Per Pedersen, one of the world’s most creatively recognized and awarded creatives, left Grey as Global Creative Chairman this summer. Now he is launching a Global network of agencies owned by an exclusive collective of independent agencies.
“It’s time to re-think what it means to be a network”, Per Pedersen explains in the press release, “I’ve gathered a global creative dream-team of the best of the best creative people I’ve met and worked with over the years. All are extra-ordinary creative mavericks behind some of our industry’s most exciting agencies. All with a long trail of outstanding creative work”.
The new network is comprised of handpicked creative talent beyond advertising. The disciplines offered include entertainment, music collaboration, experiences, sustainability marketing, digital products and tech innovations
“We offer clients direct access to a new breed of agencies and curated creative talent that fit the new challenges facing marketers and CMOs, without all the layers and complexities”, Says Per Pedersen. “Even before we opened for business, the interest from clients has been overwhelming”.
& The Network is already working on their first Super Bowl brief for a Global Technology brand.
& The Network ambitiously opens for business with 16 founding agency partners covering 20+ markets. Including Paris based Herezie, SMALL and The Sway Effect in New York, Founders with offices in Miami, Mexico City, Buenos Aires and Kingston Jamaica, Libre in Panama City, Amsterdam Berlin in Amsterdam and Berlin, Rehab and Free Turn both in London, Worth Your While in Copenhagen, White Rabbit in Budapest, Ostrich Co in Toronto, Mr+Positive in Tokyo and Seoul. Plus a few newly established creative shops including Marvin in Los Angeles, _2045 in Barcelona, Shelly Beach Motorcycle Club in Sydney and Farm in Stockholm and Helsinki. All in all, 400+ creatives and 35 nationalities.
“We are not owned by money, instead we are owned by the agencies. This means that the agencies remain truly independent and stay creatively focused”, says Per Pedersen and points out that this approach allows the new network to cut away most of the traits of the traditional agencies. “We have no fancy headquarters, no fat cat salary executives and no horde of controllers. Instead we are all obsessed by great ideas”.
Board of Director
Per Pedersen – Founder and Creative, Global
Global creative leader in the global agency business for over 25 year. Per has won 500+ awards including more than 150 Cannes Lions. He started as his native country Denmark’s first creative Planner but transitioned into creative director. He was the co-founder of creative hot-shop Uncle Grey – the highest ranking creative agency in Denmark. In 2009 he became CCO of Grey Germany, then Global ECD in Grey New York before taking a global creative leadership role as Deputy Worldwide CCO in 2014. Since 2017 Global Creative Chairman of Grey Worldwide. Currently building a new global network of the world’s most creative independent agencies,
(Chairman) Andrea Stillacci – Ceo & Founder at Herezie, Paris
Former DJ and contemporary art critic. Worked in Milan, London and Paris. BBDP Milan. JWT Milan. JWT London as Global Creative Director for Unilever Worldwide. In 2004, he was named VP ECD at JWT Paris. in 2007 Co-President and ECD of Grey Paris. Both agencies ended up as the most awarded WPP offices in France. In 2010 he founded Herezie, the most awarded independent agency in France.
Stephanie Vander Werf – co-Founder at Libre, Panama City
Former Model and TV Host for Copa Airlines. In 2012 she became Miss Panama. CEO and co-owner of the Panamanian fast food chain “El Asador” and “Los Años Locos.” Director and co-founder of Sunrise Media production agency working with brands such as Adidas, Heineken, Hyundai, INAC and others. She co-founded Libre agency on august 2019 and since then she’s been working with brands such as Mercantil Banco, Hertz and Thrifty.
Tanya De Poli – co-Founder & COO at Founders, Miami, Mexico City, Buenos Aires and Kingston
Born in the US, raised in Argentina, before deciding to branch into the world of the indie agencies, Tanya became the youngest appointed GM in Ogilvy globals history, at age 29. She led the growth of the agency bringing huge accounts such as Starbucks, KFC & Universal Orlando Resorts for LATAM & Caribbean. Then in 2019 she ventured out to open her own agency: Founders. In the year since its birth, Founders has been cataloged as a “Phenomenon”, by many in the industry, after opening 4 offices and winning accounts such as Red Stripe (Heineken Group), Scotiabank, GLOBANT, ASSIST CARD, American Express, & The North Face, amongst others. Tanya is an advocate for gender equality, and is proud to lead a team that is 60% female, most of which occupy leadership roles at Founders. She seeks to continue expanding opportunities for minorities in advertising through her role on the Board of & The Network.
Carles Puig – co-Founder, CEO, CCO at _2045, Barcelona
Barcelona native Carles was trained as a designer and set up his own studio. Jumped into advertising at Y&R and JWT as Creative Director. After years living in other continents with incredible stories, having met wonderful people and learned from all of it working as CCO in Grey in Peru, Chile and Singapore he returned to Barcelona at the end of 2019 and founded _2045. A non-agency based on the past, created in the present, looking to the future.
Peter Grasse – Founder & Producer at Mr+Positive, Tokyo
Peter Grasse is an awarded producer who shaped the reputation of Asia-Pacific’s most dynamic production companies in New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan. For more than a decade Grasse has produced some of the World’s most talked-about and awarded commercial campaigns. Having been ranked in the Top Three Production Companies of the Decade by BestAds, he continues to cultivate the Asia-Pacific region’s most inspiring new talent as Mr+Positive. Peter joined Curious Film Auckland as General Manger in 2004. Soon thereafter he launched new production offices in Sydney & Singapore. Under his leadership, Grasse’s team was awarded 3 Grands Prix, 3 Gold Lions, the Cannes Film Festival’s Semaine de la Critique. Grand Prix for Stephen Kang’s Blue, as well as being name Ciclope’s Asia Pacific Production Company of the Year from 2013 to 2015. Peter moved to Japan in 2016 in search of fresh thinking and new challenges. Grasse has chaired the film craft jury at Ciclope, Spikes, Lisbon and Award and served on juries for Cannes Lions, Adfest, Axis, and Adstars. Peter returned to Cannes as a speaker in 2017 after speaking on the ’Redefinition of Production Value’ at the 2016 Entertainment Lions.
