1. Origin Story: How Toilet Paper Got Its Name
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The name came from the most honest place possible: Andrew Kim was in the bathroom. “The first thing that I saw was toilet paper, and then it just stuck with me,” he explains. But there’s method behind the memorable madness. “Everybody needs toilet paper,” Kim notes, and that universality became the foundation for something bigger. As an indie agency, standing out isn’t optional—it’s survival. The name needed to be impossible to forget, capable of launching a thousand puns, and bold enough to signal exactly what kind of shop this would be. Mission accomplished.
2. What They Do: Concept-First Creative
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Toilet Paper calls itself a “concept shop,” and that distinction matters. “We’re known for coming up with bold, strong, creative ideas and creative concepts,” says Matt Elliott, “but concepts that are really rooted in strategy.” They never start with tactics or channels—always with the idea. That core concept becomes the North Star for everything that follows, whether it’s influencer programs, activations, or content strategy. The approach keeps work cohesive and prevents the scattered execution that plagues so many campaigns. Everything ties back to one strong, unifying thought.
3. Core Strengths: Speed, Scale, and Pushing Boundaries
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Three things set Toilet Paper apart. First, that concept-first philosophy—never starting with the how before nailing the what. Second, TP AMP (Toilet Paper Affiliate Marketing Program), which activates creators at scale on TikTok and Instagram with measurable results, particularly powerful for brands entering the U.S. market or new categories. Third, the indie advantage: flexibility and speed without bureaucracy or red tape. “We can move quickly and make things happen as quickly as our clients want,” Elliott emphasizes. No layers, no approvals from three time zones away, no watering down ideas through committee review.
4. The Uncomfortable Truth: Who Should (and Shouldn’t) Work With Them
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Matt Elliott delivers this warning without apology: “If there are brands out there looking to stay safe and be very conservative with concepts or ideas, we’re probably not the best partner for you.” Toilet Paper exists to push envelopes and make clients uncomfortable—in a good way. “We’re all a little bit crazy,” Elliott admits. Andrew Kim frames it differently: they want work that’s “impossible to ignore, but not louder, but more in a smarter way.” The shop targets that 1-2% of every brand that wants to be the bandit, the bad boy, even when the brand itself skews serious. If you need something passable and expected, look elsewhere. If you want people talking, they’re listening.
5. What They’ve Learned: Collaboration Beats Everything
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The best client relationships, Elliott has learned, are built on radical transparency. “The more open a brand is with its goals and challenges that they’re up against, the stronger the work becomes.” Toilet Paper treats everyone as partners—team members, media partners, clients. Partnership means collaboration, and collaboration produces the strongest work. It’s not a vendor relationship; it’s a shared mission. When brands hold back information or keep the agency at arm’s length, the work suffers. When they bring Toilet Paper all the way in, magic happens.
6. The Indie Advantage: Access and Accountability
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Being indie isn’t just about size—it’s about structure and values. John Miyoshi explains: “We don’t want those extra layers of approval, like the typical agency model. That helps us speed up the process.” More importantly, it preserves the integrity of ideas. As Elliott puts it, “If we believe something is the right idea for a client, we can move on it very quickly and make sure ideas aren’t watered down.” For clients, the value is direct access. “We’re the people in the pitch, and we’re the people doing the work,” Elliott notes. No bait and switch. No handoff to a junior team. The three partners—Elliott, Kim, and Miyoshi—are accountable for everything that gets delivered.
The indie community itself has proven invaluable. Kim credits resources from fellow indies, from HR recommendations to financial services, plus the ability to bounce ideas off peers. “As an indie shop, it’s important for us to really stick together,” he says, contrasting it with the siloed competition of holding companies.
7. How They Work: Fluid Teams and Collective Talent
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The core team is three partners, but Toilet Paper operates with a collective model that expands based on project needs—anywhere from 10 to over 100 people. Kim runs Fact Collective, a creative collective of 75+ members who gather to discuss creative work and jump on projects when their skills align. It’s not an agency or talent shop; it’s a community. Projects get posted in Slack channels, talent volunteers, and project managers keep everything moving.
What makes it work? “We want everyone to have a voice and ownership of the work,” Elliott explains. “We blur the lines in terms of lanes because we generally don’t have them.” Everyone contributes ideas, everyone does the work, no one gets stuck in the background. And crucially, “people do their best work when they’re in that collaborative and fun environment,” Elliott adds. With a name like Toilet Paper, fun isn’t optional—it’s foundational.
8. Weirdos, Misfits, and Underdogs: The Toilet Paper Identity
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Asked to choose between weirdos, misfits, or underdogs, the answer is all of the above. Elliott settles on “underdogs with a good sense of humor.” They’re not the biggest shop, but they believe their ideas can outpunch anyone. “We don’t take ourselves too seriously,” he adds. John Miyoshi sees it as their secret weapon: “Each of us has an interesting trait about us, and without those three formulas, I don’t think we’d be able to deliver.”
Andrew Kim delivers the perfect summary: “Think of it as bacon, egg and cheese on everything bagel with ketchup, salt and pepper all together, smushed with hot black coffee. We’re definitely weirdos—we call ourselves fucking toilet paper for God’s sake. We’re misfits because we love puns and produce cringy, uncomfortable stuff that makes you call legal. And we’re underdogs because we’re indies and nobody knows us.”
The proof? They once brought branded toilet paper rolls to a major industry conference, left them in bathrooms, and almost got kicked out. That’s not just guerrilla marketing—it’s a values statement. They’re here to make noise, earn media (good or bad), and push boundaries. As Kim puts it in his closing challenge to marketers: “Make sure you have your legal team, or better yet, don’t. We’re ready to make the buzz.”
Find them at: wearetotletpaper.com
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