In the June-August 2026 issue of NZ Marketing magazine, we asked agency founders to tell us the story behind why they started their agency, their favourite thing, what they’ve learned and their best advice.
Verve
- Founder: Terri van Schooten
- Year founded: 1999
Tell us the story behind founding your agency.
I’d always wanted to own a business. At the time I was working as a regional manager for a membership organisation, and the part I loved most was creating a festival for professionals.
What fascinated me wasn’t just the event itself, but the thinking behind it – why it mattered, who it was for and how to create something that genuinely delivered.
That became the foundation for Verve. The ambition was to bring professionalism to an industry that was still largely made up of solo operators. We wore suits, got an office, built a team and pushed to stay ahead of the curve.
These days, that same thinking has evolved into helping clients use events and experiences as part of their marketing and engagement – to build relationships, shift behaviour and create results, not just run good events.
What’s your favourite thing about running your own agency?
I like solving problems, I like variety and I like results. Running an agency gives me all three.
Project-based work means there’s not much chance of getting bored, and the stories are better than most jobs. Over the years we’ve helped build a community of barbers around qualifications back when “barber” and “qualification” barely belonged in the same sentence, cooked thousands of sausages on the side of state highways to help save lives, lost Hobbits in Wellington bars and taken the Flag Consideration Project around New Zealand.
It’s serious work, but it’s never dull. I love that mix of strategic thinking, pressure, creativity and the occasional completely ridiculous moment.
What’s the most important thing you’ve learned?
That you have to believe in what you do enough to ride out the hard bits.
There have been plenty of them – economic downturns, losing key clients and Covid hitting an industry built around people being in rooms together. None of that was fun. But hard seasons are part of building something real. They force you to get clearer, sharper and more committed to where you add value.
For us, that has meant getting more focused on purpose, strategy and results. What has kept Verve going is not just persistence, but belief in the work. We’ve stayed because we genuinely love what this work can do when it’s done well. It can change behaviour, strengthen relationships, build communities and help organisations connect with people in ways that other channels can’t.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received or given out?
Stay true to yourself and to what your business stands for.
Don’t just take the brief at face value. Work out the purpose, help your client get clear on it and only do work that has a reason to exist.
Anything else we should know?
After 25 years in business, I’m still energised by how much potential this space has when it’s treated strategically.
We’re especially interested in the role events and experiences can play in helping brands cut through, create genuine connection and deliver outcomes that last beyond the day itself.
This story comes from NZ Marketing magazine issue 87, June-August 2026. Why not subscribe? Get four issues a year for just $50 (including delivery) if you autorenew.
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