What Residence does

Residence is a privately held network of nine independent creative companies operating under a holding structure, headquartered at 120 San Pedro in Los Angeles. Founded in 2022 by the team behind BUCK and backed by private equity sponsor Gemspring Capital, the network positions itself as a 'third option' between large advertising holding companies and standalone independent agencies. Its member companies — BUCK (design and motion), Creative Lives in Progress (career and community platform), Giant Ant (animation storytelling), It's Nice That (creative editorial platform), OK COOL (social-first creative), Part & Sum (strategic creative), ACRONYM (immersive/creative technology), Wild (brand and experience design), and GateMaker (influencer marketing) — retain operational autonomy while accessing shared services and cross-company collaboration.

The network serves major global enterprise clients, including Apple, Meta, Google, Airbnb, Microsoft, JP Morgan, Spotify, Nike, Lululemon, Mandarin Oriental, Estée Lauder, Glossier, Starbucks, Puma, and TikTok Shop, through professional-services engagements spanning social strategy, immersive experiences, animation, brand design, influencer marketing, and creator partnerships. Residence operates approximately 700 people across eight offices in Los Angeles, New York, Sydney, London, Amsterdam, Vienna, and Vancouver, with no disclosed pricing model beyond quote-based B2B engagements and no publicly reported revenue. Revenue model is professional services, distributed across the member companies; the network generates growth primarily through acquisitions, having added OK COOL in January 2026 and GateMaker in June 2026 as the most recent network additions.

The company carries B Corp certification and operates a stakeholder grievance and whistleblower protection framework. Leadership includes Ryan Honey as CEO and Co-Founder and Madison Wharton as COO. There is no evidence of proprietary AI/ML products, software platforms, or APIs; the offering is fundamentally a human-capital-intensive creative services network, with marketing driven by thought-leadership content, industry panels, and the reputation of its member brands.

Name

Residence

Legal name

Residence

Website

https://residence.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Residence is a PE-backed network of nine independent creative companies serving global enterprise clients (Apple, Meta, Google, Airbnb, Microsoft, JP Morgan) across design, animation, social strategy, and influencer marketing, with 700+ people across eight offices worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Creative Agency Services: Network of independent creative companies providing professional services across disciplines including social strategy, immersive experiences, animation, brand design, and influencer marketing to major enterprise clients.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Residence is a network of independent creative companies that collectively provide brand strategy, creative design, animation, motion graphics, social-first storytelling, influencer marketing, and immersive experience services to enterprise clients. Clients engage Residence through a single point of contact, and the network designs bespoke teams drawn from its nine member companies to deliver projects across creative disciplines. Member companies retain autonomy while accessing shared resources and collaboration opportunities across the network.

Product overview

Residence is a network of world-class, independent creative companies (not a unified software product) united to produce creative work. The network operates nine member companies: BUCK (design and motion), Creative Lives in Progress (career platform), Giant Ant (animation and storytelling), It's Nice That (creative platform), OK COOL (social-first creative), Part & Sum (strategic creative), ACRONYM (technology-driven design), Wild (brand and experience), and GateMaker (influencer marketing). These companies retain autonomy while accessing shared resources, collaborating across disciplines to serve major clients including Apple, Meta, Google, Airbnb, Microsoft, and Spotify.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Residence Network A global network of independent creative companies that collaborate to provide clients with access to specialists across disciplines including social strategy, brand design, animation, immersive experiences, and influencer marketing, while maintaining individual company autonomy.
• BUCK A creative company specializing in design, animation, and motion graphics within the Residence network.
• OK COOL A social-first creative agency specializing in social-native storytelling, creator partnerships, and audience-centric brand communication.
• GateMaker A 360° influencer marketing agency helping global brands leverage paid, earned, and owned creator relationships across social media platforms.
• Giant Ant A creative studio specializing in storytelling through animation, design, and branded content.
• ACRONYM A creative technology and design studio specializing in visual experiences and immersive content.
• It's Nice That A creative platform and publication covering design, illustration, and advertising, providing inspiration and industry coverage.
• Creative Lives in Progress A platform and community focused on creative careers and professional development within the advertising and design industry.
• Wild A creative company within the Residence network offering brand and experience design services.
• Part & Sum A creative company within the Residence network offering strategic and creative services.

Named customers15 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• PALAZZO and Jones & SprossminorOthers · 15 June 2026M&A advisors who advised GateMaker on the deal joining Residence. Not a strategic partnership but a transactional advisor relationship.
• Waypoint and Lewis SilkinminorOthers · 27 January 2026Legal advisors who advised OK COOL on the acquisition by Residence. Transactional advisory relationship.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Dentsu: Japan-headquartered global advertising and marketing services group with strong APAC presence (relevant given Residence's Sydney office). Comparable enterprise client overlap.
• Publicis Groupe: Global marketing and communications holding company with Leo Burnett, Saatchi & Saatchi, Digitas, and Publicis Sapient. Major incumbent competitor offering the scale Residence aims to challenge.
• Omnicom Group: Global advertising holding company housing BBDO, DDB, TBWA and other agency networks. Competes with Residence for the same enterprise creative budgets but offers integrated media, PR, and healthcare capabilities.
• WPP: Largest global advertising holding company with portfolios including Ogilvy, VMLY&R, GroupM. Primary incumbent competitor Residence explicitly positions itself against; same enterprise clients (Apple, Google) but vastly larger scale.
• Interpublic Group (IPG): Holding company for McCann, MullenLowe, FCB, and Mediabrands. Competes for the same Fortune 500 creative mandates as Residence, with deeper media planning capabilities.

Emerging players

• Tombras: Independent creative and media agency group that has grown through acquisitions of smaller shops and capabilities. Compares to Residence as an emerging platform model competing with incumbents.
• Mother Design: Independent creative agency network with offices in NYC, London, and LA. Comparable as a leading independent creative shop serving similar enterprise brand clients.
• R/GA: Independent creative technology and design agency (now independent after IPG ownership) specializing in digital product, brand design, and connected experiences — overlapping with BUCK and ACRONYM capabilities.

Direct peers

• S4 Capital / MediaMonks: Sir Martin Sorrell's tech-focused creative and media network consolidating digital-first agencies. Comparable to Residence as a new-build network competing with legacy holding companies, though more digitally concentrated.
• Stagwell: Publicly-traded marketing and communications network built via roll-up of independent agencies, backed by private equity (multiple PE investors historically). Closely comparable to Residence in PE-backed consolidation of premium independents strategy.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/residenceco
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thisisresidence

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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

M&A2 records

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Residence