The Works throws bash to celebrate 10th birthday

Last night The Works threw a party to celebrate its record year of billings growth, increased staff and new business as well its 10th birthday.

More than 150 clients, suppliers, media and friends of the agency partied the night away at the exclusive Flying Fish restaurant to mark the decade milestone.

The full service agency which was started by creatives Damian Pincus (middle) and Kevin Macmillan (left) in a campervan on Sydney’s North Shore and in later years joined by Douglas Nicol (right), now boasts more than 60 people working on a host of major Australian and global brands.

It has experienced its most successful 12 months ever with billings up 30% on last year achieved through a series of major new business wins and organic growth from existing clients. Staff numbers have also increased by 42% on last year.

Established with a vision to create a new type of agency where client business is led and run by business minded creative people, The Works is now one of the leading full service independent agencies remaining in Australia.

Major new account wins in 2012 include Woolworth’s Everyday Rewards, Woolworth’s specialty retailer Thomas Dux and a major social media driven campaign for Australian Capital Tourism.

In addition to its new clients, The Works has held longstanding relationships with many clients including both Jim Beam and Navman that have remained with the agency since its formative years. Other household names it works with include Skoda, Canadian Club, Brother, Virgin Money, Daikin and the Sydney Dance Company.

The year has also seen significant investment in new talent most notably Paul Swann the former managing partner of Naked Communications who started in September as creative partner. The agency has also invested significantly in research, creating the first study of emotions and language used on twitter to give marketers a better understanding of social media usage in Australia.

Says Pincus: “We’ve come a long way since starting out in the van and had the privilege of working with some forward thinking clients that value our model of creatives who are actively involve in their business all of the time and don’t just disappear after winning the pitch.

“The past year has been a record one across the board and there is real momentum with the agency and that has been recognized through multiple creative and agency of the year nominations. But we are not resting on our laurels. We plan to continue to grow the business and there will be further announcements on new initiatives in due course.”