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.
Augusto
- Founders: Leon Kirkbeck and Michelle Walshe
- Year founded: 2008
Tell us the story behind founding your agency.
With backgrounds in TV production and interactive web development, Michelle and I started Augusto at the dawn of the iPhone and YouTube era – spotting an opportunity to become modern storytellers for brands.
That work, of course, went on to become ‘content’ as we know it today, and Augusto fast-developed into the independent full-service agency it is today.
The intersection of strategy, storytelling, technology and brand development is where we’ve found our place in the market, and all have been at our core ever since. They’ve shaped how we’ve grown, who we’ve worked with and the kind of work we chase.
On the marketing side, our highlights would be 16 years working with adidas globally to activate their All Blacks sponsorship, building long-running relationships with Mitre 10, Lion NZ, AON, Te Puia and many others.
Whilst the briefs differ wildly, the job is the same – find the distinctive strategic angle, identify the human story worth telling, and tell it well.
Alongside our design and brand-led marketing storytelling, we have built a long-from, documentary arm of the business. We see this as the purest expression of building, entertaining and retaining audiences.
The most notable of our films, Chasing Great and Prime Minister, are now the #1 and #3 top-grossing documentaries in New Zealand history, which we’re immensely proud of.
What’s your favourite thing about running your own agency?
Getting to decide what the agency stands for and where we direct our energy. That lets us back things we genuinely believe in and chase work that matters.
It’s how we ended up delivering adidas’ global sustainability campaigns for four years, helping deliver the recent Haka World Record, becoming B Corp certified, achieving technological firsts in marketing, developing globally recognised podcasts, and overall, just telling stories that actually leave a mark.
The other thing we love is what I affectionately call ‘people collecting’.
Over the years we’ve curated a group of brilliant, funny, talented humans who make the days fly by, and who we love being in the creative trenches with. With so many waking hours spent at work or thinking about work, it is the company you keep that matters most and ours is a genuinely outstanding crew.
Beyond all that? Getting a carpark out the front of the building is a nice perk.
What’s the most important thing you’ve learned?
Never underestimate the power of strong relationships and being genuinely invested in outcomes.
The work gets better when you truly care. When clients become friends and you’re invested for reasons well beyond the invoice, everyone benefits.
Over the years we’ve had the privilege of working alongside supremely talented marketing teams and some of the best creative talent Aotearoa has to offer across sport, entertainment and the arts. It’s never boring, and the trust built up over time means the strategy gets sharper and the storytelling gets more authentic and impactful, and the effectiveness story just gets better.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received or given out?
It’s a super privileged industry that permits some genuinely incredible experiences. A lot of travel to crazy places, a lot of meeting amazing humans, achieving some big goals.
We’ve found ourselves working with Prince Harry in Oprah’s backyard, side of pitch at epic rugby matches, courtside at NBA games, filming inside the Beehive during the Covid protests, and, a personal highlight, watching Mallowpuffs being made on the factory line.
Every one of those moments was, at its heart, a chance to be curious and tell stories most people don’t usually get to see up close.
So remember to have fun along the way, even in the challenging times.
Anything else we should know?
Michelle and I are answering these questions from New York, about to attend the Emmys, where we’ve picked up nominations in both the Best Documentary and Best Political Documentary categories for Prime Minister. The best proof point that human stories, told powerfully, can make a true impact.
It’s a huge honour, and the ultimate validation that the thing we set out to do back in 2008 is still at the heart of everything we do.
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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