Bill Milkereit, founder and writer at Poke the Bear, spent over 20 years at The Richards Group before deciding the system needed to be his. Todd Tucker, his creative partner on the legendary Chick-fil-A account, felt the same. They met Hayley Tarazewich a few years into their legendary run, and together they spent a full year naming their independent shop. The result: a name that filters out the unlikely and attracts the weirdos. “We got a long track record of poking the bear,” Bill says. “And we say that nobody won’t—nobody wants to work with an agency named Poke the Bear because they want to play it safe and not try something a little bit dangerous.”
How Poke the Bear got started
Bill and Todd built their reputations at one of advertising’s most storied shops, where craft and creative courage were non-negotiable. They learned what it takes to push ideas until people lean in, to root everything in strategy, and to use that poke—sometimes as a stick for digging, sometimes for unearthing insights. When they decided to go independent a couple years ago, their first conversation was almost embarrassing in its simplicity: “Wait a minute, we get to work on whatever. We get to work on whatever we want with whoever we want.”
Hayley brought her own track record and perspective to the mix. The three spent a year wrestling with the name, determined to find something that would filter out the unlike-minded and attract people who actually believe in what they do. Once they landed on Poke the Bear, the logo—a full bear getting poked—stuck immediately. Hayley’s first reaction? “I was an eye patch kid,” she laughed, remembering her childhood pirate nickname.
Creative firepower rooted in strategy
Poke the Bear isn’t known for playing it safe. The agency is built on creative firepower—experienced partners who think hard and push harder. But here’s what sets them apart: every idea is rooted in strategy, not just aesthetics. They don’t just use a stick for poking; they use it for digging—for finding the insights and nuggets that make work actually work.
The second core strength is work ethic. As Todd puts it, talent alone doesn’t cut it if you don’t listen, deliver on time, and show up with the right attitude. They call this the “give a shit factor,” and they treat it like table stakes. All the firepower in the world doesn’t matter if you don’t act like an adult.
The third is a sense of humor—specifically, a sense of human. Bill explains: “We deal in humorous stories, but it’s the kind of humor you can relate to. It always brings a smile to your face. Maybe you don’t double over laughing. Maybe you do. But this idea that you can relate to it. We’re people watchers.”
Why independence changes everything
Independence isn’t just about fewer meetings or cleaner org charts. It’s about control. After years at a big shop with systems designed by someone else, they built their own. “Lean on purpose, load for bear as needed,” they say. That flexibility attracts talent and empowers the work.
They can say yes to clients that light them up and no to those that don’t. They can reshape the team to fit the project. They can trust each other without layers of approval getting in the way. It’s the kind of operational freedom that makes people fall in love with indie life.
The big idea hiding in plain sight
Todd describes their superpower this way: “We have a knack for finding the big idea hiding in plain sight.” It’s the head-slap moment—the idea that makes you think, “I can’t believe we haven’t done this before.” In client presentations, they’ve come to expect that literal head slap, followed by the question: “Why didn’t we think of that?”
Part of this comes from creative firepower. Part of it comes from fresh perspective—they’re not category-locked or too close to the problem. Most of it comes from refusing to settle. They’d rather present one tight idea that lands than five mediocre ones.
Why talent chooses them
Talented people have options. They could work at big shops with prestigious names or startups with headline ambitions. Poke the Bear offers something different: a place where your voice matters—and it matters right away. “Small enough that your voice matters and it matters immediately,” Hayley explains. “There is no having to climb the ropes to be invited into the room or the meeting.”
If you’re looking for proof that the culture is real, look at their track record. If the work resonates with you, you’ll know this is the place. “Look at the track record of that agency. What is the type of work that they’re putting out there? Is that the type of work that resonates with you?” If the answer is yes, they’ll challenge you to create at that level.
Weirdos who filter out the unlike-minded
“If we’re not weirdos, we’re doing something wrong.” That’s the ethos. Bill and Todd don’t want to blend in, and they know their name filters people accordingly. Poke the Bear isn’t for everybody—and they’re fine with that. Mediocre is everywhere. They don’t want any part of it.
“We are a misfit for those clients that just want to do the kind of category work,” Bill says. The dream scenario: “Look a client in the eye and say, ‘Please don’t hire us if you want to follow all the rules and you don’t want to shake anything up.’” That filtering might sound risky, but it’s actually efficient. It means everyone in the door gets the same thing: a team that cares about the work and won’t phone it in.
A personal hello to the CMOs they’re watching
Todd’s got his eye on Katie Vannoy, Vice President of brand marketing at Topgolf. “It’s so much more than golf, so much more than socializing,” he explains. “I think that those guys have this amazing product that they’re just starting to scratch the surface on what it could be. And they’re in Dallas, so we can have lunch face to face.”
Hayley’s watching Andrea Brimmer at Ally. “Banking is one of probably the most challenging, boring categories that there is, but she is already daring to be different,” Hayley says. “She’s got that challenger mindset that I think fits perfectly with our personality.”
Bill’s spotted an opportunity in the liquor aisle. “Ever looked at the shelf in the liquor store? It’s just an aisle of mush.” He’d love to help a bourbon brand or beer brand stand out. And then there’s his final offer: “The guy who’s in charge—or the woman in charge—of the marketing for the Chicago Bears. I’m actually a Bears fan. Let’s face it, they need help everywhere, even their marketing. They wouldn’t have to pay us. We’d want to do it.”
Learn more
Poke the Bear
Bill Milkereit LinkedIn
Todd Tucker LinkedIn
Poke the Bear LinkedIn
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