Born in Portland and built as a distributed, collaborative collective, weights&pulleys was designed for C-Suites and Marketers who want more than execution; they want a creative partner who thinks, moves, and builds alongside them.
We believe the best work happens when relationships are co-creative, not transactional. Our model puts strategy, creative, and production on equal footing from day one, no handoffs, no silos. Just small, senior teams with the trust and tools to move fast and think deeply.
We’ve worked with legacy brands looking to evolve and startups trying to scale, but our value is constant: turning complexity into clarity and strategy into stories that resonate.
While traditional agencies chase volume, we focus on meaning. We don’t pitch in the conventional sense, most of our work comes through long-term partnerships and word of mouth. That’s by design. We’re not here to win every account. We’re here to build enduring work with the right ones.
How was your company born and where are you based?
weights&pulleys was born out of a belief that the best creative work comes from strong relationships and intentional collaboration. We’re based in Portland, Oregon, but operate as a flexible model creative studio with a remote and agile network of partners across strategy, production, and execution. We’re built to scale with the work. Our foundation is simple: client and creative are both pulleys, moving the weight of an idea together where it needs to be.
What was the biggest challenge to the growth of your company?
Resisting the pressure to do work that doesn’t fit our values. We’re not chasing a certain size or award bunker. Our model is modular—pulling in the right partners at the right moment to be right for the project. The challenge is helping clients see that smaller doesn’t mean less capable. It means more focused, more invested, more connected. That takes a mindset shift, but one that we feel confident in and works for us and the companies who come along for the journey.
Which was the first huge success that you can remember?
There have been many projects along the way, helping shape our methodology—but with PANW we built a very lean senior team that was remote, including strategy, creative with production and post partners. Using our past internal brand experiences, we built the brief with the client before the creative process and integrated a pre-pre production process before the final green light to execute. This project proved our model: closely integrated but with our external POV and voice intact—but deeply collaborative. It wasn't just a campaign, it showcased that the process doesn’t have to be a massive team when everyone is invested and can wear many hats—knowledgeable across all touchpoints—but then deep and open in their respective craft.
What’s the biggest opportunity for you and your company in the next year?
As brands continue to look for alternatives to the big agency model, in the new age of AI, our opportunity lies in being a true thought partner: strategic, creative, production-savvy, and flexible by design. Authenticity and agility (with trust with taste) will matter more than ever and we can plug in where needed, advisory, embedded, or end-to-end—and bring clarity to the problem at hand, the ask.
Can you explain your team’s creative process? What makes it unique?
We build teams like filmmakers: purpose-built for each story. Our process starts before the brief is final. Strategy, creative, and executional minds are all at the table early, shaping the narrative and identifying constraints before they become problems. Everyone’s a partner, not a vendor. Recently we termed it “lining up the unicorns”—pulling together a team of specialists who don’t just deliver, but elevate. It’s about being open to a thought, a tweak, an idea, no matter from where or who.
How does your team remain inspired and motivated?
By staying curious and close to the work. We choose collaborators who care, not just about craft but about context. We leave space for side projects, wilderness, friends and family—because that's the world we live and work in. And we keep it personal: our model means no layers between people and the problem. That kind of ownership is fuel.
How has COVID-19 affected your company?
It validated the model we’d already been using and living for over a decade. Direct, embedded, agile. What changed was client perception; our structure wasn’t a novelty—it became accepted—and continues to be more and more the norm and expected. We didn’t have to wait another 10 or more years for remote work and not being in the room everyday to not sideline a great idea.
Which agencies do you gain inspiration from? Do you have any heroes in the industry?
We’re drawn to people or studios and work environments that champion people with a desire to make great work, not unlike my formative years in design schools or W+K. We also look to learn a lot from adjacent disciplines—artists, athletes, chefs, poets, musicians, urban planners, writers—anyone who obsesses over the why, not just the what.
What is one tip that you would give to other agencies looking to grow?
Define your point of view. Build relationships.
How do you go about finding new clients/business? (Pitching, work with retainers, etc.)
Mostly through trust and word of mouth. We don’t pitch in the conventional sense. People come to us when they’re looking for something different—more personal, more invested, more connected—and you can get it done. Our work often leads to ongoing relationships because we treat each project like the start of something long term, not a one-off. Actually building a brand forward. We adapt to client needs, retainer, project, however the call, but always from a position of partnership.
