Brave Bison, The Brothers Building the Anti-Agency

Brave Bison just bid £50 million for M&C Saatchi's performance division. The offer got rejected. But that's not really the story.

When I sat down to interview Theo and Oli Green the news had literally just hit. Their company, Brave Bison, had made an unsolicited £50 million bid for M&C Saatchi’s Performance division.

M&C Saatchi said no. Called it undervalued. But here’s the thing—the bid itself tells you where Brave Bison is heading.

“As things stand, they’ve said they’re not interested in selling it,” Oli said. “But let’s see where it goes.”

This isn’t just another independent agency trying to get bigger through acquisition. The Green brothers are building something different. They call it a “media tech business,” which sounds like marketing speak until you look at what they’ve built.

Not Just an Agency

Most people compare Brave Bison to DEPT, the VC-backed roll-up that’s become the poster child for the new independent sector. The brothers see some similarities. But there’s a fundamental difference.

“DEPT is a services business,” Theo explains. “It sells time and programmes of work. Brave Bison doesn’t just do that.…