Booms & Shakes: July's big new hires, launches and wins from across the creative industry

Welcome to Booms & Shakes, our monthly round-up of the hires, launches and wins making noise across the creative world. July has arrived warm and heavy with inbox traffic, which is either a sign of a buoyant industry or a lot of people trying to get news out before the summer slowdown. Possibly both.

Either way, a lot is going on. A significant creative hire from TikTok. Two new companies spinning out of established studios. A shop has opened in LA. A Manchester animation studio has launched a whole new brand studio. And plenty more besides.

Somewhere in all of this, I think, a theme can be discerned. Agencies are investing in creative leadership at pace, particularly at the social-native and experience end of the market. New integrated models are multiplying. And the brands that used to buy broadcast are now buying social and influence in a very big way.

Hires and promotions

Oliver takes from TikTok

We'll start with the most significant creative appointment of the month. Oliver, which designs, builds and runs AI-powered marketing organisations inside the world's biggest brands, has hired Tom Skinner, a former global executive creative director at TikTok, as group ECD.

Tom spent six years at TikTok helping brands like BMW, Gucci, Samsung and Off-White rethink how they show up on social. More recently, he oversaw TikTok's global business marketing, connecting brands with the Women's World Cup and the Olympics. Before that, he held senior creative roles at BBH and CHI & Partners. He's also, somewhat randomly, written children's books and co-directed music videos.

He joins alongside a restructured creative leadership team, with Eloise Smith moving into a parallel group ECD role. Both report to global CCO Rodrigo Sobral, and Tom will also serve as creative leader for Unilever's U-Studio.

SocialChain appoints Tom Fenwick-Smith

SocialChain—the integrated social agency part of Brave Bison, with hubs in Manchester, London and New York—has appointed Tom Fenwick-Smith as executive creative director, reporting to CEO Jacinta Faul. Tom joins from VodafoneThree, where he spent five years as a senior conceptual creative and social strategy lead. His remit covers SocialChain and sister agency Engage Digital Partners.

Joint bolsters its strategy

Joint, an independent creative agency whose clients include Amazon, Google and TripAdvisor, has appointed Ayla de Moraes as head of strategy, a newly created role. Ayla brings experience across VCCP, Publicis Poke and McCann London, with clients including Nestlé, Garnier, Mercedes and O2. She also, we note with approval, launched the first sustainable concept store in the Middle East.

SYLVAIN adds two senior creatives

New York-based strategy and design consultancy SYLVAIN has made two new hires. Renwick (Ren) McAslan joins as the team's first-ever copywriting creative director. Coming from LeBron James' SpringHill Company with stints at Ogilvy, Anomaly, Translation, Fig and BBH London, he's also – fun fact! – an Emmy-nominated writer who's taking an original one-woman show to the Edinburgh Fringe this summer. Meanwhile, Matthew Smith joins as design director from High Tide. He's the founder of type practice Morning Type and a partner at Tipofili, the complementary foundry to Louise Fili Ltd. Both hires are anchored in SYLVAIN's ongoing work with Etsy, Nielsen and Hinge.

Iris London makes two big appointments

Iris London has strengthened its senior team with two appointments focused squarely on making the work happen. Ali Proctor-Walsh joins as head of operations, bringing 18+ years of experience, including time as production and creator marketing lead, EMEA, at Meta Creative Shop and as executive producer at Nexus Studios, with credits across Apple, Disney, L'Oréal and LVMH. Vicci Whitlow joins as head of production, bringing more than 20 years of integrated production experience from London, Amsterdam and San Francisco, most recently at Karmarama/Accenture Song UK.

The Bloc strengthens its European leadership

Award-winning independent healthcare communications network The Bloc has appointed Jon Chapman as European ECD, expanding its presence across offices in London, Milan, Basel and Munich. Jon brings senior creative leadership from Havas Lynx, BBDO and BBH, and works alongside global CCO Stephanie Berman and CCO New York Adam Hessel. Two additional hires strengthen London: Ruarí Burgham as engagement strategy director and Ellen Bunker as account director.

Heaps + Stacks signals expansion

London experiential agency Heaps + Stacks has made two internal moves. Liam Bircham steps into a newly created director of growth role, leading across new business, marketing and product development. Hannah Swift is promoted from associate director to director, taking on elevated responsibility for senior client relationships and creative and commercial output.

