AMV Specialist Brands’ Colin Kennedy on Why the Future of Creativity Is Creator-Led
AMV Group is evolving. Under the leadership of AMV specialist brands CEO Colin Kennedy and group CEO Xavier Rees, the agency has undergone a strategic restructure that’s less about reinvention, and more about realignment.
With the recent launch of native@AMV, a new creator-led division designed for the speed and culture of social, alongside AMV Stream (focused on branded entertainment) , AMV Works (dedicated to B2B) and creative storytelling agency Redwood, the group is placing bold bets on where creativity is headed.
Colin speaks to LBB’s Olivia Atkins about the thinking behind the restructure, the power of TikTok’s algorithm, and how AMV plans to marry big ideas with always-on content – without losing its creative soul.
LBB> What was the core strategic ambition behind AMV Group’s restructure, and how do you see it shaping the agency’s wider creative direction moving forward?
Colin> AMV Group has a wealth of capabilities and talent. The reshape is about bringing complementary capabilities across the group together in new ways so that brands and businesses have more ways to meaningfully engage with us. There are times when clients need a creative agency that can craft big ideas, there are other times when they need specialist social capabilities to engage directly with creators, and then there are times when they need a combination of both – creator-led social backed by big creative thinking. It's this flexibility that will shape our creative direction going forward.
LBB> Why was now the right moment to launch native@AMV, and what specific market or client needs were you looking to meet with this new creator-led division?
Colin> We designed native@AMV for the way social is trending – which is along the interest graph. And fast. TikTok really tipped the scales. AI-powered algorithms now seek the most interesting content and take it to relevant feeds, freeing up brands to focus on making it. Social native brands see community management as an opportunity for responsive content that can punch beyond paid budgets, and creators as the cheat codes that can unlock social culture. This is the native@AMV offering in a nutshell.
LBB> Social continues to be a huge growth area for brands — but what convinced you that it now deserves a fully dedicated agency division, rather than being serviced within the traditional AMV BBDO model?
Colin> AMV BBDO will continue delivering best-in-class social strategy and creative for clients as part of our integrated offering. We see social as core to our creative offering. But native@AMV has a focus on social publishing and creators that adds a new dimension to that offering. We talk about it as a new place to start on social. native@AMV starts with in-house content creators that then work with partner creators. Both are social, but because AMV BBDO and native@AMV start in different places, they are well matched to collaborate on clients and campaigns that want both big ideas and native executions.
LBB> Sam Regan Asante and Matt Henry bring strong innovation and creator economy credentials — how are you planning to blend their expertise with AMV's existing creative and strategic DNA?
Colin> This is already happening – they are working as part of a multi-discipline team working across AMV’s creative. Matt has worked at AMV for almost a decade and has been the driving force behind integrating AI into both creative output and process. Sam's social publishing experience adds something new to the talent mix, just as Vic Noble's TV commissioning experience adds a different dimension. When expertise is sharp and defined like this, it tends to blend best.
LBB> With AMV Stream and AMV Works also launching alongside native@AMV, how do you plan to maintain creative consistency and collaboration across these three specialist divisions without siloing the agency’s capabilities?
Colin> You can nurture specialist cultures and capabilities without building walls. We don’t just share floor space; we share creative standards and values. That’s the key to collaboration. Ultimately, AMV Group is just that – one group.
LBB> Looking ahead, how do you see the relationship between creator-led content, branded entertainment, and B2B evolving — and how is AMV positioning itself to lead clients through that convergence?
Colin> There are two exciting convergences we have our eyes on. One is simply B2B brands catching up to the importance of social as a marketing channel – something AMV Works is already ahead of the curve on with teams that have built AI-enabled newsrooms for Google and YouTube. The second convergence will bring together native@AMV (creator-led content) and AMV Stream (branded entertainment) to develop unscripted shows for social. The possibilities on YouTube alone – which, among other things, is now the number one podcast platform – are huge. A combined native-Stream offering, backed by the big thinking of AMV, is therefore very much front of mind as we continue to grow. After all, who doesn't want to create the next ‘Hot Ones’ or ‘Chicken Shop Dates’?
