Bossing It: Steering the Ship with Sam Stuchbury

Sam Stuchbury is the executive creative director and founder of the creative agency Motion Sickness. The agency's disruptive approach to advertising has driven rapid growth, culminating in a record-breaking year in 2024. Over the past two years, the agency has won more than 100 awards.

Sam himself has received multiple accolades, including as a Forbes 30 Under 30, and most recently, winning three golds at Agency of the Year for Australia and New Zealand, recognising him as Agency Leader, Creative Person, and Growth Leader of the Year of the year across AUNZ. Motion Sickness' clients include brands such as Les Mills, Whānau Ora, Frank Energy, Kathmandu, and Fire and Emergency NZ.

LBB> How did you figure out what kind of leader you wanted to be—or what kind of leader you didn’t want to be?

Sam> Probably from seeing the type of leader I didn’t want to be. Before I got into advertising, I worked a mix of jobs while studying—building site labourer, camp counsellor, pasting up street posters. Most of those roles brought me face-to-face with management styles that felt more like a bad sitcom than real leadership. I saw my building site manager sleep all afternoon in a skip of GIB, it didn’t inspire productivity.

LBB> What experience or moment gave you your biggest lesson in leadership?

Sam> Growing the Motion Sickness team and being responsible for so many people’s careers. It’s rewarding but something I don’t take lightly.

LBB> How important is company culture to the success of your business?

Sam> It’s extremely important.

Our careers inbox is overflowing with people writing they want to be a part of the culture, sometimes more so than just the work itself. Building culture isn’t about over-documenting or over-analysing it.

I haven’t seen many businesses with formalised-laminated-culture-pamphlets that actually have great culture. It’s more about putting people first and creating an environment where they want to hang out, do great work and play.

Being independent helps with that, when we win it flows to the rest of the business much faster. People genuinely believe in what we are building and strive for better with us. I suspect that is harder when you're fighting for a parent organisation you don't know, or really care about. 

Motion Sickness Christmas party ‘Feast & Film’. Each staff member prepared a 2 minute short film to the theme ‘Happy Endings’. All films were scored by the audience and a guest judge. 

LBB> Did you know you always wanted to take on a leadership role? If so, how did you work towards it? If not, when did you start realising you had it in you?

Sam> I don’t think I started Motion Sickness with a goal to be a leader myself. It was more about using my creativity to build something interesting. I do think I’ve always been a bit of a natural leader since I was a kid, so as things have grown it’s felt pretty natural to me. 

Motion Sickness HQ, Auckland, New Zealand

LBB> When it comes to leadership as a skill, how much do you think is a natural part of personality, and how much can be taught or learned?

Sam> A mix of both. Some aspects are innate, like how you connect with people and build genuine rapport, but much of it can be honed through experience. A lot of the time people get too tied up with process and methodology rather than just building close relationships and being there for people.

LBB> What are the aspects of leadership that you find most personally challenging? How do you work through them?

Sam> Balancing friendship and leadership can be tricky— at Motion Sickness we are a tight team. Finding that sweet spot where you can be mates but still hold people accountable. It’s a balancing act, like still being able to have the tough conversations and also leaving the team when the clock strikes midnight on a night out… When their eyes glaze over, it’s time to leave them to it. 

LBB> In terms of leadership and openness, what’s your approach? Do you believe in full transparency, or is there value in being measured and considered?

Sam> I lean towards being pretty transparent. Shooting straight became a necessity when we were starting the business—there wasn’t time for anything else. It’s stuck ever since. As long as it comes from a good place, people tend to appreciate honesty, and I think that’s been one of the keys to our efficiency and pace at Motion Sickness.

LBB> Did you have a mentor while developing your leadership skills? If so, who were they, and what did you learn?

Sam> I never really had a mentor. I made it a point to meet lots of people across the industry and beyond—wider business, creative, adland warriors etc. I’m a bit of a sponge, so I’ve absorbed a lot over the years, picking up the stuff I rated, throwing away the stuff I didn't.

As for mentoring, I’d like to think I mentor lots of the creative team. Watching some team members grow from very junior roles to leaders within the company has been rewarding. The term 'mentor' feels a bit icky to me, but I’m proud to have played a part in their success.

The agency’s work for The New Zealand Herpes foundation, a testament to the leadership and creative team. The campaign picked up broad local and intentional attention for its unique approach to a health campaign.

LBB> What is the best advice you would give to a leader in our industry?

Sam> Great leadership—especially in creative fields—is about steering the ship without people really realising you’re holding the rudder. It’s about a confident, smart, touch rather than a heavy hand.

In creative work, I’ve found that bringing out the best in people comes from being immersed alongside them—guiding core ideas and talent in the right direction, rather than relying on top-down orders or formal reviews.

For me when you genuinely enjoy the work it becomes easy to stay connected to the creative, the people and therefore the leadership.