Former R/GA execs Craig Brooks and Joel Pearson launch new strategic brand and creative studio not bad ϟ pretty good

Craig Brooks and Joel Pearson, most recently executive creative director and executive strategy director of R/GA Australia, have launched strategic brand and creative studio not bad ϟ pretty good.

Launching at a particularly challenging time for the industry, the independent studio promises a modern approach to creative work that’s more agile, cost-effective and impactful.

Well-versed in work that extends beyond traditional media channels, the duo have a long history (together and independently) of producing ideas that are both award-winning and effective.

With its new offering the team are establishing a different type of creative development model, working as a unified strategic/creative partnership across the entire process from first conversation to finished product. The new model leverages a network of specialist talent to deliver creatively rich strategy work and strategically sound creative work, and has already seen nbϟpg working with several startups on brand and communications projects.

Says Craig Brooks (right), creative / strategy partner, nbϟpg: “These are tricky times, and with distancing affecting the way creative solutions are traditionally managed, a hands-on senior team that unifies strategy and creative can deliver better results and ensure consistency for the project.”

Offering its services to brands and startups, nbϟpg can be engaged for brand development and creative campaign projects, internal workshops, or to provide consultation to in-house teams. Operating as an end-to-end team means a more nimble, streamlined process and fewer baton-passes resulting in faster work and fewer overheads.

Says Joel Pearson (left), strategy / creative partner, nbϟpg: “Craig and I have always had a strong partnership, working hand in hand with each of us providing strategic and creative direction, even when the process or systems didn’t always make it easy. After working on and off together in numerous roles at network agencies over the past decade we decided it was time to do something a little different. We want to build something that captures the best of this industry, a studio that is challenging, fulfilling, and most importantly fun – for us, for our clients, and for the audiences that experience the work.”

Adds Brooks: “We never expected we would make this decision three weeks before a global pandemic, but from adversity comes opportunity, and the clients we’ve been working with so far are reflecting that positive sentiment. While everyone else is working from home we’ve converted an old recording studio in Enmore into a small creative space. Living close means we’re able to work together in this new space and jam on stuff in a way that is difficult to replicate via video conference, while still maintaining social distancing.”

“It’s pretty good, really,” says Pearson.

not bad ϟ pretty good is currently working on a variety of confidential projects and are now open for business at notbadprettygood.com.au