John Nunziato, Founder and Chief Creative Officer of LITTLE BIG, on the Art of Advertising

For 25 years, we’ve spent a lot more time doing the work than talking about ourselves. We’ve won plenty of awards along the way, but we’ve never been particularly good at beating our own chest.

At some point, you realize maybe being humble is overrated.

It felt like the right time to show what Little Big has become and, more importantly, recognize the people who made it happen — and winning Outstanding Small Agency feels like a pretty damn nice validation of that.

From day one, we’ve been comfortable doing things a little differently.

When agencies were bragging about their 14 global offices, one of which was usually a freelancer in an apartment somewhere, we proudly talked about our one great office. When everyone quietly did free spec work, we publicly said we wouldn’t.

When agencies claimed they could do absolutely everything for everybody, we focused on the things we knew we could do really well.

We’ve grown slowly, deliberately, and sometimes probably a little stubbornly, but it allowed us to build the agency around the work, the people, and our clients instead of chasing growth just for the sake of getting bigger.

Our people. Period.

We’ve always invested heavily in talent and experience. I’d rather give a client more thinking than more layers of people managing the thinking. The team you meet in the pitch is the team you actually work with, and apparently, that’s a crazy concept.

We also work until we get it right. No timesheets. No nickel-and-diming every conversation. Some of our clients have been with us since we opened the doors, so I think we’re doing something right.

COVID was probably the biggest punch in the face we’ve had as an agency.

It forced us to rethink how we worked, how we collaborated, and honestly, what parts of the old agency model were just habits we’d all accepted because “that’s how it’s done.”

Some of it was uncomfortable as hell, but it also pushed us into changes and opportunities that probably wouldn’t have happened otherwise. Sometimes getting kicked out of your comfort zone is exactly what you need.

First, I want our team to understand that this is theirs. Every person here contributed to it through their time, ideas, energy, arguments, late nights, and general refusal to settle for “good enough.”

We’ve traditionally been pretty quiet in the industry. Maybe too quiet. So I’d also love for this award to put Little Big on the radar of brands who might not know us yet. If you’re putting together a consideration set for your next creative partner, we’d like to crash that party.

We literally just got the trophy and she’s gorgeous.

We’re figuring out how to properly show her off because after 25 years of not doing enough self-promotion, apparently we’re entering our shameless era. Stay tuned.

Be you. Seriously. Stop sanding off all of the weird edges because you think that’s what the industry wants.

If you’re weird, be weird. If you’re nerdy, nerd the hell out. If you have a point of view, have one.

The creative industry doesn’t need another person trying to sound like everyone else on LinkedIn. Bring your actual personality to the table and don’t be afraid to do something that makes people a little uncomfortable.

It’s evolving insanely fast, which I actually love.

It’s also one of the reasons smaller independent agencies can compete with giant holding companies. The big boys have incredible resources, but turning those ships can take a minute.

We try to stay curious, move quickly, and use trends to inform the work without letting trends become the work.

Tools change. Platforms change. AI changes everything every 20 minutes. But making somebody feel something and then getting them to do something? That part is ancient.

Start small and just do it. You’ll learn pretty quickly what makes a compelling entry, what takes too much time, and what’s actually worth entering.

Spend time explaining the thinking behind the work. Show measurable results whenever you can. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but it should be honest and accurate.

And actually answer the questions. You can always tell when somebody took an old case study, jammed it into an award template, and hoped nobody would notice.

We notice.

There are a ton of great agencies out there. We tell prospective clients that all the time. There’s room for everybody.

We focus on doing great work, being decent humans, and finding client partners who actually fit us. Not every piece of business is good business. One of our unofficial rules has been pretty simple from the beginning:

We don’t work with, or for, difficult people. I highly recommend it.

Every single person at Little Big. From our interns to our founding partners, everybody has fingerprints on this agency.

There’s very little hierarchy when it comes to ideas here. The best idea can come from a creative director, an account person, a producer, someone in business development, an intern, whoever.

Great ideas don’t really care about job titles. So yes, this belongs to all of them. And there will absolutely be drinks.

Good guys do finish first. Pretty self-explanatory.

I usually have about 20 ideas bouncing around in my head at any given moment. Fifteen are complete crap, but every once in a while, there are two worth chasing.

Lately, I’ve been getting back into fine art and painting a lot. I may have even sold a painting or two, which technically makes me an artist again.

I’m also putting myself out there more, talking about the industry, sharing some of my journey, and hopefully passing along a few things I’ve learned over 25 years. There are definitely plenty of “learn from my mistakes so you don’t have to” stories.

Mostly, I just want to stay curious and keep making stuff. Whatever that stuff turns out to be.