Why it started: Isaacs and Esposito launched Antidote to build a health and wellness agency focused on high-quality brand work, delivered quickly.
What sets it apart: The founders leverage their backgrounds in healthcare marketing to deliver emotionally resonant work for health and wellness clients. Antitode’s creative process leverages “high-speed anthropology,” a process that directly engages with audiences to gather insights that inform strategy and adapt in real-time.
Fun Fact: Isaacs has strong views on how a shift to data-driven, AI-powered models impacts health and wellness brands. In an op-ed for Pharma Live, he argues that independent agencies are better positioned to offer the agility and humanity these brands need to thrive.
4. Geezer Creative
Founded: January 2025
Agency type: Creative
Location: Minneapolis, New York, and Boulder
Headcount: Undisclosed
Founders: Karen McKinley, former ECD, Leo Burnett; Brent Rivard, former CMO, Internova Travel Group; John Kieselhorst, former head of creative, Fact & Fiction
Clients: Undisclosed
Why it started: Motivated by their own experiences, McKinley, Rivard, and Kieselhorst recognized that the 50-plus audience was overlooked by the advertising industry. So they established Geezer Creative to offer brands a more authentic and effective way to connect with this lucrative demographic.
What sets it apart: Geezer Creative is focused only on the 50-plus demographic and is staffed exclusively by professionals with over 25 years of experience.
Fun fact: The name “Geezer” aims to turn a negative stereotype into a badge of honor, signifying wisdom, experience, and an informed perspective.
5. Definitely Real
Founded: October 2024
Agency type: Creative and production
Location: Vancouver, BC
Headcount: 9
Founders: Alexis Young, former designer at Lululemon Athletica; Danielle McNeill, former VIP artist marketer at TC Helicon
Clients: Cactus Club, Nimmo Bay Resort, BC Cancer Foundation, Creative BC, Fresh Tracks Canada, and more
