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No. 0120

Published 12 August 2026

Inside the indie agencies founded by Omnicom and IPG's former staffers

Why it matters

Former holding company staffers are launching independent shops built on remote-first structures and freelance networks rather than fixed headcount. Their pitch is that holdco overhead buys nothing the client can see. The intermediary layer is being priced out from inside the industry, not only by clients. Expertise on demand is becoming the default agency shape and the permanent retainer is now the thing that needs defending.