Simon talks with Damien Eley, CEO of The Many Australia and co-founder of LA-based indie powerhouse The Many. The conversation centres on participation as a strategic operating system - what it actually means for agencies, how to get it right, and what goes wrong when brands misread it.

They also get into The Many's recent acquisition of Catalyst XR, a Sydney-based immersive tech studio, and what happens when brand thinking meets immersive technology.

Key takeaways

Participation as a driving force Damien's and The Many's central thesis is that persuasion is a monologue - and audiences have stopped listening. Participation flips the model: instead of broadcasting at people, you create the conditions for them to engage. The agencies that figure this out aren't just doing better work, they're building more durable client relationships.

The transformative potential of immersive technology The acquisition of Catalyst XR isn't a channel play — it's a capability play. Damien's view is that immersive technology is where brand thinking gets its next major unlock, and that agencies who wait to build that capability will find themselves buying it at a premium later. Getting in early, and doing it properly, is the strategic bet.

Buying to build capability The Many's acquisition of Catalyst XR offers a clear-eyed case study in why M&A makes sense at the agency level — not for scale, but for depth. Damien walks through the logic of the deal and what other independent agency owners can take from it about building capability through acquisition rather than organic growth alone.

Guest bio

About Damien Eley Damien Eley is the CEO of The Many Australia and co-founder of The Many, the LA-based independent agency built around a philosophy of participation. Originally from Australia, Damien has spent over two decades in agency leadership across Sydney, New York, and Los Angeles. The Many has been recognised as one of the most distinctive independent creative agencies in the US, known for work that invites audiences in rather than talking at them.

Chapters
00:00 The Essence of Participation

05:36 Defining Participation in Marketing

07:53 Examples of Successful Participation

10:34 The Risks of Misreading Participation

13:07 Brand Clarity and Cultural Credibility

13:52 Acquisition of Catalyst XR

16:38 The Sistine Chapel Experience

18:08 Future Ambitions for The Many Australia

19:40 Navigating the M&A Process

19:51 Reflections on Building Agencies

Thinking about building capability through acquisition? Or exploring what participation could mean for your agency's positioning? Talk to us.