Jared Kozel, co-founder and chief creative officer of Super Nice, launched the agency in late January 2025 after nearly two decades creating award-winning work for Coca-Cola, Amazon, Starbucks, Delta and Porsche at holding companies like VML, Wunderman Thompson and Moxie.
The Atlanta-based shop—co-founded with Barry Sonders (chief content officer) and MJ Speakman (chief strategy officer)—built its foundation on a simple but radical idea: nice isn’t just a virtue, it’s a winning strategy.
Four months in, they’ve already attracted Delta Air Lines, Kickstarter, Wegmans, SurveyMonkey and American Campus Communities as clients. “Clients are looking for something different,” Jared explains, “and that’s exactly what we built Super Nice to be—high-craft, low-ego, and obsessed with the audience.”
From holding company frustration to high-level creativity without the red tape
Jared spent years watching big agency machinery slow down great ideas. The 30-person meetings. The layers. The red tape that kept senior talent from doing what they do best.
Super Nice eliminates all of it. “We wanted to create a place that we wanted to work at, to attract clients that we wanted to work with,” he says.
The result is an agency where creativity happens fast and feels enjoyable. They’ve eliminated pitch-and-switch, replaced hierarchies with direct client access, and built a model where decisions get made quickly. Clients feel the difference immediately.
Audience obsession, creative craft, radical collaboration
Super Nice hangs its reputation on three core strengths. First, audience obsession—not what the agency thinks or even what the client thinks, but what the audience needs. “Nice is interesting virtue, but it’s a way to really stand out,” Jared explains.
Second, creative craft. The double entendre in “Super Nice” captures both the feeling they want to create and the exclamation you make when you see exceptional work.
Third, radical collaboration. They give clients transparency throughout the process instead of saving everything for the big reveal. That approach extends to their team, where everyone gets hands-on access to the work and the clients.
Independence means empowerment and speed
After spending years in the holding company world, Jared and his co-founders started getting that collective sense that they could do something different. “We wanted to create a place that we wanted to work at,” he says.
Independence gave them the freedom to design a new way of working without the structural constraints that made big shops slow and frustrating.
Clients feel it in every interaction. They’re getting an A team every day with no pitch-and-switch. Decisions happen faster. The work stays sharp because there aren’t layers calling the edges down.
Why brands choose Super Nice over bigger shops
Brands work with Super Nice because they want high-level creativity without the baggage. They want work that punches above its weight but doesn’t come with six-month timelines and 50-person teams.
“We’re looking for clients who want to be truly bold and do work that’s super nice,” Jared explains. That means brands willing to embrace risk, try new things, and trust a process built on speed and empathy.
The agency’s early client roster reflects that philosophy. Delta Air Lines trusts them with national campaigns, Kickstarter values their audience-first approach, and emerging brands like American Campus Communities see them as partners who can redefine entire categories.
Why talent chooses Super Nice
Super Nice isn’t building a talent factory. They’re creating a place people want to work—where empathy matters as much for the team as it does for audiences and clients.
“We’re trying to create a space that people feel super empowered to do the best work of their career,” Jared says, “and are surrounded by people who really care about that craft.”
The agency removes process that limits potential, giving everyone direct access to leaders and hands-on experience with clients. It attracts talent from holding companies burned out by endless check-ins, as well as recent grads from schools like SCAD who want to learn from people doing the work.
Misfits who believe kindness works
When asked if they’re weirdos, misfits or underdogs, Jared doesn’t hesitate: “I would say that we’re absolutely misfits, just by the nature of being an indie shop.”
They’re breaking the mold every chance they get, starting with a name that completely subverts aggressive agency culture. “We’re called Super Nice. We’re not some aggressive kind of agency name. We’re really trying to play into that space of kindness does work.”
They believe you can do powerful things while enjoying each other and having fun. As Jared puts it: “We’re misfits with a mission—to prove what’s possible when empathy, boldness and loyalty lead.”
Marion Lee at Netflix and Nick Chavez at Seven Brew, hello
Jared has two people on his mind. First, Marion Lee, CMO of Netflix: “Hello, I’d love to get to know you more and let you know what we could do at Super Nice.”
Second, Nick Chavez, CMO at Seven Brew and former CMO at KFC. “I want to say hello, and I love what he’s up to at Seven Brew taking over the coffee space.”
Work is coming soon, with campaigns rolling out through fall 2025. But right now, the focus is on proving that when you lead with craft and kindness, the work speaks for itself.
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