Wendy Shay spent 25 years inside agencies large and small before co-founding Team Win Studios, a Los Angeles–based creative shop launched mid-pandemic and built for speed. Everything—strategy, production, post—is done in-house by a senior, distributed team that prides itself on scrappy thinking and measurable outcomes.
They’ve become a go-to for brands like Google, Paramount+, and Safelite, thanks to a model that’s fast, lean, and fluent in platform-native creative. “We like to call ourselves punk rock,” Shay says. “There’s a collaborative, improvisational energy to how we work—but it’s all in service of performance.” That indie ethos, applied with precision, is what keeps clients coming back.
Watch the interview
A quick history of Team Win
Remote from day one, and better for it
Team Win was born fully distributed in 2020, a decision they’ve never second-guessed. “We left the office in the pandemic and never looked back,” says Shay. With a core team of 19 and a deep bench of collaborators, the studio scales fluidly around projects. Many on the team are multi-hyphenates—writer-directors, editor-producers, creative leads who know how to run a set. That flexibility has allowed them to do more with less, and do it quickly. “Everyone’s senior. Everyone contributes. We just move.”
What Team Win is best known for
Digital-first creative that’s built for performance, not platforms
As Google partners, Team Win often starts with YouTube—then scales to CTV, OTT, and social once the work proves out. Their sweet spot is helping big brands who are great at TV but struggling to make digital click. “You’d be surprised how many take their :30 and drop it on YouTube,” Shay says. “And then wonder why it doesn’t work.” What Team Win brings is fluency: they understand how to concept for digital, test fast, and lift metrics. Their reputation is simple and sticky: creative that performs.
Inside the Team Win model
Lean teams. Senior talent. Real-time decision-making.
Client-fit over formula – Some brands hand them a starting point, others ask for the full idea. The process flexes either way.
Concepts shaped by execution – Creative ideas are built with budgets and logistics in mind, not added after the fact.
A crew of generalists – Writer-directors and editor-producers work side by side, speeding up timelines and simplifying collaboration.
The power of being indie
No margin targets. No filler meetings. Just the work.
At bigger shops, Shay often found herself in rooms full of billable bodies. “I’d look around and think, if I were the client, I’d be asking why I’m paying for all this,” she says. At Team Win, they’ve stripped out the overhead and built a model where leadership is hands-on, and the team stays tight. “We can take on projects that might not be huge revenue-wise, because we know they’re the right fit. That freedom only comes from being indie.”
Why brands should work with Team Win
If your YouTube performance sucks, they can fix it
Team Win is ideal for marketers in auto, QSR, and insurance—categories still entrenched in traditional TV thinking. Shay puts it plainly: “There’s probably something off in your digital performance, and it’s not your media buy. It’s your creative.” In a recent YouTube campaign for an auto brand, their work drove a 600% lift compared to the repurposed TV spots. “A test doesn’t cost much,” Shay says. “But it tells you everything.”
Why talent thrives at Team Win
Remote-first, ego-free, and made for grownups
Talent isn’t just tolerated in Team Win’s remote model—it’s attracted to it. “We’ve hired amazing senior people who left big agencies because they didn’t want to go back to the office,” Shay says. And because most of the collaboration happens in production or on Zoom, the team stays close. “We’re constantly seeing each other on set. There’s no distance—just momentum.”
So… weirdos, misfits, or underdogs?
“We’re punk rock.”
“We get labeled all those things,” Shay says. “But punk rock fits better.” One of her partners even played in a punk band—and the influence shows. “It’s fast, collaborative, improvisational. You move, you figure it out, and you make it good.”
A hello to one CMO
Legacy marketers stuck in TV mode—let’s talk
Shay’s shoutout is direct: If you’re in automotive, insurance, or fast food—and your YouTube strategy isn’t delivering—it’s time to test something new. “We’re not trying to replace your AOR,” she says. “But we’ll show you what good platform-native creative can do.”
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