accessible entry points for diverse creatives, coupled with the lack of agencies creating a modern-day agency-to-client experience. Driven by a shared passion for creating positive change, the duo launched social-first creative agency Butterfly 3ffect in 2023, which celebrated its first year in business with £2m turnover and an impressive client list with Netflix, Bumble and more.
Poke Marketing
Founded: 2021 | Location: Liverpool | Key clients: Liverpool Cathedral, National Football Museum, Plumb Centre (Wolseley), Professional Liverpool, Oxford River Cruises, Writing on the Wall
Poke Marketing has stormed onto the Liverpool creative scene and quickly become one of the go-to creative agencies in the region. Launched in 2021 by founding members Andrew Binns and Mark Harrington, the agency has grown to 13 staff with one of its biggest highlights including winning – and launching – the National Football Museum rebrand against some stiff competition. Over the next few years, Poke is eyeing ‘big growth targets’.
Rationale
Founded: 2019 | Location: Edinburgh | Key clients: Bupa, Mizuho, St James’s Place, Innovate UK, Blackford Analysis, University of Edinburgh, Old Structures Engineering
Co-founders Rowan Morrison and Svein Clouston set up Rationale in 2019. The creative agency has since become one of Scotland’s first B Corp accredited agencies, leading the B Corp movement in Edinburgh and donates 1% of revenues and 5% of billable hours per year to local charities. Rationale has seen some exciting developments over the past twelve months, from the growth of its senior management team to spearheading a national television and out-of-home campaign for Bupa. With a growing team of 19 staff, Rationale is also on track to deliver £1.6m revenue for 2024.
Climb & Conquer
Founded: 2021 | Location: Durham | Key clients: Mallet Footwear, RunRug, MotorEasy, Make My House Green (Switchd), Belcor
Shane Parkins, a long-standing senior digital professional in the North who has held roles at Silverbean, Workwear Express and The Tanning Shop, launched Climb & Conquer after a number of years of freelancing as an SEO and PPC Consultant. Since 2023, he has scaled the team up from two to 15 and the agency is ‘on track’ for £500,000 turnover this year, with sights set on £1.3m by the end of their financial year 2026.
Two Stories
Founded: 2019 | Location: Lancaster | Key clients: Channel 4, the London Symphony Chorus, GoShorty, Montagu, Conscium, MMC, Lancaster University, and Morecambe Football Club
Two Stories was founded by managing director Rob Ellis and creative director Bekkie Hull, with a shared vision to create a ‘different’ brand consultancy and design studio with a big focus on culture, creativity and growth. Based in the heart of Lancaster, Two Stories has a team of 10 focused on helping businesses grow through purpose-led brand development, design and digital and recently was crowned Creative Agency at the 2024 Creative Awards.
One SC Media
Founded: 2020 | Location: Hull | Key clients: NHS, BMW, the University of Hull, Alessandro Caruso Architects, Hull 4 Heroes, -One SC Media also donates services to charities and CICs
Aged just 16 at the time, Subhash Chatterjee launched One SC Media in 2020 from his parents’ dining room table in Cumbria during the Covid lockdown. He moved the agency’s headquarters across the country with him in 2022, to the Enterprise Centre on the University of Hull Campus. Since then, the business has boomed and now employs over 40 staff in Hull with an estimated turnover of £1m. The team also believes in giving back; donating services to CICs and charities for the likes of Hull 4 Heroes.
Prospa
Founded: 2021 | Location: Salford | Key clients: HECK sausages, Glenmuir, Sockshop, Hiut Denim, Hell Bunny, Really Wild, Rule 28, Muzungu Sisters, Maison de Fashion, Hair Syrup, Drip Moda
At just 24-years-old, Jack Smith built Prospa from his university bedroom three years ago in 2021. Now with an office in Salford Quays, in 2023 the ecommerce agency ‘doubled’ both its revenue and staff to a team of 15 members. This year, the agency has added brands like Hummel, Hair Syrup and HECK to its client roster and has recently appointed Juno and Patchworks founder, David Wiltshire, as non-exec director to help Prospa accelerate agency growth and access new markets.
