Ant Keogh, Paul McMillan and Michael Derepas Reveal Indie, Kerfuffle, "Built For The Next 20 Years"

The trio formerly at the helm of The Monkeys Melbourne -- CCO Ant Keogh, CEO Paul McMillan, and CSO Michael Derepas -- have launched Kerfuffle, the agency LBB revealed they were leaving The Monkeys to set up.

The independent agency launches with the three founders, five immediate hires, and nine clients the business told LBB it won't disclose for now, in favour of talking about the work when it launches.

"This agency is fresh," co-founder and CEO Paul told LBB.

"No legacy systems or structures, and it is being built for the next 20 years, not on the foundations of the last 50. The world is different. The demand from clients is different. The expectations of how clients work with agencies has changed.

"We are a much more agile team, that better plugs into our clients’ business, with people that have built world famous work for 20 years."

Ant said the agency is "unashamedly about creativity".

"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.”

Kerfuffle becomes the latest in a long line of independent agencies to launch in Australia over the past few years, most of which have been established by former network agency execs. Howatson+Co, Supermassive, It's Friday, Today the Brave, jnr., Rick Barry, Hellions -- whose launch was revealed by LBB --  Pembleton, Bureau of Everything, and Reunion are among that list.

Unlike most recently-established indies, however, Kerfuffle started scaling ahead of officially launching. Its five full time hires include creative partners Josh Stephens and George Freckleton, who were previously CCO and creative director, respectively, at AJF. They spent the past year running a creative consultancy called Joint Effort Creative.

Group account director Jessie Roper joins from Bullfrog, senior copywriter Carly Dallwitz from DDB Melbourne, and senior producer Ilona Phyland from AJF, where she spent a decade. Paul told LBB "five hires is a great start".

"We are not looking to be the biggest, and we are hiring carefully," he added.

"People who understand the power of creativity in the modern world are at the top of the list. Irrespective of changes to the industry from tech, a big, powerful, business changing idea still needs to be loved, protected, and crafted. Those people are Kerfuffle people."

Kerfuffle's founding staff has worked on brands including Victoria Bitter, Corona, Dare Iced Coffee, Snickers, Mars, Cadbury, Bega, BCF, Rebel Sport, Target, Macpac, AHM, NAB, Coles, Telstra, General Motors, Australian Defence Force, and Australian Government.

 “Kerfuffle is a small group of smart people with huge experience," Paul added.

"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.”

The website describes Kerfuffle as "an independent advertising agency creating strategy, design, and ideas that command attention" and says the group "came together after many years leading various big successful Melbourne agencies. We don't have a bullshit spiel about how we are different... but maybe that's what makes us different. Oops... there it is. Shit."

Headquartered in Melbourne's Flinders Lane, the agency was named Kerfuffle because "our clients need to make a noise, get noticed, create a commotion," according to Ant.

"Unless you do that first, everything else is academic. It comes out of that. Or maybe we just thought it sounded funny.”

Of the strategic philosophy, Michael added, “At the end of the day, the best strategy is only as good as the work it creates.

"To earn brands their precious piece of mental real estate, you need rock-solid strategic foundations. 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.”

Ant, Paul, and Michael spent seven years at The Monkeys following their last collective big move in 2017, when they coordinated a jump from Clemenger BBDO Melbourne to The Monkeys.

All three spent over a decade at Clems, during which it was the most successful agency in the country. Ant and Paul also had pre-Clems stints together at George Patterson Y&R.

The Monkeys became Droga5 in December, and the agency has since restructured. Last week, it appointed M+C Saatchi AUNZ CEO Michael McEwan as director of the Melbourne office, replacing Paul, and last month it elevated Damon Stapleton and Barbara Humphries to co-CCO roles across AUNZ, in response to Ant's departure and Tara Ford's relocation to Droga5 London.