Justin Drape, relentless creative mind, former co-founder of The Monkeys and co-founder of Exceptional Alien, has launched a new venture CREATIVITY & COMMERCE, a global practice dedicated to unlocking the commercial value of creativity for clients that want an ally who can think beyond the limitations of advertising.

It’s not an agency, not a study and not a consultancy. It offers creative problem solving that shifts the way organisations think about and invest in creativity. It works much like a professional practice – akin to a medical or law practice – offering experience, objectivity, and results over speculative work or pitches.

“We won’t pitch for business. We don’t do ‘cheap and cheerful’, and we only take on challenges with clear commercial intent,” Drape stated.

CREATIVITY & COMMERCE will draw on the network power of Drape’s other recent venture, Exceptional ALIEN, an international travel platform curating the recommendations of global creative talent, to give clients access to a borderless community of elite talent, including Grammy Award winners, Michelin-starred chefs, Oscar winners, Olympic champions, entrepreneurs and industry pioneers.

Drape took The Stable behind scenes of the new venture – the birth of the idea, its why, the joys and challenges of “starting your own thing” and why “starting your own thing” seems to be a thing.

The Stable: Where did the idea for CREATIVITY & COMMERCE come from? How did your work with Exceptional ALIEN contribute?

Justin Drape: The idea came from a need that I continued hearing about from friends and colleagues in creative industries. Creative friends are often lamenting the lack of commercial investment in their work and they don’t understand why this is happening, while commercially focused professionals are frustrated when creative practitioners lack an understanding, or in some cases even interest, in their clients’ commercial outcomes.

I’m in quite a unique position – having straddled creativity and commerce since launching my first creative business during university. I’ve subsequently been a business owner, a brand builder, and an entrepreneur that’s worked alongside many CMOs and CEOs. That expansive experience has allowed me to understand creativity and commerce from multiple perspectives and I now have the ability to bring these two forces together to achieve outsized results.

Working with Exceptional ALIEN opened up a valuable global network. And it reinforced how important it is to bring together creative thinking with commercial understanding in a way that’s beneficial for all parties involved. Every project needs to be handled with experience and care. It’s been a genuine privilege to work with elite talent around the world, including Grammy Award winners, Michelin-starred chefs, Oscar winners, Olympic champions, renowned entrepreneurs and industry pioneers.  

So in essence, CREATIVITY & COMMERCE grew out of those conversations, circumstances and feedback. Now it’s a practice that helps clients use creative problem solving to nurture commercial growth. 

The Stable: What are the most important benefits to your clients of the practice? Who will be key clients?

Justin Drape: We use creative problem solving to nurture commercial growth. We offer clients the benefit of creative experience and objectivity, along with access to some of the best creative talent in the world. I can step in quickly to provide senior strategic input, creative direction, or leadership that helps clients evaluate a situation, then deliver results faster and more effectively. I work as an ally, not as a competitor. That means I can collaborate with a client’s existing agency, internal team, or any other partners they already have in place. My goal is to make everyone stronger, not to take over. I can also bring in additional specialists in an agnostic way, depending on what’s needed to make the project succeed.

Clients might not have the resources to bring this calibre of talent into their business full-time but CREATIVITY & COMMERCE allows them to do so wherever the opportunity arises. 

So far key clients have included CMOs, CEOs and business founders in charge of brands, creative agencies, artistic talent, media companies and entertainment groups. They’re people who value partnership, fresh thinking, and flexibility. They want to elevate their creative and commercial impact without the overhead of a traditional agency model.  

The Stable: Creativity is under fire. What do you think has gone wrong with the relationship?

Justin Drape: Every relationship thrives on understanding and a level of comfort. So the more deeply somebody understands the transformative power of creativity, the more comfortable they become embracing it.

There are so many brands and businesses that have incredible commercial potential that remain untapped because they don’t know how to unlock creative opportunities in front of them. They treat creativity as an afterthought or hindrance rather than as a driver of growth.

The Stable: There seems to be a movement worldwide away from network agencies – with start-up/indies, consultancies, creative collectives and CREATIVITY & COMMERCE emerging…What needs are they solving?

Justin Drape: Technology has democratised creativity at scale. It’s enabled faster creative output, accessibility, and more agility now than ever before. Everybody now has more access to creative tools. This has enabled smart creative businesses to provide work without the traditional overheads and savvy clients know they can benefit from high-quality work without the convoluted layers and exorbitant costs and processes that have defined big network agencies.

Smaller, independent models allow for greater flexibility, speed, and direct collaboration with key talent. And direct collaboration with key talent is crucial. They’re more efficient and can respond faster to change – but just as importantly, they come with a sense of ownership and care. When you run your own business, you’re accountable for all outcomes. Not just your own body of work or your department output. You live and die by your clients’ successes, which creates a different kind of care and energy; one that’s hard to replicate inside large networks.

There’s a big difference between somebody who is working in a place as a stepping stone for career progression and working on a project when you own the business and you genuinely care about your clients and the craft. That authenticity, that hands-on commitment from independent business owners is what’s driving this shift, and it’s creating some of the most exciting, purpose-driven work in the industry right now.

The Stable: What for you are the joys …or maybe imperatives…of  “doing your own thing”? What are the challenges?  

Justin Drape: Joy comes from the feeling of freedom: the ability to be discerning about who I work with and what I work on. I don’t want to spend time on projects that don’t have creative or commercial upside. And partnering with clients and collaborators who genuinely value creativity as a core principle is deeply fulfilling for me.

There’s immense satisfaction in seeing the tangible impact that creative thinking can have – whether it’s helping a founder bring a new product to life or shaping a global brand launch. Each has its unique objectives, and when you can see those goals realised through strong strategic and creative thinking, that’s what drives me.

A recent example of this is working with Adam Gilchristand the team at Emotive, to bring his new tequila brand to life. It’s a perfect illustration of working with a co-founder and his team and having them embrace creativity, not as an afterthought, but something woven into the DNA of their product and brand from the start.

Lats word: CREATIVITY & COMMERCE has already partnered with a range of businesses, founders and brands, including The Many; Emotive – on the launch of El Arquero Tequila for co-founder and cricket icon Adam Gilchrist; Bullfrog; Marriott Luxury Collection; Intercontinental Hotel Group; and Millennium Hotels via T3 Media (producers of Eating Inn, featured on Netflix and SBS Food). Other collaborations include Movember and Gillette with Australian Cricket captain, Pat Cummins, in partnership with The Many and Wellcom, with additional clients and projects to be announced soon.