Building a successful agency isn't necessarily about assembling the biggest team. It's about finding people whose individual strengths make everyone around them better.

That philosophy has guided One23West since Scot Keith and his partners founded the Vancouver independent in 2013. More than a decade later, it has helped the agency earn Small Agency of the Year Gold in 2026 while expanding its capabilities and establishing a presence in Toronto.

Keith compares running an agency to building a sports team, where talent matters but chemistry and complementary skills ultimately determine success.

“If you’ve got 10 people and you have one superstar talent, but that person makes the other nine people worse, mathematically, you’re actually worse off.”

One23West's answer is what Keith calls a “supersenior” model, built around experienced people working in small, cross-functional teams rather than conventional departments. The structure is intended to eliminate barriers between disciplines and give employees greater responsibility for solving client problems.

That philosophy has remained intact as the agency expands. Recent appointments include Jordan Cappadocia as VP and managing director in Toronto, Darrin Patey as VP of technology and AI and Alicia Petralia as VP of integrated media. The additions reflect an effort to deepen capabilities without introducing unnecessary hierarchy.

The approach is captured in One23West's “Work That Works” manifesto, which emphasizes practical business outcomes over creative work for its own sake.

For No Frills, the agency made saving money a source of pride through its national “No Frills. Yes Savings.” platform, increasing consideration among non-users by 22%. For Preventable BC, “The Truth Hurts” used dark humour to confront overconfidence around risky behaviour, prompting one in three British Columbians to reconsider their actions. And for CAA, an impaired-driving campaign demonstrated how cannabis affects everyday activities, generating 20.3M impressions and more than 200 media stories.

While the agency continues to grow, Keith is wary of pursuing expansion simply for its own sake. Maintaining a stable, collaborative team remains more important than rapidly increasing headcount.

“We always want to have growth because it’s that classic line, ‘If you’re not growing, you’re dying,’” Keith says. “But we’re not obsessed. I’d rather have smart, intelligent, one-foot-up-the-mountain growth.”