The Royals, Melbourne raids Tribal DDB and Sputnik Agency for three new appointments

The Melbourne-based agency is bringing Nick Cummins, Steve O’Farrell and Andrew Siwka together with Royals founder Dave King (near left), in a move that they claim will bring an unrivalled combination of creative, digital and product development capability to the Australian marketplace.

Steve O’Farrell (second from left) joins from Sputnik Agency where he was national managing director from 2008 until his resignation earlier this year.  Previously O’Farrell was co-managing director of The Furnace Melbourne.

Andrew Siwka (far left) also hails from Sputnik where he was general manager. Prior to that posting he held various regional and global positions within the JWT network.  

The partners are now tasked with growing an agency that has historically delivered innovative brand thinking and executions, together with well-crafted creative technology solutions. Additionally, The Royals will be investing in a range of R&D, incubation and digital product development initiatives.

Part of the genesis of The Royals expansion is the recognition that digital is now everywhere. Consumers don’t see the internet as separate to their everyday lives. With this in mind, contemporary agencies that live and breath digital are able to address any communications challenge. The Royals are creating products, experiences, gaming environments and tools… as well as ads.

The new Royals’ structure will see creative director, Cummins, and innovation director, King, brought together to form a new type of creative team. By pairing a creative director with a digital media & product innovation expert at the most senior level, The Royals believe that the agency will maximise its ability to deliver the best possible ideas across all manner of communications channels.

And in O’Farrell and Siwka, The Royals inherit two seasoned agency executives that understand the demands of the contemporary marketing landscape, plus how to fully exploit digital as part of an integrated approach. This is all part of rapidly taking the company from being a digital outfit to a creative agency that is custom-built for a modern, connected world.

The Royals’ clients already include Sensis, Mercedes Benz, News Limited, Teach For Australia and Lode but there will be more announcements in the near future.

Says Siwka: “To create an agency unencumbered by legacy structures and thinking was an exciting enough proposition but to partner with this calibre of talent was an opportunity too big to pass up”.

Adds O’Farrell: “All four partners have worked together under various guises in the past and I can’t wait to see what’s possible when we put our collective, bald, heads together.”