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Meet an Indie Agency: Barbarian
January 20 @ 9:30 am – 10:00 am PST
Jeff Blackman, Danielle Parkes, and Alara Yildizlar join us from Barbarian in New York—an agency that’s been around long enough to watch “innovation” mean completely different things across multiple eras of digital. They’re currently deep into AI and generative user interfaces, but the through line has always been the same: inventive creativity in the service of cracking business problems.
They talk about three pillars that modern CMOs need from an agency partner—social and content (outpacing cultural change), customer experience (where the work is driven by an idea, not just functionality), and technology engineering (understanding the enterprise systems where brands actually live). Independence lets them pursue what’s never been done before without layers of decision-making slowing things down. Clients get the A-team, courageous recommendations, and the kind of long-term relationships that come from actually functioning as a partner.
The culture runs on a simple motto: raise your hand, try new things, and trust that you’ll be rewarded. Not a lot of no’s floating around when someone has a good idea.
In this conversation, we explore:
– The three pillars modern CMOs need from an agency partner
– Why indie agencies are proving they can punch above their weight as creative AORs
– Removing decision-making layers to stay ahead of culture and technology
– The “raise your hand, try new things” approach to nurturing talent
– Why the name says it all—challenging convention and being proud of it
– What it means to be weirdos, misfits, and underdogs all at once
This is the story of an agency named Barbarian for a reason—they’re going to challenge convention, and they’re not apologizing for it.
