This week, we sit down with Josh Harris, Managing Director of the London-based creative agency Neverland. Born from a serendipitous conversation at the school gates, Neverland was founded over the disconnect between brand strategy and creativity in traditional agencies.
Fast-forward to today, and Neverland has established itself as a powerhouse in the industry, blending strategic insight with innovative campaigns that truly resonate. Join us as Josh shares insights into the unique journey of the agency, their commitment to diversity, and the Dream, Plan, Hustle framework that drives their success.
How was your company born and where are you based?
It’s quite a unique story! Our founders, Simon and Jon met at their children’s school gates. They got talking about what they did for work.
Simon would complain to Jon about creative agencies people ignoring or rewriting the brand strategies he spent months building – boiling them down to singular campaigns that had no impact on the business overall. Jon would bemoan the impenetrable brand strategies he was asked to use that weren’t built to enable creativity for campaign work.
I like to think neverland was born right there, reminiscent of a scene from Motherhood, with Jon and Simon uniting brand strategy, product innovation and creative communications in time with the school bell!
What was the biggest challenge to the growth of your company?
I wasn’t here at the time, but I know it wasn’t easy launching an agency in the days before Covid hit, but the biggest challenge to the growth of the agency was probably ensuring the Neverland still felt like Neverland as we grew from six to 16 people.
It doesn’t sound like a lot, but when you triple the size of the agency overnight, it’s a challenge to protect the essence of what the agency is. That has been something we’ve continued over the course of five years, growing at least 30% year over year.
Which was the first huge success that you can remember?
Winning Startup Agency of The Year. Neverland had only been up and running for a little over a year, so to be recognised by the industry for our success so early on was a very special moment. I know it meant a lot to the founders, Jon and Simon, too. They looked like very proud parents.
Another big success was when we worked on the Rocky campaign. The end product was testament to the craft and hustle that went into the project. But the real success was how the agency rallied together to bring it to life. I think that project touched every single person at Neverland. Every one of us knew the dream, our roles, and the need for a significant pivot to create something trailblazing.
What’s the biggest opportunity for you and your company in the next year?
Talent. An agency is only as good as its people.
As an independent agency, we feel a responsibility to focus on developing underrepresented talent and opening new avenues into the industry. The graduate and junior talent schemes that operated historically don’t really exist anymore (at least not in the way they used to), so we are trying to develop new ways to attract a more diverse team of talent. We pay fairly, have a tight training programme and do all we can to bring in a diverse talent mix to enable them to thrive.
It’s why we publicly committed our BAME gap last year. Not because it’s anything to be proud of. Quite the opposite. But as an independent agency, we believe supporting underrepresented talent into the industry is the only way to sustain a stronger long-term BAME representation. It takes time, but it will have the biggest long term impact.
Can you explain your team’s creative process? What makes it unique?
Our creative process at Neverland is built around a simple but powerful framework (I call it an operating system, but I get told off for that!) we call Dream, Plan, Hustle.
- Dream is about envisioning what you truly wish for more than anything else. It works as a framework for us as a business and our clients. Whether that’s creating the best independent creative agency in the world, (our Dream), or coming up with a groundbreaking campaign. For us, it’s all about setting high standards and striving to be the best, not just in terms of quality, but also in being diverse and broad in our delivery.
- Plan is our North Star, the guiding principle that ties everything together. Through our strategic and creative leadership, we focus on developing exceptional creative that’s perfectly tailored to the audiences we’re trying to reach, in the channels and platforms that matter most to them.
- Finally, there's Hustle. This is where the hard work and craft comes into play. It's about taking that dream and plan and bringing it to life with a relentless passion for detail and execution.
What makes our process unique is that it’s not just agency rhetoric - it’s something that works on all levels, for our clients and their brands to our business and individual Neverlanders.
How does your team remain inspired and motivated?
The environment we’ve built. People here genuinely look up to and respect each other. We spend a lot of time in the office together, and while we do offer flexibility, there’s an alchemy when we spend time together other in person. Our ability to learn through osmosis is the quickest and most effective way for all our talent (especially for our junior talent) to learn and develop.
Motivation doesn’t just come from the leadership team; it’s kind of built into our DNA. It’s like we have a chip on our shoulder and a point to prove. We’re all hungry to learn, grow and be the best versions of ourselves we can be.
How has COVID-19 affected your company?
COVID-19 definitely threw us a curveball. We’d just set up Neverland about three months before lockdown hit, and we’d invested in this big, expensive office in Shoreditch. Then, suddenly, no one could go into it. So, there was a commercial impact in that first year - we had big overheads without getting the full benefit from them. But honestly, the harder part was on a personal level. The pandemic took a toll on everyone, and it’s no surprise that mental health struggles have become more common.
That said, there are also benefits that came out of this. Remote working has reaffirmed that we are all paid to do a job, and as long as we perform in that role and continue to support those around us to develop, it doesn’t matter where we are.
Which agencies do you gain inspiration from? Do you have any heroes in the industry?
To me, heroes are people out there creating, sustaining and saving lives. But the people I admire within the industry are those driving change. The individuals breaking the status quo to change archaic opinions for the good and future of the industry.
That said, I have a ton of respect for agencies that manage to stay independent. They are the ones really making a difference and making the changes that matter. Raising starting salaries, introducing new policies that matter, and investing their time and profit into junior talent, without worrying about their own individual gain.
Anyone who can make that work, especially when the big network agencies might undercut you on price, has my full respect and admiration. It’s a tough balance to strike - choosing sanity over margin - but it makes all the difference. So yeah, indies for life, I say.
