Where do you start when building an in-house agency? It depends on your business goals, your growth trajectory, the type of work you make, whether you plan and buy media, and how much work there is. No formula drops into every organization and works.
But if you're on a lean budget and don't yet have clear insight into how much work is coming, there's a sensible place to start.
1. A managing director who is a real business leader. This person usually comes from one of two backgrounds:
2. A head of creative. Depending on your mix of work, usually someone with an advertising background. If you also do digital product work, look for someone who works across both.
3. A strategist. Ideally someone with both brand and digital experience.
4. A fractional freelance creative recruiter. Someone who knows the freelance market cold, has real relationships and a deep network. The freelance market is rich enough that, with this person in place, you can bring in talent as the work requires instead of hiring full-time for everything.
The independent agencies I see working well share a pattern. The leaders at the top can roll up their sleeves and do the work themselves, not just oversee others. Not managers who used to do it. Not people who have drifted away from the craft.
The same applies here. Some of these roles may already exist in your organization under different titles. The point isn't the org chart. It's making sure each capability is covered by someone who can still execute, not just manage.
There are many more skills in marketing than these four. But these are the most important roles to have full-time when starting out, for consistency.
I've built departments from scratch inside agencies and on the brand side, essentially running a startup inside a larger company each time. The most common mistake is hiring a full roster before the work is in the door.
The core group exists to win the work and prove the capability first. Build out from there once demand justifies it, not before.
On a lean budget, start with a managing director with business and operational experience, a head of creative, a strategist with brand and digital experience, and a fractional freelance creative recruiter.
Usually either account management, with strong business, operations and project management skills, or production, with experience making film and digital work and a solid grasp of the financials.
No. A small full-time core, plus a well-connected freelance recruiter, lets you bring in talent as the work requires. Expand full-time headcount once the volume of work justifies it.
Hiring a full roster before the work is coming in. A small core team should win the work and prove the capability first, then grow as demand grows.