Mud completes its leadership team

Bath-based creative web design agency Mud, whose clients include Warner Bros, Epic Games and National Museums Scotland, has appointed Oliver Ware as digital design director, completing its new leadership team. Oliver spent six years as lead visual designer at the FA, playing a central role in the England Football Learning project, and brings over two decades of design experience with clients including Rolls-Royce, BMW, Samsung, Sky and Universal Studios. He joins co-founders Matt Powell and Russ Back, as well as recently promoted operations director Meg West.

MFM appoints head of marketing

MFM is an integrated media agency that embeds senior media expertise directly inside creative agencies and brands, with offices in London and Amsterdam. It has now appointed Lucy Crowther as head of marketing, a newly created role. She joins from Beyond, where she was marketing and growth director, with earlier experience at Havas and TMW Unlimited. Her candid observation that "agencies are often not great at their own marketing" is precisely why this role now exists.

B7 hires Daniel Gourley

Newcastle-based video-first marketing agency B7, which helps businesses across financial services, utilities and data engineering, has appointed Daniel Gourley as social media manager. He joins from Silverbean after four years across design, copywriting, strategy and video production.

Launches and new ventures

Mother Design opens a shop

We don't normally cover retail openings in Booms & Shakes, but we're making an exception here. Mother Design—the design arm of global creative agency Mother—has opened a physical store in the West Adams neighbourhood of LA, dedicated to analogue craft and well-designed objects. Some are for sale in exchange for money. Others, apparently, in exchange for "the explicit promise of creative commissions," which is the best pricing model we've encountered in quite some time. Stock includes Teenage Engineering electronics, Tyler Warren surfboards, Filthy cocktail garnishes, Nuud plastic-free gum, Nursem skincare and a curated selection of pre-loved books.

MOX launches MOX/WORLDS

London-founded global creative agency MOX has launched MOX/WORLDS, a new division focused on the next era of brand design, innovation and experiences. It's led by Jaś Rewkiewicz as creative director, returning to MOX after a stint as chief creative officer at South Korean tech company ALTAVA, where he led immersive and interactive experiences for Roblox, LVMH and LaLiga. The division launches with a global branding and design brief from Formula E. As co-founder Matt Bolton puts it: "Everything we do is about world-building. Increasingly, it's something people can physically step into." MOX/WORLDS is the answer to what comes next.

Perfect Stranger launches from Hornet

New York multidisciplinary creative studio Hornet has launched Perfect Stranger, a full-stack sister creative company offering brand strategy, design and advertising production under one roof with a headcount of 20. Combined clients across both companies include Trimble/SketchUp, eero, Homes.com and Kodansha, the Japanese manga publisher celebrating its centenary.

Flow launches Oh Nice

Manchester animation studio Flow Creative is approaching its tenth anniversary, and has marked the moment by launching something new: Oh Nice, a specialist brand and creative communications studio dedicated exclusively to organisations making a positive impact.

Over a decade, Flow has delivered more than 300 brands, films and campaigns for more than 100 organisations, including Children in Need, WaterAid, the World Food Programme and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Oh Nice takes that experience and wraps it in a dedicated studio for branding and communications rather than animation and motion. Early clients include Greenpeace, WWF, Medical Aid for Palestinians and NICE.

Founder Karl Doran's reasoning is simple: "Even the most important organisations can struggle to communicate the value of what they do. Great work deserves great communication."

Rebrand of the month

dock10 becomes MediaCity Studios and MediaCity Post

dock10—home to productions for the BBC, ITV and Netflix, and a partner for major broadcasters and production houses for 15 years—has a new name: MediaCity Studios and MediaCity Post. The rebrand arrives under new CEO Alice Webb and owners Landsec, as part of a broader vision to build MediaCity into a creative brand in its own right.

The timing is apt. MediaCity Studios and MediaCity Post are currently serving as the nerve centre for the BBC's FIFA World Cup coverage, combining multiple tracked cameras, in-studio LED screens and virtual studio environments in a complex, high-volume, fast-turnaround setup, built on eight years of partnership with BBC Sport.

Partnerships and account wins

M+C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment lands Boss and Hugo

The account win of the month belongs to M+C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment, which has been appointed global PR agency of record for both Boss and Hugo. Their remit covers the UK, US and DACH markets, spanning campaign launches, sporting partnerships, fashion shows, retail activations and major global events. Recent cultural activity by these brands gives a sense of the territory: the Australian Open, the Laver Cup, the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team, The Open and Art Basel Awards. It's a rich intersection of fashion, sport and culture; precisely the space M+C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment has been building.

