LA hot shop The Many Expands to Australia spearheaded by co-founder Damien Eley who returns to Australia after two decades abroad

Award winning Los Angeles-based creative company The Many is launching in Australia. Spearheaded by co-founder Damien Eley – who has returned to Australia after two decades abroad – the move represents the first step in bringing The Many’s successful participation model to a new market.

“This isn’t a traditional agency launch and we’re not here to just work for hire,” says Eley. “We’ve really tried to purpose-build this for an increasingly fragmented, fast-moving, and more audience-led world. We want to participate in our partners’ goals.”

At the heart of the creative company’s expansion into Australia is a belief that the future of creativity is participatory. Eley explains: “In an era where audiences demand agency and involvement, The Many’s approach flips the traditional model on its head – building ideas with audiences, not just for them.”

From co-created IP and creator-led storytelling to AI-assisted campaign development, The Many’s model aims to turn brand fans into collaborators and culture-makers. Eley adds that ‘Participation’ isn’t just a buzzword: “It’s a business strategy that drives deeper engagement, richer data, and more durable brand love.”

Eley brings over 20 years of global creative leadership to the venture, having helped shape the creative fabric of agencies like BMF, Ogilvy New York, and Mother London before founding both Mistress and The Many in Los Angeles. After four years of remote work from Australia, he’s now actively engaging with clients, collaborators, and acquisition opportunities across APAC.

“But this isn’t about recreating LA in Sydney,” Eley explains. “It’s more about evolving The Many’s offering into something new that responds to, but also challenges, the market here – something flexible, local, and able to grow.”

Over the past few years, The Many has evolved from an agency into a flexible, borderless solution built for participation-led creativity. Its modular offering includes The Many Agency for strategic brand work, The Many Studios for participatory branded content and IP, The Many Labs for AI-driven innovation, The Many Media, managing over AUD$100 million worth in media for insight-led distribution, and The Many Brand Partners.

The Many is purpose-built for a generation that doesn’t want to be sold to – they want to be part of the brand story. The agency’s philosophy of evolving with its audiences has been proven across campaigns including:

Hot Wheels – Over a billion views fuelled by fan participation.

Mixwell – A campaign that participated with its audience to NOT buy it.

Jin Ramen – Launching into the US with a K-pop, BTS and ramen love triangle.

eBay Between2Rides – Award winning Branded Content approach.

https://www.themany.com/projects/between-2-rides-season-1-and-2

eBay Vault – Tech-enabled fandom and community-building.

Eley adds: “Rather than opening another satellite agency, we are building a new model of creative business development for APAC – modular, flexible, and responsive. This vision encompasses smart, culturally tuned creative solutions for Australian brands, a hub for participatory branded content with monetisation potential, and a strategic base for regional expansion, innovation, and even potential acquisitions, particularly in the immersive tech space.

“Australia doesn’t need just another indie creative agency. It needs a new kind of partner.”

The Many is now engaging with potential partners across the region. Interested parties are invited to participate in shaping the future of brand engagement in Australia.