Tommy Henvey, Chief Creative and Co-founder, and Patti McConnell, Managing Partner and Co-founder, launched Something Different in Brooklyn in 2016 after what Patti calls “a shoot that was ripping our souls out.” Neither had a business plan — Patti downloaded a template and they figured it out. The name came from Tommy’s go-to phrase when ordering food: “I just want something different.” Both arrived from Ogilvy (Tommy as ECD, Patti as EP on Coke, Qualcomm and AmEx) and built a studio model that’s become proof that flat leadership, genuine craft and a refusal to waste anyone’s time work. Nearly a decade in, they’re still doing it. “Give us our day in court,” Tommy says.
A soul-crushing shoot and a downloaded business plan
The origin story is refreshingly honest. Both co-founders were burnt out on big-agency politics and that particular brand of soul-crushing production where you spend weeks on set making something nobody remembers. Patti grabbed a business plan template from the internet — neither knew what they were doing. Tommy had been saying “I just want something different” about everything, and the name stuck. They set out to build an agency on different terms. Nearly a decade later, it’s working.
Funny, crafted and unapologetically well-produced
Something Different is known for work that’s funny, crafted and unashamed of high production values. They strip away the layers that accumulate in bigger shops — the sign-offs, the approvals, the meetings about meetings. The work doesn’t feel overcooked or consensus-designed. It feels like people who know what they’re doing made a decision and stuck with it.
Strategic problem solving, great creative, obsessive execution
Strategic problem solving comes first — they don’t treat strategy as a box to check. Great creative follows because the thinking is sound. And execution is obsessive. They cast talent specifically for each project from a trusted network, not by pulling people off the internet and hoping for the best. It’s a studio model built on relationships, not headcount.
No layers, no meetings about meetings
Independence lets them move fast, protect their people and change the rules when the work demands it. Decisions don’t require sign-off from 50 stakeholders. The model lets them land clients like Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Spectrum while operating with the speed and clarity of a much smaller shop. Going into year 10, the structure has proved itself. As Patti puts it: you have to have the freedom and agility to act accordingly when things change — and things are always changing.
What you see is what you get
Brands get access, not egos. The people in the pitch are the people who do the work. Something Different has shipped more in nine years than agencies three times its size — and every piece gets treated with the same care, whether it’s a Super Bowl spot or a line on a matchbook cover. Patti once sent soup to a client’s sick kids after a grueling shoot, not for show but because she knew what reentry would look like for a parent. That kind of thing isn’t a strategy. It’s who they are.
The mafia family that treats you like an adult
Flat leadership means your opinion carries the same weight on day one. They treat people like adults — no bed checks, no performative face time. One creative director does their best work at 2:13am, and nobody polices the clock. Both contractors and full-time staff feel like genuine parts of the team. Patti calls it a “mafia family” kind of commitment: if you’re in, everyone’s got your back. The people who work here chose this life.
Give us our day in court
Tommy leans underdog. It’s hard for a smaller place to get into rooms — the RFPs want 50 people, the procurement teams want scale, and the incumbents have momentum. But Something Different’s team are grinders who’ve produced more than most 1,000-person agencies because they keep it simple and they’re fast. Tommy’s ask is straightforward: “Give us our day in court. If we lose, we lose.” They just want the chance.
Who wants to play?
Tommy isn’t naming names. His shoutout is to a type: “Who wants to play? Who loves doing what they do and wants to get in a bunker and figure it out?” He points to whoever greenlit Old Spice 20 years ago — a marketing person nobody was shouting about who changed a brand. Patti’s addition: “Be a little brave and have some joy.” That’s the whole pitch. Work with people who love the craft, and the work gets better.
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