The first is to scale, without the work sucking.
We can help you grow in three ways
The Search
Our iconic recruitment search
The Partnership
Fractional embedded talent acquisition
The Bench™
Curated global freelance team & payroll.
Organisational Redesign & Transformation
Founders have two choices for organisational design:
1. Hire a huge consultancy
2. Figure it out yourself
We bring together experts from top consultancies, specialist sectors, and leaders who’ve delivered successful agency transformations to redesign your organisation for growth.
All shaped around your commercial goals, culture, and the way modern creative teams actually work.
Build Or Buy Your Next Chapter
You’re about to make a decision that will change the shape of your business.
You need more than a banker or an advisor.
You need someone who understands how creative companies actually work.
True market intelligence is the kind that comes from speaking with over a thousand creative leaders every month.
Founders. Chairs. Investors. Operators.
You want to see the patterns behind why deals succeed and why 75% of them don’t.
You need a partner who focuses on who you are and who you’re becoming, not just what the numbers say.
Growth Stories
Appointing Koto's chairperson in a post PE world
Creative Continuity At Global Scale.
Transforming the best advertising department in London & NY.
A global expansion powered by creative consistency.
Scaling Buttermilk At The Speed Of Culture.
London’s Biggest Creative Department Becomes Its Biggest And Best.
Uncommon Ideas Deserve Uncommon People, So We Found Them One.
Finding The Creative Leadership To Define M+C Saatchi's Next Chapter.
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"Some companies understand Creative. Some understand capital. Few understand both. That’s why I’ve always loved the team at Unknown. They don’t see a line dividing creativity and capital, but the one connecting them. It’s where they work best."
UNKNOWN gave Mother access to a world of creative and design talent we’d never have found on our own – curating hidden gems from unexpected places, aligning perfectly with our ambition. Those hires that have fundamentally shifted the breadth, energy, and contemporary expression of our entire creative team.
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"When you are trying to build a differently shaped agency with only the sharpest and most creative thinkers, you need a partner like UNKNOWN. Not only do they get it, they get what you're trying to build and how to build it. Oh, and you'll have fun and be inspired along the way."
"UNKNOWN are not content to just follow old models. They are redefining the future for the creative economy. Together we are building new models and new commercial possibilities."
"Knowing good creative is one thing. Knowing a good business is another. Few people know both and can genuinely tell the difference. Fewer still can distil why and can articulate it with total clarity and empathy."
"The least hectic and most reliable way we have ever hired freelance talent…The best of the best. On demand basically."
"Working with Unknown was fab. They brought sheer professionalism with a big dose of humanity. The perfect balance of understanding the business, the talent and what they both need to succeed."
"I'm glad to have got to know UNKNOWN. They clearly understand the creative economy. And the broad range of businesses within it."
"In our rapidly changing industry, finding the right role and organisation where you can add value and also grow can be challenging. It helps to have partners with extensive network connections, who deeply understand the nuance of the market and keep up with what's coming next. That's what UNKNOWN provide and its why I choose to work with them."
"UNKNOWN don’t just recruit, they work with us to find the right people who make scaling MØRNING in the right way possible."
"I’ve always admired how Unknown think and more importantly act. They’re properly connected to the creative world, the people, the pulse, the speed - but they also bring real commercial clarity and strategic intent. They’re not following the industry; they’re helping shape where it’s going. The kind of partner you want when you’re serious about unlocking growth."
"UNKNOWN provides insight and great care in ensuring a strong match across a wide shareholder group."
"Now more than ever, creativity unlocks business value, but only when everyone is accountable for the outcome. UNKNOWN is the embodiment of this commitment. Their relentless dedication to uniting the worlds of creativity and capital is exactly what our industry needs."
"I very much enjoyed working Unknown in the search for the Chair of our investment in Koto Studio. They sourced a very strong cohort of relevant and appropriate chairs, proactively managed them and the process and helped deliver us a great result."
"UNKNOWN is the first place the best creative people come to. Even when they're not looking."
“It's a big deal finding a Chairperson. UNKNOWN knew the gravity and were strategic, thoughtful and patient as we went on the journey. Ending up with a great result for all parties.”
"We hit that scale moment. Where the thing you’ve built is bigger than you. That’s when you need a partner that doesn’t just get who you are. They get who you’re becoming. UNKNOWN is the vibe."
"Creativity + Capital is the kind of statement anyone working in startups, VC, PE, marketing, tech or entertainment might wish they'd coined. It's as solid a definition of how the future can be built, for good, as anything I've heard. These guys get it."
"UNKNOWN aren't just recruiting, they're partners that understand the DNA of Buttermilk better than most of the people inside the building. They've evolved our story with us, so we're growing faster than ever."
“In creative companies, growth accelerates when the advisory bench is strong. UNKNOWN bring real judgement to shaping those boards - matching founders with people who add clarity, challenge and commercial depth.”
"Their collaborative style of working was a breath of fresh air and resulted in a truly meaningful and impactful campaign. We are thankful to Ollie and his team at GBGB for giving the 'Can't Stop Now' campaign life. These guys have so much talent and passion and I would highly recommend them."
