At last year’s B&T Awards, Today The Brave walked away with the Emerging Agency of the Year trophy after spectacularly bursting onto the scene eight months prior.
At the time of the Awards, Today The Brave had won 12 clients — including behemoths such as News Corp, Hoyts, Mecca and Zambrero. It had also hired 16 new people and started expanding from being purely an ad agency into media and PR.
To find out what made Today The Brave the agency to beat at last year’s B&T Awards, we caught up with managing partner Jaimes Leggett and creative partners Jade Manning and Vince Osmond.
B&T: Today The Brave had only been running for a year when you won the Emerging Agency gong. What was that feeling like?
Jade: Honestly it was euphoric. Hearing ‘Today the Brave’ called out was an awesome surprise.
Vince: Our entry theme was ‘No chance in hell’ – which is exactly how a brand new agency should feel when entering an award like this. To walk away with a win was phenomenal – it made all the blood, sweat and tears worth it.
Jaimes: I agree – it was unexpected, especially given the calibre of incredible agencies we were up against in the category. It was a humbling experience and a testament to the support we’ve had from so many people.
B&T: In that first 12 months, the agency underwent a seriously rapid expansion – 12 clients including News Corp, Hoyts, Mecca and Zambrero and 16 new hires. What was that like in the office?
Jade: The first year can only be described as thick and fast. We all had our heads down. The night of the B&T Awards was a real moment in time to take a step back and take stock of the past 12 months.
Jaimes: There has always been a certain buzz in the office – everyone is driven, entrepreneurial and focused on delivering brilliant work. If the growth of the first year was rapid, it’s only ramped up since – our headcount has grown three-fold in the past 12 months. We’re lucky to be attracting the best in the business, in terms of both talent and brands.
B&T: Today The Brave now offers media and PR with creative. Why were you looking to move to a more full-service style offering?
Jaimes: The introduction of our new capabilities was fuelled by demand. Since launch, we’ve introduced three new capabilities (media, PR and ventures), which are fully integrated into the agency and revenue generative. We want to alleviate the tension for clients between idea and delivery, as strategy always suffers as a result. We provide one campaign, one set of clear objectives and one strategically aligned team to bring it to life across all channels.
B&T: With another year under your collective belts, what are your ambitions for 2025?
Vince: Ambitious, but simple; we want to create an agency where people can confidently say; ‘Today the Brave is the best place I’ve ever worked’. We want to stay lean, agile, hungry, driven and focused. This mantra is the short, medium and long-term plan for the agency.
Jade: We want to double down on continuing to make great work, with great people.
B&T: Why did Today The Brave enter the B&T Awards?
Jaimes: To be acknowledged by a market leader such as B&T is important to us, for our people and clients. The whole team has been nothing but supportive since we launched in November 22’.