What is one tip that you would give to other agencies looking to grow?
Listen to your people.
They’re in the thick of it, hustling with the day-to-day challenges. If something feels off to them, it’s probably a sign that something’s off across the business. Don’t need to overcomplicate it -just listen to what they’re telling you. That’s where you’ll find the insight you need to keep moving forward.
How do you go about finding new clients/business? (Pitching, work with retainers, etc.)
I like to think we let our work speak for itself. We obviously still go down the traditional routes - courting new business, filling out RFIs, and trying to get on pitch lists. But honestly, we’ve seen a big increase in direct requests coming straight to us, rather than through intermediaries or third parties.
What’s your one big hope for the future of the industry?
My big hope is that we see a much stronger focus on nurturing talent from the ground up. With the new government in place, I hope they prioritise entry-level apprenticeships and provide more support for the creative industry, starting at a young and impressionable age.
The creative industry thrives on fresh perspectives and new ideas, and to keep that alive, we have to invest in the next generation now. I’d love to see more programs that make it easier for young people to break into the industry, especially those who might not have the traditional pathways available to them (or an aunt, uncle, sister-in-law-once-removed that works in an ad agency). It’s about creating opportunities and making sure that talent, no matter where it comes from, it able to thrive.
Can you share a defining moment in your company's journey that shaped its identity or direction?
I wouldn't say there’s been one single defining moment that shaped our company’s identity or direction. It’s more like we’re all still on this journey together, learning as we go.
We get things wrong, we get things right, and when we do get it right, you just sort of know. But we don’t make a big deal out of it because, at the end of the day, what really matters is how it impacts the people who work here. The journey itself, with all its ups and downs, is what continues to shape us.
How do you foster a culture of innovation and experimentation within your team?
Fostering a culture of innovation and experimentation within our team is something that happens pretty organically here. Our people are naturally hungry for new ideas, so there’s not much we have to push - we just immerse ourselves in the culture around us.
Everyone’s constantly consuming content, whether it’s on Netflix or other platforms, and that’s where a lot of our inspiration comes from. It’s about staying curious and letting the world around us feed into the work we do.
What measures do you take to ensure diversity and inclusion are prioritised within your company?
As mentioned earlier, we’re transparent about addressing our diverse and inclusive representation and working actively to improve it. This includes partnering with organisations like 10,000 Black Interns, 10,000 Abled Interns, the London Screen Academy and The Young Arrows, which specialise in supporting underrepresented groups.
We also collaborate with educational institutions such as Ravensbourne University to create opportunities for diverse talent from an early stage. Our goal is to ensure provide learning, experience and positions where talent are paid enough to be able to thrive.
Above all else, we have established The Neverland Flying Academy. An academy specifically targeted at underrepresented talent giving long-term learning and development opportunities alongside hands-on experience on live briefs.
Can you describe a project that challenged your team creatively and how you overcame any obstacles?
One of our most creatively challenging projects was our work with Rightmove. From winning the pitch to launching the campaign, we had just five months to transform their brand strategy and bring it to life. The tight timeline meant we had to work swiftly and efficiently, aligning our team and the client at every stage.
Our challenge was to shift Rightmove’s narrative, moving beyond property listings to emphasise the emotional journey of finding a home. We overcame this by maintaining close collaboration and communication with the team, ensuring the brand's new positioning was deeply resonant and impactful.
The result was a campaign that not only met the brief but elevated Rightmove’s brand presence in a highly competitive market.
How do you balance maintaining your company's unique creative voice while meeting the diverse needs of clients?
It’s all about the Dream, Plan, Hustle framework. We start with ambitious goals (Dream), we set a high bar for creativity that reflects our agency’s identity and the Brands ambition.
The Plan phase ensures that our work is both innovative and tailored to client needs, uniting what the brand stands for and how they tell people about it, while the Hustle phase is where we fine-tune our craft in execution to meet those needs effectively.
This approach allows us to stay true to our creative vision while being responsive to our clients’ diverse requirements, ensuring that our distinctive voice remains at the core of everything we do.
What strategies do you employ to adapt to changes and trends in the industry while staying true to your company's values?
We stay curious and hungry. That’s intrinsic to the company’s values and what we believe in. We love to learn and adapt. We feed off culture, our teams and their passions.
At the same time, our commitment to core values like inclusivity and creativity ensures that we navigate these changes without compromising what makes us unique. By blending innovation with our foundational principles, we maintain relevance while staying true to our identity.
In what ways do you invest in the professional development and growth of your team members?
We're all about talent and helping people grow. We take a different approach to professional development by doing away with traditional appraisals. Instead of someone else telling you how you're doing based on industry tropes, we give everyone access to every job description in the agency at every level.
This way, anyone can see the path from where they are to where they want to be - even if that path takes them into a completely different role or department which has happened a few times at neverland. It’s about guiding people to their own success, and taking care of those around you.
How do you approach sustainability and ethical practices within your company's operations and projects?
We keep things as green as possible. We don’t have a huge sustainability team—after all, we’re only a couple of years in—but that doesn’t stop us from making conscious choices every day. Whether it’s through our productions, the things we buy, or how we run the office, we’re always looking for ways to reduce our carbon emissions and offset where we can.
Do you have any websites, books or resources that you would recommend?
The majority of books I read are to my son, so if anyone wants any recommendations suitable for 4-5 year olds, hit me up! As a parent, most of the books, sites and resources are focussing on parenting and how to be a better role model for my son. In so many ways, what I learn in those books helps me exponentially in my role at Neverland.
