Calvin Innes, Andre Price, and Andrea Foth have launched The Forge, a new culture and fandom-driven creative agency to help brands and agency partners build relevance by understanding fandom as infrastructure, not subculture.
Calvin Innes, co-founder and CCO of The Forge, is formerly GM & RCD at JvM NERD London. The UKcreative strategist, designer, and consultant, is also an author and keynote speaker who has written extensively on fandom and contemporary culture. He is known for combining cultural theory with hands-on creative practice. Innes also has deep roots in online fandom communities, where his work, thinking, and insights have cultivated a large, highly engaged following.
“Fandom isn’t a channel or a tactic. It’s a cultural system,” he noted. “Brands often underestimate how sophisticated these communities are. The Forge exists to help brands and agency partners participate with credibility and long-term intent, rather than parachuting in with borrowed language.”
Andre Price joins as co-founder and ECD after serving as managing director of Jung von Matt NERD, the specialist gaming and fandom unit within the Jung von Matt network. At NERD, Price led creative and cultural work for brands including Mercedes-Benz, MINI, Pringles, Nintendo, Pokémon, Paramount, Sony, and Warner Bros., developing campaigns and experiences designed to live naturally within fan ecosystems.
Price adds award-winning creative credentials and a transatlantic perspective to the new agency, shaped by working across German and American creative cultures and fandom communities. Among the projects under his leadership was the MINI × Pokémon Gamescom activation, a gaming-led experiential platform that generated more than 800 millionimpressions globally, demonstrating the scale possible when brands engage communities authentically.
“You can’t fake your way into fandom,” Price commented. “Communities immediately know whether you’re there to extract attention or actually contribute something meaningful. The Forge is built to help brands earn their place in culture, not rent it.”
Andrea Foth joins as co-founder and MD, bringing over two decades of experience in brand building, growth strategy, and client leadership across international markets. She has held senior roles at Jung von Matt and VCCP, leading global accounts such as Mercedes-Benz across more than 80 markets, alongside brands including Nike, Ferrero, Heineken, O2, and Payback.
At VCCP, Foth built and led the Berlin new business function from the ground up, driving growth and shaping pitches across international teams. She also served as lead agency partner for O2, coordinating complex, integrated workstreams across multiple agency units. Most recently, she led marketing at JobRad Loop, where she developed the brand,defining its positioning, name, and visual identity, and establishing the marketing organisation.
“Fandom shows how people build meaning, identity, and connection,” Foth stated. “For brands, the opportunity is not just to be seen, but to become part of something people genuinely care about.”
The Forge has launched with a strong foundation across gaming, entertainment, technology, automotive, and lifestyle categories, and is already working with HBO Max EMEA and Dove (Unilever), as well as a pipeline of global brands and agency partners looking to build culturally resonant platforms rather than short-term campaigns.
Rather than positioning itself as a niche specialist, The Forge sees fandom as a lens that cuts across categories. “Fandom is no longer the edge of culture, it’s the engine,” Innes added. “If brands want relevance today, they need to understand how culture is built, defended, and shared by communities.”
The Forge is now operational across the UK and Europe, partnering with global brands and agencies focused on long-term cultural value rather than fleeting attention.
