What Motion Sickness does

Motion Sickness is an Auckland-based independent creative agency founded in 2012 by Sam Stuchbury. The company operates as a creative studio rather than a traditional advertising agency, producing ideas that become films, design, experiences, places, and cultural interventions. Its offering is organized around six core service lines: creative campaigns, film production, design services, experiential marketing, brand development, and cultural campaigns — delivered on a bespoke project and retainer basis. The agency serves clients across government, utilities, food and beverage, alcohol, and nonprofit sectors in New Zealand, Australia, and the broader Pacific region.

The agency's underlying "technology" is human creative talent applied to brand communications, behavior-change campaigns, and cultural advocacy. It has no proprietary software platform, AI models, or technology IP — its competitive position rests on sustained creative output recognized by Cannes Lions, One Show, D&AD, Effie, LIA, AXIS, Spikes Asia, and Best Awards. Notable recent work includes Grand Prix-winning campaigns for the New Zealand Herpes Foundation and Fire and Emergency New Zealand, plus a dedicated practice around Māori-focused cultural campaigns.

Revenue is generated through professional-services fees on a project, retainer, and campaign-based pricing model, with custom quote-based engagements. Client acquisition relies on reputation, referrals, and the inbound demand generated by industry award visibility rather than outbound sales infrastructure. The firm is privately held with no disclosed funding, parent company, or institutional investment, and operates with a boutique headcount of 11–50 employees.

Name

Motion Sickness

Legal name

Motion Sickness

Website

https://motionsickness.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Motion Sickness is an Auckland-based independent creative studio producing campaigns, film, design, experiential work, and cultural initiatives for government, commercial, and nonprofit clients across New Zealand, Australia, and the Pacific region on a project and retainer basis.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Creative Agency Services

NAICS

Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (71151), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Motion Graphics & Animation (BPAFAIAD)

Keywords

• Creative agency services
• Brand campaign development
• Advertising production
• Social media content
• Cultural campaign strategy

Headquarters

HQ city

Auckland

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Creative Agency Services: Motion Sickness generates revenue through providing creative services including campaign development, advertising production, brand strategy, and design work. Revenue is earned through project fees, retainer contracts, and campaign-based pricing with clients including government agencies, utilities, food and beverage brands, and alcohol companies.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Motion Sickness is an independent full-service creative agency that develops strategic creative campaigns, films, design, experiential activations, and cultural interventions for brands, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations. The studio delivers bespoke creative services on a project and retainer basis across New Zealand, Australia, and the Pacific region, producing award-winning work in public health, emergency services, brand, and cultural advocacy contexts.

Product overview

Motion Sickness is a creative company that operates as a unified studio rather than a traditional advertising agency. Their offering consists of creative services organized around campaign development: strategic creative campaigns (including award-winning public health and cultural initiatives), film production, design services, experiential marketing, brand development, and cultural campaigns. The studio is recognized for making 'ideas that become films, design, experiences, places, and viral cultural moments.' They do not offer modular or platform-based products; instead, they deliver bespoke creative services tailored to each client challenge. Recent notable work includes the Grand Prix-winning 'Make New Zealand The Best Place In The World To Have Herpes' campaign and the 'Rep Your Suburb' community initiative.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Creative Campaigns Strategic creative campaigns that solve problems through ideas across film, design, experiences, and cultural initiatives. The studio develops integrated campaigns for brands and causes, including award-winning work for public health, emergency services, and cultural advocacy.
• Film Production Motion picture and video content creation spanning commercial advertising, documentary-style storytelling, and culturally significant narratives such as 'The Māori Roll Call' and 'Keep it Real Online'.
• Design Services Visual design spanning brand identity, out-of-home advertising, print materials, and experiential design for campaigns and events.
• Experiential Marketing Creating immersive experiences and events that engage audiences, including viral campaigns and public activations such as the 'Life Needs a Biscuit' initiative.
• Brand Development New brand development and brand strategy services, including excellence awards for brand development and communications marketing strategy.
• Cultural Campaigns Culturally-specific campaigns with Māori communities including 'Proud to be Māori', 'Our Future Is Māori', and 'The Māori Roll Call' initiatives.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2 Grand Prix awards at Cannes Lions 2025 for New Zealand Herpes Foundation campaign
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Droga5: Acclaimed independent creative agency (now part of Accenture Song) repeatedly ranked among the world's best; directly comparable as an independent shop whose brand work has won major Cannes Lions, D&AD, and Effie recognition.
• 72andSunny: Global independent creative agency known for culture-driven campaigns; comparable as an award-led independent competitor that has scaled from boutique to international while maintaining creative credibility.
• Colenso BBDO: New Zealand creative agency (part of BBDO network) and long-standing domestic competitor; directly comparable on geography, client verticals (government, F&B), and award performance in NZ/AU regional shows.
• Mother: London/New York-founded independent creative agency widely regarded as a benchmark boutique; comparable on independent ownership, creative-first positioning, and global award recognition (Cannes Lions, D&AD).
• Wieden+Kennedy: Largest independent creative network globally; comparable as the gold-standard independent creative shop with sustained Cannes Lions and Effie dominance and a similar human-creativity-over-technology philosophy.
• Forsman & Bodenfors: Sweden-founded independent creative agency group with a similar boutique-but-global profile and award-winning heritage (multiple Cannes Lions, D&AD Black Pencils); relevant as a like-sized independent peer for benchmarking international expansion.
• Special Group: Australia/New Zealand-based independent creative agency known for award-winning campaigns across the region; structurally the closest peer given shared geography, independent ownership, comparable size, and similar award-driven positioning.
• BMF Australia: Australian independent creative agency with similar award-winning heritage and effectiveness credentials; competes for the same AU/NZ brand clients and recognition in regional shows like Cannes Lions, AWARD, and Spikes Asia.

Broad incumbents

• DDB Worldwide: Global creative network (Omnicom) with deep APAC presence including NZ/AU operations; relevant incumbent peer competing for the same government, utilities, and F&B accounts in Motion Sickness's home market.
• Saatchi & Saatchi: Global creative network (Publicis Groupe) competing for the same multinational creative briefs at much greater scale; relevant as the incumbent Motion Sickness most often competes against for global brand clients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/motion-sickness-studio
• Instagraminstagram.com/motionsicknessstudio
• Xx.com/motionsickness2

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Motion Sickness