Some folks, seeking corporate comfort, are happy to work their way to the top of the food chain in a networked agency. So they stay on that path. Others, tired of the creative constraints of reporting to a distant head office, yearn for entrepreneurial freedom. So they leave.

Eleven years ago, Steph Mackie and Mark Biernacki, co-founders of the eponymously named Mackie Biernacki, chose the latter option. Having spent several years at places like TBWA, Lowe Roche and Tonic, they opened their own agency doors in 2013. They were joined in April of this year by president and chief strategy officer Malcolm McLean, who previously worked at Cundari, Grey, TBWA, BBDO and many others.

For partner and co-founder Biernacki, opening up the shop came down to having a greater sense of control over the work. “We were tired of the assembly-line approach that is common in larger firms, where you may be working on large accounts but can only deal with one part of the creative process before passing it onto the next person in line. Here, we like to own the whole project. Nothing goes out of here without our eyes on it.”