Yatter
Founded: 2021 | Location: Scotland (remote with office in Dunfermline) | Key clients: Essence of Harris, Loch Lomond Group, Phlo, Greener Energy Group, Agilio, Gait & Motion
Yatter is a Scottish success story, launched by Gavin Bell in 2021. With a big focus on maintaining a great team culture, the paid advertising agency has since grown to a core team of nine, serving some of Scotland’s leading brands and a wide range of national and international clients, managing over £10m in client ad spend each year.
Theodore Communications
Founded: 2021 | Location: Doncaster | Key clients: Quickline Communications, GPE, size? and Utopi
Theodore is a female-led brand, marketing and content agency based at St Catherine’s House in Doncaster. After being made redundant as new mums, Kat Martin and Rachael Sullivan teamed up during the pandemic to launch the agency in 2021. Despite being a small, strategic agency, Theodore won B2C Marketing Campaign of the Year at Prolific North’s Champions Awards 2024 for its ‘Don’t settle for second best’ campaign, to increase awareness for East Yorkshire-based rural broadband provider, Quickline.
Good n’ Proper
Founded: 2023 | Location: Leeds | Key clients: Cauldron Foods, Levi Roots, Mission Mars, Puratos, Jackson’s Bread, Itch Pet
Experienced marketer Phil Leather, the former head of digital at Gusto Italian and head of marketing at Parallax, established digital marketing agency Good n’ Proper after acquiring Parallax’s marketing department and split it from the rest of the business. Launched in 2023 as a new brand and agency, during the agency’s first 12 months it has launched more than 10 Rudy’s restaurants, an Albert’s Schloss in London, re-launched Cauldron Foods new brand and supported Levi Roots in Celebrity Big Brother and beyond. The team has since grown to six and has moved into a permanent office at The Faversham.
Founder Creative
Founded: 2020 | Location: Manchester | Key clients: EA FC, McLaren, Supercell and Red Bull
Founder is a creative production agency based in Manchester specialising in branded content and commercials for some of the biggest sport and gaming brands around. Now into its fifth year and with turnover set to exceed £2 million, clients include EA Sports, Red Bull, Manchester City and McLaren F1. Founder most recently produced the Clash of Clans commercial starring Erling Haaland for Supercell, which garnered global attention and went viral with over 150 million combined views.
List & Found
Founded: 2018-19 | Location: Manchester | Key clients: Lloyds Pharmacy Clinical Homecare, ACRE Pharmacy, Glass Films Worldwide, Service Graphics
Founded by 33-year-old Chris Bardsley, List & Found is a B2B digital marketing agency based in Manchester. As a ‘proudly independent’ agency, Bardsley says this has helped List & Found grow into a business that ‘consistently performs’ while empowering its team of six. For 2023/24, the agency reports it has accelerated turnover by 46% to £510,000. It marks a ‘huge achievement’ for Bardsley, after a previous agency boss told him he couldn’t do it.
Vega
Founded: 2022 | Location: Manchester | Key clients: Rank Group, BHID, Woodlands Group
Following a soft launch in late 2022, Manchester agency Vega officially launched early 2023. The seven co-founders are a collective of former senior network agency founders and leaders, previously working at the likes of BBH, Carat, dentsu, iProspect, McCann, MediaCom and more. In just two years, Vega has moved into a 1,900 sq ft office in Manchester’s Northern Quarter and grown the team to 23 staff. In May, the agency launched its second office in Gibraltar to help service its rapidly growing iGaming client base.
EDNA
Founded: 2021 | Location: Leeds | Key clients: Primark, Fuel Card Services, Masonite, Premdor, Bike Parka and Leeds Hospitals Charity
Creative agency EDNA was launched by five experienced agency leaders at the beginning of 2021 and now has annual revenues ‘well into’ seven figures. With a diverse client list, the agency is keen to support the creative community in Leeds, build strong relationships with local universities and foster the next generation of creative talent. The team has grown to 15 and recently moved into offices at The Elbow Rooms in Leeds, with a big focus on nurturing staff.
