Paul McMillan, Ant Keogh and Michael Derepas’ indie agency finally launches
Former C-suite trio at The Monkeys Melbourne, Paul McMillan, Ant Keogh, and Michael Derepas, have officially launched their highly-anticipated independent creative agency.
The chief executive, chief creative, and chief strategist, respectively, left The Monkeys in October last year, after seven years at the helm. Prior to that, they had long-term stints at Clemenger BBDO Melbourne and George Patterson Y&R (now VML).
The new agency, named Kerfuffle, will be “unashamedly about creativity”, according to Keogh.
“At a time where the industry is under threat from all angles, we are doubling down on what creativity can do for business and aim to be a safe haven for the best creative minds in the country. In the great battle for attention, creativity wins,” he said in a media release on Wednesday.
The Kerfuffle team
As for the name, Keogh said: “Our clients need to make a noise, get noticed, create a commotion. Unless you do that first, everything else is academic. It comes out of that. Or maybe we just thought it sounded funny.”
The trio have been quietly operating behind the scenes since January, slowing building the team and getting the “right people”.
Joining the leadership trio are five new employees — group account director Jessie Roper who joins from Bullfrog; senior copywriter Carly Dallwitz from DDB Melbourne; former AJF Partnership senior producer Ilona Phyland; and former AJF Partnership and Joint Effort Creative (JEF) creative directors, Josh Stephens and George Freckleton.
Stephens had been with AJF Partnership for 16 years as partner and in various creative roles, including chief creative, before announcing his departure mid-2022. Meanwhile, Freckleton continued at the agency until November 2023, when he left after over 18 years.
Last month, Growthops — which owns AJF Partnership — went into liquidation.
Just last year, Stephens and Freckleton launched JEF — an advertising, brand, and marketing consultancy — designed to “combine strategy, design, creative and production to execute campaigns, connect with customers & get results”.
JEF has been folded into the Kerfuffle business, and will no longer operate.
Kerfuffle described itself as a “small group of smart people with huge experience”.
The Kerfuffle website
McMillan said in the release: “Collectively we have made a lot of great work with many wonderful agencies, clients and colleagues… now it’s super exciting to be backing ourselves and having a crack as an independent.”
At the end of the day, according to Derepas, the best strategy is “only as good as the work it creates”.
He said agencies need “rock-solid strategic foundations” to earn brands their real estate.
“Only then, can the creatives leap further, and release big creative ideas that command actual human attention — the kind of work we want to create at Kerfuffle.”
Kerfuffle told Mumbrella it has nine clients, but did not provide brand names. All nine arrived without a pitch.
“It is a great start, and we are really happy with the response to date on what we are bringing to the table which is different,” McMillan said.
The agency will announce clients as it releases work to the market.
Combined, the group has experience working with brands including Carlton Draught, Victoria Bitter, Mars, Cadbury, BCF, Rebel Sport, Target, Bupa, Coles, Telstra, the Australian Defence Force, and many more.
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