"Like so many, the third sector has struggled beyond belief during the pandemic. So, to be a part of GBGB's dedicated collective of minds using our creative powers to make impactful work has been joyful. And we've only just begun."
"This is an amazing initiative connecting charities and social enterprises with creative talent. Ollie pulled together a stellar team of creatives, art directors, copywriters and designers who worked on an incredible campaign for Beam. It's been a huge success."
FAQs
The Search
What is The Search?
Our search model finds transformative talent to unlock creative and commercial growth.
What roles do you typically search for?
Everything from a Chairman & Non Execs to CEOs, MDs, CMOs, CCOs, Creative Directors, Strategy Leads, Heads of Design, CCO’s, Heads of Departments.
How does The Search differ from recruitment?
It’s intelligence-led and consultative - mapping the market and engaging high-impact talent aligned to your growth strategy.
How long does a search take?
It totally varies. But, usually 6–10 weeks from briefing to appointment, depending on complexity and confidentiality.
What makes UNKNOWN’s search approach unique?
Without sounding cheesy… Our breadth, depth and tech. We’re not in one sector of the creative economy. We’re in all of them. We study and support the growth of every type of creative business trying to scale. Whether it’s appointing chairpeople for design agencies. Getting PE investment for Influencer agencies. Or building inhouse global benches for unicorn brands. We’re everywhere. And we use technology to capture all of this as we move.
The Bench
What is The Bench?
A curated network of top 0.001% freelance creative talent available to support growth-stage businesses flexibly.
How does it work?
We curate, build and manage your on-demand team - matching vetted freelancers to your projects instantly. You speak to humans and we use tech to speed up all the time consuming, hectic bits.
Why use The Bench instead of hiring sporadic freelance?
Say yes to that pitch, with complete security you can deliver without dropping the quality. Say yes to that scope of work, knowing you can more accurately forecast margin, with predictable freelance costs. Have the booking & pay rolling tech sorted at the back end, without the fiddly sourcing at the front.
Who’s on the Bench?
Your top 0.001% creative, strategic, design or operational talent from global agencies and brand backgrounds. Some people you’ll have heard of. Some people you definitely wouldn’t have.
Is it true that you’ve made it cheaper than the traditional freelance model?
Yes. You’re absolutely sodding right. We wanted to see if it was possible to lower the cost and higher the quality and chemistry. You can.
The Partnership
What is The Partnership model?
A fractional embedded model blending recruitment, talent strategy and cultural alignment into one scalable solution. You get a senior TA Lead and the full capability of a specialist TA team who flex with your needs.
How is it different from fully embedded, or hiring a TA Lead full time?
The Partnership gives you strategic oversight and specialist delivery, without the overhead. We act as an extension of your leadership & talent team - mapping, engaging, and onboarding talent continuously.
When does The Partnership make sense?
When you’re scaling fast, building multiple teams, or need ongoing hiring confidence.
What value does it bring?
Predictable growth, deeper cultural fit, and cost efficiency across your talent pipeline. We also benchmark your EVP, hiring pace and candidate perception against the wider market, and help you sharpen it, so passive talent becomes interested in working for you.
Who uses The Partnership?
Growing creative companies and PE-backed brands wanting sustainable talent advantage.
Transform
What does UNKNOWN Transform do?
We redesign structures, systems, and leadership to help creative companies scale sustainably.
What problems does it solve?
Misaligned teams, unclear roles, cultural drift, AI pressures, or growth that’s outpaced structure.
How does the process work?
Through diagnostics, workshops, and talent frameworks built around your unique growth goals.
What outcomes can I expect?
Stronger culture, clearer accountability, and measurable commercial growth.
Who is Transform for?
Founders, C-Level people and investors who want their business to evolve without losing their creative soul.
Ventures (Buy)
What is UNKNOWN Ventures?
Our advisory arm for founders and investors buying or selling creative businesses to accelerate growth.
How do you support buy-side deals?
We identify targets, assess creative capital, and advise on structure, leadership, and integration.
What makes your approach different?
We value culture and creativity as much as EBITDA - ensuring lasting growth. We have consultants having over 1,000 conversations a month with talent staying or leaving these high growth businesses. We’re uniquely positioned to spot true value vs an attractive balance sheet.
Who do you work with?
Private equity firms, holding companies, and ambitious founders seeking expansion through acquisition.
What outcomes do you deliver?
Smarter acquisitions, smoother integration, and increased enterprise value through creative capital alignment.
Ventures (Sell)
What is sell-side advisory for creative businesses?
It’s expert guidance through every stage of selling your company — from valuation to exit.
Who do you represent?
Founders, partners, and shareholders of creative or design-led businesses planning their next chapter.
How does UNKNOWN create value in a sale?
We partner with M&A firms and position your brand story, leadership, and creative capital to attract aligned buyers.
What happens after the sale?
We help ensure cultural and leadership continuity through post-deal integration.
Why choose UNKNOWN Ventures?
Because we understand both sides - the creative vision and the commercial outcome that defines success.