Kaitlin Doherty admits The Local Collective can be its own toughest critic. But that high bar has helped the indie shop she co-owns with partner Matt Litzinger win clients from larger rivals – and ensures every campaign is approached with a deeper sense of ownership.

While Doherty valued her early experience at big holding companies, she says the reason the work at The Local Collective “feels so much more personal” is because the team is directly connected to the outcome in a way that isn’t always possible at larger agencies.

When the agency is in a pitch room against the big guys, Doherty is unfazed. The agency’s confidence comes from knowing that many clients are “actively evaluating big versus small” and often choosing the more hands-on approach.

One such client is Gilead Sciences Canada, which Doherty says is one of those “unlikely pairings” of small agency and big pharma. “They approached us because they were looking for an agency partner that could connect to their target in a way that was truly authentic,” she says, one “that could be felt with more ‘real’ emotion versus the often stale traditional pharma approach.”