Ex-Grey president and CCO Laura Jordan Bambach has teamed up with former Karmarama managing partner Hattie Matthews and ex-R/GA CSO Fern Miller to form a new start-up agency called Uncharted.
The trio starts out with three founding clients: ticketing marketplace Seat Unique; Danish cycling apparel brand Pas Normal; and a new low-alcohol brand from Marlow Distillery.
Uncharted’s three (again) aims are for an agency that gives clients confidence in uncertain times, powered by advanced technology, and with an inclusive mix of talent. In short, the idea is to be “human centred, technology enabled, and culture obsessed.”
The three founders are all well-known names and faces in the industry with a strong record of leadership. Jordan Bambach did everything she could to put Grey on the map by raising the bar creatively, but may be happier in her own shop – she rose to prominence off the back of the success of her former start-up, Mr President.
Hattie Matthews, co-founder of Uncharted, said: “We saw that existing agency models aren’t motivated or modelled for future opportunities. As three fearless, future-fascinated leaders, we found ourselves asking ‘is there a better way?’ If we were to ideate the creative agency of the future, in the era of AI, to deliver bolder, smarter and more effective outcomes, what would it look like? We want to give brands the confidence to be able to set out without fear.”
Laura Jordan Bambach co-founder said: “Yes we will use the best new technologies, but importantly we will champion creative thinking by the most diverse community of talent in partnership with those technologies. We will increasingly value original human points of view, emotion and experience to help brands succeed. Creative minds who can think beyond and transform what the computer suggests, and challenge the blandification and bias of generated work, means that our crew of explorers is our superpower.”
Fern Miller, co-founder, said that the goal of Uncharted will be to “rebuild confidence in the industry, with ideas and creative that makes a difference to people and brands, and with a more progressive, intelligent model.”
Uncharted isn’t starting up entirely alone. It has a “structural partnership” with Territory Studio, a motion design, visual effects and digital experiences specialist that has credits on movies like Dune 2, Bladerunner 2049, Avengers: Endgame and Bond’s No Time to Die. Territory has offices in London, New York, Barcelona, New York and San Francisco.