THE ELEPHANT ROOM JOINS DO.AGENCY’S GLOBAL MICRO-NETWORK TO ADVANCE INDIE CREATIVE POWER

London agency The Elephant Room has partnered with global micro-network DO.Agency, marking a major step toward offering independent, audience-led creativity at international scale. The alliance reunites former colleagues, expands global reach, strengthens local expertise, and responds to rising client demand for agile indie partners that deliver culturally grounded, multinational work without traditional network constraints.

The Elephant Room’s decision to partner with DO.Agency marks a defining moment not just for the London-based creative shop, but for the broader independent agency landscape at a time when global clients are increasingly seeking alternatives to sprawling holding companies. The move brings together two like-minded independents—both built on entrepreneurial energy, cultural awareness, and a rejection of bloated global structures—and formalises a relationship rooted in a shared history. For The Elephant Room’s founder and CEO, Dan Saxby, and DO.Agency’s founders, Andrew Dowling and Tom Ormes, the partnership is also a reunion, reconnecting a team that once helped build iris Worldwide’s Asia presence between 2006 and 2011. Nearly 15 years later, they are joining forces again, this time to reshape what a global independent network can look like.

The union gives The Elephant Room access to DO.’s global micro-network, which already has strong foundations in Australia, New Zealand, and Asia. For DO., the partnership represents a strategic expansion into the UK—one of the world’s most influential creative markets—anchored by an agency that has carved a reputation for community-built creativity and work designed with audiences, not simply for them. In an industry where clients are increasingly seeking cultural depth, agility, and global thinking without the expense and bureaucracy of larger networks, both agencies see this alliance as the answer to a rapidly evolving marketplace.

For Saxby, the partnership formalises what the agency has long sought: a global capability with no compromise. While The Elephant Room has previously relied on an informal network to support global clients, this move gives the agency a scalable, structured, culturally aligned footprint. Saxby explains that many independents claim global capabilities through loose crowdsourced networks, but these arrangements often come with risks—lack of consistency, control, chemistry, and trust. By contrast, the synergy between The Elephant Room and DO. is built on shared experience and longstanding professional respect. “We wanted a partner who is ambitious, doing exceptional work, and who we trust,” Saxby says. “Andrew and the team were already building something powerful. The opportunity to fuse what we’ve each created—and globalise it—was too good to miss.”

The partnership also strengthens the proposition for clients who operate across multiple markets. Saxby points to one of The Elephant Room’s anchor clients, The Botanist, which has key markets in the US and Australia, with Japan identified as a growth region. Access to DO.’s on-the-ground teams means the agency can tap into cultural nuance and local market expertise—insight that global brands increasingly demand. DO.’s own client base, meanwhile, benefits from direct access to UK-based cultural intelligence, creativity, and audience-driven approaches that The Elephant Room has become known for.

The collaboration mirrors a shift in the global creative landscape. The pendulum, Saxby says, is swinging firmly toward independents. “The market has come to indies. Indies are on the up,” he notes. DO.’s Dowling agrees, arguing that clients are now actively moving toward independents that can operate with global breadth without sacrificing the speed, intimacy, and authenticity of local expertise. “Local independents often struggle to support multi-market clients because of geography or scale limitations,” Dowling says. “But large networks come with expense, slower speed, and lack of cultural closeness. The sweet spot is somewhere in between.” The Elephant Room and DO. believe they have found that middle ground through the micro-network model—lean, nimble, owner-operated, and deeply rooted in culture.

That cultural depth is central to The Elephant Room’s identity. Saxby points to recent campaigns for Vodafone and Macmillan Cancer Research as examples of work co-created with communities, not crafted in isolation. It’s an approach that contrasts with the increasingly commoditised output of large networks, where scale and AI-driven personalisation, Saxby argues, can strip away emotional resonance. By comparison, The Elephant Room’s method is grounded in human connection and real-world insight. The partnership with DO. aims to take that creative philosophy global.

International expansion is already in motion, with particular enthusiasm from teams in the Asia-Pacific region. The Elephant Room is also preparing to globalise its talent platforms, which have become core to its mission in the UK. One Month Mentors, a year-round initiative pairing individuals from underrepresented communities with senior industry leaders, has become a standout programme for developing diverse leadership pathways. Meanwhile, The Guestlist—a community born in 2020—now includes more than 3,000 creatives, 85% of whom identify as ethnically diverse. The agency plans to evolve The Guestlist into a real-world community offering masterclasses, clinics, and events, with ambitions to embed it in creative hubs around the world. Saxby sees potential for cities such as Bangkok, where cultural energy and creative communities align naturally with the programme’s ethos.

On the DO. side, the network prides itself on being owner-operated. Each international office is led by local principals who hold direct stakes in their markets. Dowling and chief creative officer Tom Ormes serve as the connective tissue, providing global oversight without overriding local autonomy. For Dowling, this structure is essential. “Clients want experts—people who understand local nuance and audiences,” he says. “We connect them to the best local teams, not parachuted leadership.” That philosophy was key in DO.’s decision to partner with The Elephant Room for its UK presence rather than hire talent from major networks.

As the global chief creative officer of DO., Ormes says the partnership is an exciting step in expanding the group’s creative footprint into London. He praises The Elephant Room’s hunger, ambition, and people-first culture, describing the alignment as both strategic and human. “Together we’re excited to create work that makes an impact on a bigger stage,” Ormes says.

The partnership arrives at a time when the global creative industry is rethinking the shape of its future. Clients are seeking agility without losing expertise, cultural intelligence without compromising scale, and global thinking without the weight of holding-company structures. The Elephant Room and DO. believe their union answers that need—offering a streamlined, deeply connected international network built on trust, ambition, and community-driven creativity.

As marketing evolves, brands are looking for work shaped by real people and real communities, not faceless global architectures. With this new partnership, The Elephant Room aims to take its brand of audience-led creativity to the world, while DO. strengthens its global presence with a trusted UK anchor. For both agencies, the future is not about becoming bigger—it’s about becoming more connected, more culturally attuned, and more human.