Former Direct Line CMO joins board of agency matchmaker Studiospace

Marketing industry veteran Mark Evans has joined the Growth Board of tech start-up Studiospace, a matchmaking platform which connects independent agencies with major brands.

Studiospace has grown rapidly since launching in January last year, signing up over 150 independent agencies and connecting them with major brands including Aviva, Jaguar Land Rover, Gala Games and AXA.

Evans, who was responsible for Direct Line’s TV advertisements featuring Harvey Keitel’s Pulp Fiction character ‘Mr Wolf’, says he believes Studiospace can disrupt marketing services.

“What Studiospace is doing to marketing services is what Airbnb did to the rental sector. It’s making projects and connections possible which never would have been previously.

“There’s a problem with our industry which needs to be addressed. The best talent isn’t always getting the best work. Major brands need a service which helps them find hot new talent more easily.”

Evans is also a non-executive director at The Marketing Society and is working as an Independent Advisor for His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

Studiospace CEO Pete Sayburn says bringing Mark Evans on board will strengthen his plans to connect indie talent with the biggest brands in the marketing industry.

“For a business which has just completed its first 12 months of trading, this is a major step, but it is also an illustration of the remarkable talent we have on the platform,” said Sayburn.

“We have a growing roster of highly experienced CMOs of major brands which we can hook up with fresh new talent, offering them new opportunities to work together.

“Mark Evans is a great addition to our growth board with an awesome contact book and valuable insights into how digital marketing is evolving at major brands and corporations.”

Their new Growth Board is a panel of top-tier marketing professionals who have been invited to help Studiospace grow to the next level, through their advice and their connections in leading brands and agencies.

Senior marketing professionals use Studiospace to post briefs and criteria for new projects. The platform then matches the projects to relevant suppliers, based on their choices.

Crucially, the company also provides standard contracts and terms of conditions, as well as handling payments, removing the administrative issues which often prevent small companies from working with bigger brands.

The London-based company’s 150 independent agencies are spread across 12 countries and 36 cities. They have all been recruited since Studiospace launched in January last year.

“Mark will add a wealth of marketing experience to our rapidly growing team and help us fulfill our global ambitions,” added Sayburn.

ABOUT STUDIOSPACE

Studiospace was launched in January 2022 and has over 100 agencies on its platform as well as offices in London and Sydney. In September 2022, Studiospace received £1.5m of funding from Fuel Ventures.

Sayburn is a serial entrepreneur who previously founded innovation firm Market Gravity, growing it to over 100 staff before selling to Deloitte Digital in 2017.