Grey London wins Synechron

Grey London, the WPP agency that won 22 Cannes Lions in 2025, has been appointed global agency partner by Synechron, a technology consulting firm with 17,000 professionals across around 60 offices in more than 20 nations. The brief is a new global brand platform across B2B channels, including OOH, digital and major industry events. Grey's integrated WPP offering, with WPP Media handling the media strategy, was central to the win; part of the wider "Greynaissance" being pushed by CEO Jai Kotecha.

Uncovered wins Weetabix

Uncovered, the social-first creative agency named Social Media Agency of the Year for 2025, is already social agency of record for KFC, Tesco, Nationwide and Rightmove. And now it's been appointed social agency of record for Weetabix and Alpen, following a competitive pitch managed by AAR. The remit covers organic and paid social for both brands, including refreshing and evolving the iconic "Have you had yours?" platform for Weetabix and amplifying the new "The grown-up thing to do" positioning for Alpen.

Allwyn appoints Coolr for influencer marketing

Allwyn UK, the National Lottery operator—which we featured in March after it launched in-house studio Studio 59—has appointed social media agency Coolr to lead influencer marketing across a series of game launches and promotions throughout 2026. Coolr has been growing at pace: 60+ new hires since the start of 2026, bringing total headcount to nearly 165. It will run influencer-led campaigns across TikTok and Instagram, starting with the relaunch of the flagship Lotto game.

Orla Kiely appoints Renowned Media Group

British design house Orla Kiely—founded by the Irish fashion and textile designer in 1995 and celebrated for its iconic Stem print—has appointed Renowned Media Group (RMG) to lead its digital PR and SEO strategy. The aim is to strengthen visibility across both traditional search and emerging AI platforms, as discovery shifts from search engines to AI-generated answers. RMG, founded by Tasha Antwi, specialises in search and AI-driven discovery for premium and luxury brands.

Spekk acquires Pablo

Spekk, a specialist digital advertising agency with an integrated creative studio, has appointed Nick Boyce as its first chief technology and AI officer, following the acquisition of Pablo, the adtech platform he founded. Pablo automates Facebook ad uploads and streamlines creative workflows, and has already been adopted by brands and agencies including Camper and Lovable. Integrated with Spekk's own proprietary ad trafficking system, the combined platform is designed to improve efficiency and performance for its clients.

Milestones and anniversaries

There's a pleasing pair of birthdays this month. KOJO—the Australian post-production and VFX studio behind more than 120 productions, including The Babadook, Talk to Me, Hotel Mumbai and Mortal Kombat—is celebrating 30 years in rude health. Founded in 1996 by Dale Roberts and Marty Pepper, the studio now derives half of its revenue from North American clients, following a 25% increase in US business over three years. The economics are compelling: US producers benefit from Australia's competitive exchange rate, government rebates of up to 45%, world-class talent and a time zone that enables near-24-hour workflows. CEO Dale Roberts calls it the "Big Triangle" model: shoot in Eastern Europe or the Middle East, post in Australia.

Closer to home, Sherbet Donkey, the Midlands SEO and digital marketing agency with, let's be honest, the most fabulous name going, is celebrating its fifth anniversary. Founded by Loki Hinton-Bowen in 2021 after his own frustrating experiences with SEO services, the agency has grown from a team of five to 45, with £3.8 million in annual SEO retainers, 27 websites launched in the past year and a credible claim to the title of biggest SEO agency outside London.

Key takeaways

Step back from July, and three things stand out. First, creative leadership is being rebuilt around social and platform fluency. The hire of Tom Skinner at Oliver is the clearest signal: six years at TikTok, helping global brands figure out how to show up in a social-first world, is now the experience that lands you a top creative job at a global agency. SocialChain's ECD appointment reinforces the same point. The industry is hiring for where culture is made now, not where it used to be made.

Second, new integrated models are multiplying. Perfect Stranger, MOX/WORLDS, Oh Nice ... all of them are building structures that move across disciplines without the traditional agency handoffs. Brands want partners that can think and make in the same breath. The studios building for that are the ones with the momentum.

Thirdly, the most human note in this month's inbox: Flow Creative launched something really good. No big fanfare, no industry event, just a purpose-built studio for organisations that need help communicating what they do, and why it matters. Greenpeace. WWF. Medical Aid for Palestinians. The World Food Programme. The work that needs doing most often has the least budget to shout about it. Oh Nice is built to change that, and we think that's worth more than a footnote.