What’s your one big hope for the future of the industry?
That it becomes more human again. Less about content output and more about meaning. We hope more clients realize that efficiency isn’t about speed—it’s about intention, great strategy, concept, and execution—and how it’s received—media.
Can you share a defining moment in your company's journey that shaped its identity or direction?
There was a moment when a client asked us to come upstream—well before they’d finalized their brief. It wasn’t a production ask; it was a strategic one. That moment redefined our position. We weren’t just problem-solvers—we were co-navigators. That mindset has shaped every project since.
How do you foster a culture of innovation and experimentation within your team?
By keeping things open. We don’t believe in rigid lanes. Designers can weigh in on strategy. Strategists can contribute to visual thinking. We build projects like ecosystems—fluid, interactive, alive. Innovation doesn’t come from a brainstorm—it comes from letting people think sideways.
What measures do you take to ensure diversity and inclusion are prioritised within your company?
Our modular approach lets us work with a wide range of voices, geographies, and experiences. Inclusion isn’t something we tack on—it’s baked into how we build teams. We seek out collaborators who reflect different perspectives because that’s how you make work that resonates. We’re intentional about who we bring to the table and how we listen once they’re there.
Can you describe a project that challenged your team creatively and how you overcame any obstacles?
We partnered with a new tech start-up that had incredible R&D but zero brand. The challenge was translating complexity into clarity—building an emotional bridge without watering down the science. We brought in a flexible team of creatives, strategists, and animators to build the narrative from scratch. The outcome? A story of their potential paradigm shift that helped raise over $100M in initial funding, which was not only beneficial but beautiful and actually helped shape how the client talked about themselves internally and externally.
How do you balance maintaining your company's unique creative voice while meeting the diverse needs of clients?
Our voice is in the way we work, not how things look. We meet clients where they are, but we bring a consistent point of view: honest collaboration, clarity over clutter, story over spectacle. That consistency creates trust. Clients come to us for that sensibility, even when the output shifts.
What strategies do you employ to adapt to changes and trends in the industry while staying true to your company's values?
We don’t chase trends—we study them. We ask what they reveal about behavior or need, and if they align with our client’s goals. When they do, we engage. When they don’t, we move on. Our modular structure lets us pivot quickly without losing our center. We adapt with purpose, not panic.
Can you share a memorable client success story that exemplifies your company's approach and impact?
We helped reposition an outdoor gear brand that had lost relevance with its next generation. Instead of chasing youth culture, we unearthed a story of craft, place, and stewardship—and retold it in a modern voice. We built a cross-functional team that embedded with their internal leads and co-created everything from brand messaging to campaign rollouts. The result wasn’t just external success—it created alignment across their teams. That’s the power of a well-integrated, flexible partner.
In what ways do you invest in the professional development and growth of your team members?
We offer freedom: to move across disciplines, to take on passion projects, to contribute in unexpected ways. Growth isn’t linear here—it’s layered. We encourage workshops, outdoor time, skill-sharing sessions, and real creative ownership. Our model rewards curiosity. Be open.
How do you approach sustainability and ethical practices within your company's operations and projects?
We design with impact in mind. Logistically, we minimize travel, waste, and resource use wherever possible. Strategically, we work with clients who value sustainability not as a message but as a mindset. And ethically, we walk away from work that doesn’t feel aligned. Our job is to move things upstream—not just make things.
Can you discuss a time when your company had to pivot or innovate in response to unforeseen challenges, and what lessons did you learn from that experience?
During a time of global slowdown, one of our largest in-person productions was canceled. We quickly pivoted to a digital-first concept—recasting the story through found footage, remote interviews, and animation. The end result concluding in a very resonant and human film despite the supposed restrictions. Lesson learned: when your structure is flexible, you can adapt without compromise.
Do you have any websites, books or resources that you would recommend?
- Ways of Being by James Bridle
- Breathe by James Nestor
- Humankind by Rutger Bregman
- Smart Brevity by Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen, Roy Schwartz
- Emergence Magazine, The DO Lectures and publications, Another Podcast and Benedict’s newsletter
- Mother Nature (still the best system designer out there)