BackCreative Talk with Ben Walker, Chief Doer at The Do Collective
Creative Talk this month is with Ben Walker from The Do Collective. We find out the how, why, where and when of their inception.
We’re The Do Collective, though if you’ve had a drink with us, you probably just call us Do Co. We started because, quite frankly, we got bored. Bored of big agency bravado. Bored of endless decks about ideas that never saw the light of day.
So, we jumped the fence and built something of our own. An agency that’s less about the talk, and more about the do. Ideas you can see, touch, experience and remember.
We kicked things off in Sydney, with a small group of brand agitators who believed that good ideas should stir people, not just satisfy a brief. Since then, we've made ourselves at home in Melbourne, London and Dubai growing quietly in the industry.
The spirit of independence from the beginning then and independent now.
You’re in Sydney, Melbourne, London & Dubai – does each agency interplay with each other across client accounts?
Absolutely. We don’t really think of them as offices, more like four different sides of the business.
A brief might wake up in London, stretch its legs in Sydney, pick up some magic in Dubai and land in Melbourne. The sun never sets on our Slack channel and collaboration isn’t a KPI, it’s just how we’re wired.
How has 2024 leading into 2025 fared for you? It’s been a tricky time.
Tricky? Sure. But then again, when isn’t it?
The past year reminded us of a simple truth: the world doesn’t owe you certainty.
We stayed close to our clients, doubled down on ideas with backbone and let strategy and creativity do what it does best, solve problems.
We didn’t glide through untouched, but we came out the other side leaner, faster, and dare we say a bit wiser. The mood? Optimistic for sure, but never resting.
Your website talks about ‘challenging what people think, to change what they do.’ How do you actually do that?
We treat creativity like it’s got a job to do and it’s not just to look clever in a pitch deck. We’re here to move people.
So, we question things. We prod assumptions. We make work that doesn’t just sit there but nudges people toward action. Try, buy, share, care — whatever it is, it starts with shifting the way they think.
Also, we’re big fans of a good pun. Because language should be played with, not just polished.
Where do you see the business tech stack going as clients demand more from traditional agencies?
The tech stack is stretching in all directions, faster, smarter and more connected.
Clients want performance at scale, delivered yesterday, with ROI baked in. And yes, we’re up for that.
But here’s the kicker: all the tech in the world won’t save a bad idea. We believe tech should serve the story, not the other way around. Our job is to combine pace with poetry, data with delight.
Speed is brilliant. Scale is useful. But soul, soul is what people remember.
As agency Director, what keeps you inspired?
It’s still the chase. That electric moment when a tough problem meets a great idea.
What else? It’s the people. This team is brilliantly sharp, passionate and a bit mad in the best way. Watching them turn a seed of an idea into something brave, brilliant, and wildly unexpected... That’s the excitement that keeps everyday new!
What’s the hardest part of finding talent across your locations?
We look for unicorns — talented, curious, humble and a little rebellious.
Not just great on paper, but gutsy in the room. People who care deeply, push past “that’ll do,” and still manage to crack a joke under pressure.
They’re rare, but they’re out there. And when we find them, we hang on for dear life.
How do you see AI changing the industry in the next few years?
It already is and thank goodness. If AI can handle the predictable, the repeatable, the “someone-has-to-do-it” stuff, then we’re all for it.
That gives us more time for the bold, the human, the poetic, the weird — you know, the bits that make people feel something.
AI is a brilliant co-pilot. But creativity? That’s still very much a human sport.
Which dream client keeps you awake at night?
Patagonia. Easy.
They’re brave, they’re bold, and they genuinely mean it. They’ve built a business on values, not just value. And that’s rare.
We’d love to help take that even further. Do they need us? Probably not. Do we still fantasise about working with them? Absolutely. It’s brand crush territory.
Final words?
Stay independent. Stay restless. And always, always do the work that makes you feel a bit nervous.
