In October 2019, Australian brothers, John and Luke McKelvey, conquered an improbable task they’d set themsleves – launching a successful advertising agency as expats in the US. That agency now has offices in both Los Angeles and New York, 65 employees and this week has joined with Common Interest in the UK. Common Interest was begun by its CEO, Anthony Freedman, in 2023 as a creative collective spanning brand strategy, culture-driving creative, AI-powered cultural intelligence, design, PR, entertainment and experience. Freedman was also the founder of One Green Bean and former Havas AU/NZ chair and CEO.

MIRIMAR expands Common Interest’s fast-growing US footprint, that already includes brand experience agency, Amplify; cultural intelligence platform, CultureLab; design and communications studio, OTHERWAY in New York; and brand transformation consultancy, 21st Century Brand in New York and San Francisco.

The deal creates a shared ownership structure between MIRIMAR and Common Interest, with Common Interest taking an initial minority stake with a path to majority ownership, and MIRIMAR’s founders and partners becoming equity holders in Common Interest. There is no set timeline for that to happen and financial terms were not disclosed. It’s Common Interest’s biggest US move to date, and a significant move for Mirimar.  

MIRIMAR will continue to operate independently, with its leadership, creative approach, and teams in Los Angeles, New York, and across the US. Luke and John McKelvey will run the company as CEO and chief creative officer, respectively, working closely with Freedman. For MIRIMAR’s clients, the leadership and creative ambition they are used to continues, now with broader capabilities to produce creative work that moves culture and accelerates business growth.

The move responds to a growing market tension. The agency landscape is consolidating, buying attention is getting harder, and the boundaries between brands, entertainment, and popular culture continue to blur. Brands increasingly want the senior creative leadership of an independent company, alongside the capabilities and scale of a group. They’re also turning to entertainment to earn attention, through new formats and IP people choose to watch, share, and return to.

Both MIRIMAR and Common Interest were founded to meet that shift, built on a shared conviction that a brand’s cultural significance is its greatest competitive advantage.

MIRIMAR gains a larger international footprint, including in the UK and Europe, where some of its clients operate. Common Interest strengthens presence in the US, particularly on the West Coast, where MIRIMAR’s LA headquarters offers proximity to entertainment companies and talent, a key component of the deal for its interests.

The move fits in with Common Interest’s unique approach to building its collective. It is made up of nine founder-led companies specialising in different aspects of marketing, communications and entertainment. There are no private equity or venture capital investors. Each company keeps the distinct culture, creative freedom, and entrepreneurial energy that made it successful, while giving clients the opportunity to work with Common Interest as one connected team.

“MIRIMAR’s guiding philosophy is ‘Make It Worth It’ for our team, our clients, and audiences. After connecting with the other founders in the group, we are inspired to do that with even greater capability and ambition, together,” Luke McKelvey stated. “This partnership sets up a new chapter to pursue bigger opportunities and expand what MIRIMAR can do, all while maintaining our culture, entrepreneurial spirit, and the creative vision that we are built on.”

“This is all born of optimism, shared ambition, and the opportunity to think bigger creatively with a whole new set of talented collaborators,” addedJohn McKelvey. “We have always backed ourselves and our exceptional team at MIRIMAR. This evolution feels good – we stay focused on originating powerful creative ideas that can earn attention, and now we can be MIRIMAR at a new scale.”

MIRIMAR has entered into the agreement with ongoing growth. Its work with the Apple TV+ team on Mythic Quest won a Gold Lion at Cannes, as did the world’s first live crossover at the Super Bowl with John Denver’s Take Me Home Country Roads for Rocket. The agency recently partnered with Square Zero Films to launch the upcoming feature film Exit Right (working title) starring Academy Award winner Susan Sarandon and William H. Macy, written and directed by Thomas Morgan.

The team previously won an Emmy, partnered with Lady Gaga and Rocket at this year’s Super Bowl, and won the Tribeca X Award for its Beats work with global streamer, IShowSpeed.

The agency has also earned Cannes Lions Independent Agency of the Year (Entertainment), Adweek’s Breakthrough Agency of the Year, and recognition at Ad Age’s Small Agency of the Year Awards. MIRIMAR’s work spans Super Bowl commercials, music videos, talent partnerships, and feature films for brands including Apple, Rocket, Beats, Netflix, Five Guys, HOKA, Montefiore Einstein, Priceline, and Mammoth Brands.

Common Interest has also been building its entertainment credentials.  In September this year, Common Interest forged a strategic partnership with SISTER Group, the global entertainment studio co-founded by Elisabeth Murdoch and Jane Featherstoneand the creative force behind Chernobyl, Pamela, A Love Story, Victoria Beckham. Underpinned by an investment in Common Interest to support the development of brand-led entertainment, the partnership brings together brand creativity, entertainment execution and access to world-class production talent: the pieces needed to build IP that can live and deliver commercially across film, TV, podcasts, live experiences and beyond.

“MIRIMAR strengthens our ability to build creative platforms that come to life through Common Interest in surround sound, across entertainment, experience, design and culture, delivering outputs and outcomes for clients that wouldn’t be possible in any single agency or holding group,” Anthony Freedman stated.

MIRIMAR was advised by Clarity on the partnership deal.

Cover image l-r: Luke McKelvey, Anthony Freedman & John McKelvey. Photo by Zach Gold