Start Already
The CTH returns to London 4th February 2026 with event #4, themed START ALREADY - a celebration of the new era of indie start ups with a roundtable of creative founders discussing the power of doing your own thing.
Expect big ideas and fresh perspectives!
Join us at Canvas event space to hear [Lynsey Atkin, etc] swap stories and answer your burning questions about starting an agency.
Start Already will be a celebration of the new era of indie start-ups and the creative founders bold enough to build something of their own.
This time, we have the pleasure of being hosted by Canva for an energising evening with some of the most exciting voices in the industry. Expect a candid roundtable featuring creatives swapping stories, sharing hard-won lessons and answering your burning questions about what it really takes to start an agency.
Come for the insights and stay for the drinks and networking!
Speakers:
Tamryn Kerr (Hijinks)
Internationally awarded creative, Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Hijinks - a creative agency that’s proudly female and Queer founded. An avid storyteller, Tamryn creates campaigns that shift perceptions, change behaviours and get talked about. A truly integrated creative, she’s made work in every medium imaginable and even invented a few new ones. Tamryn has led creative teams and created award-winning campaigns in-house at YouTube and at some of the best agencies in the world including, BBH, Colenso BBDO, VML, TBWA and Publicis.
Christopher Keatinge (05:37)
Christopher Keatinge is a Grand Prix-winning executive creative director and co-founder of 05:37, a studio creating moments of breakthrough for the brands of our time. A former ECD at Uncommon Creative Studio, he has worked with brands including British Airways, ITV and The Guardian. A writer by trade, he believes in the power of ideas to change the future and fortunes of any business.
Jolyon White
Laura JB
Laura is an award-winning creative pioneer whose work is driven by culture, not advertising. She is recognised globally as an innovator and industry leader, and hailed by The Guardian as “a digital female icon”. She is a former D&AD President and holds an honorary doctorate from UAL for her services to women in design.
She is founder and Chief Creative Officer of Uncharted, where diverse talent and technology collide to lead brands into the future with confidence. She also co-founded SheSays, the world’s largest network for women and non-binary creatives, and CANNT Festival—for the people who can’t go to Cannes.
Matt Gooden!
35+ Years of failing as a Creative. CD. ECD and Founder.
Failed at school.
Failed at getting into St Martins.
Failed at finishing Hounslow’s Advertising Course.
Failed at Leo Burnett, after six years. For challenging a brief. Got Fired.
Failed at getting a job at HHCL. No matter how hard we tried.
Failed at impressing John Hegarty. He told us we needed to think of ideas which could actually run.
Failed at making any work for two years at TBWA.
Failed at not sticking with Widen and Kennedy after ten brilliant years.
But definitely succeeded in a W+K moto - ‘Embrace Failure’…
Failed at Crispin Porter Bogusky, after four years. For not complying to MDC’s demands. Got fired.
I set up Who Wot Why ten years ago.
I’ve made every mistake in the book.
I don’t regret a thing.
I’ve now moved on and very much looking forward to my future failures.
✨ Why Attend?
• Connect with like-minded creatives
• Gain insights from industry leaders
• Be part of a movement to strengthen creativity in our industry
🎟 Secure Your Spot Now
✨ Essential Info
🗓 Date: 4 Feb 2026
⏰ Time: 18:00–21:00
📍 Canva Event Space, Bersey Building, Old Street, London EC1V 9LA
Key take outs from Have Swagger!
We were thrilled that such a fabulously talented and enthusiastic bunch of creatives could join us for last night’s Creative Town Hall: Have Swagger!
Key take aways from the evening (apart from recognising the Scot’s exceptional talent for networking) were….
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Vouch for yourself and have confidence in your creative skills. Confidence inspires confidence.
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Even if you don’t fully believe you’ve got “swagger”, you should be confident in your ability to learn and adapt to challenges in your own way.
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Have the confidence to say no. If a client isn’t valuing you, or adhering to your values, stand up for yourself/your business. It’s not easy but it’s usually the right thing to do in the long run.
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Try and partner with your clients more, and earlier in the creative process. This helps inspire their confidence in the value of creativity for their business.
Huge thank you to our amazing panel of creatives who shared their wise words with us, Ian Greenhill, Debbie Morgan, Barrington Reeves, Marie Owen OBE and Pamela Scobbie.
Thanks also to the continued support of John Obsborne, the UK Creative Festival and the wonderful team at Global.
Our next Creative Town Hall will be taking place on the 1st July at the UK Creative Festival in Margate – this event is for festival ticket holders only, grab your ticket today
See you at the next event.
