Thank you banda agency
I recently left the agency I had been part of for 8 years. Now, I finally have the space to reflect on how amazing that time was, and how grateful I am for it. And for my readers from Europe, I will show a very cool example of a creative agency and reveal the secret of its success.
I witnessed the growth of a small creative agency, just 12 people at the start, into something much bigger (almost 100). I saw people leave and start their own equally awesome agencies. I watched as the agency adapted through COVID, through the war. Now I want to share my impressions.
Let me start with the place where it all happened.
At some point, the three founders of the agency — Pasha, Yegor, and Yarik — built their dream office right in the center of Kyiv. And this is what it looked like:
I joined Banda in 2017, when that space was still under construction. It was nothing like the tiny one-room office I came from, so yeah, it left an impression.
During my interview, Pasha told me that Banda was a creative agency made by creatives for creatives — and the space truly embodied that in every square meter. It was a place where I wanted to come up with big ideas, where sleeping in the office to finish a project felt right, where you’d talk nonsense on the terrace at sunset, sing karaoke for the first time in your life, and party a million times over.
Here’s a photo of Ilya Pochkun.
Parties.
I think the main secret of the Banda is the ability to have fun.
Here’s a graph that perfectly explains how it worked:
The harder we worked, the harder we partied. And vice versa.
This directly affected how we worked. I learned that big things don’t get made with a serious face. You can’t break the rules if you’re always working “properly”.
This influenced the way we held important strategic sessions for the development of our agency. It is important to think about the future together in places where you want to dream.
(I tried to find a photo of us not dancing)
One day, Banda got a whole house outside Kyiv to gather there all the time, hold strategic sessions and... have parties. It was there that I kissed my future wife for the first time.
The party was constantly growing and moving beyond the office. Usually in the form of advertising projects, but also in the form of constant trips to pick up awards that these projects received.
Our first Cannes
Our first Ukrainian karaoke in Berlin, when we received the award for the best agency of the year.
The party kept growing into huge projects that promoted creativity within Ukraine.
A big creative conference about creativity called “Necactus”. An incredible number of people came.
Pumping young talents in the style of a children's camp. Making big bonfires and sitting around them (sometimes throwing Pochkun's sneakers in) can be considered one of the traditions of the Banda agency.
The feeling of being part of one big creative party gave me energy. But what I’m most grateful for are the small moments.
Like that time we submitted a bunch of cases to Cannes, lost them all — and celebrated anyway.
Or when we organized a ping pong championship for the winners to choose which tables their team would work at.
Or the day we invited our parents to the office. When’s the last time your parents came to your workplace and actually figured out what you do?
I am also grateful to the people who came to my “SKDKR” meetings to talk about advertising. Even when they did not come, I am grateful too.
People. I am grateful to the Banda agency for bringing together such talented and bright people.
Huge thanks to Nastia Burganova, my creative partner on so many projects. She taught me how to think deeper and breathe easier. Maybe someday I will be able to attend her stand-up concert.
Zhenia Dvoretska for being a legendary person. For doing the impossible on projects, for “Дні Пахлави” and walks around Kazakhstan.
(I hope I chose the right photo, because you left it on my phone)
I thank Anton for setting an example of a high level of design. I learned a lot just by following his work.
(This is almost the first photo on my phone)
I thank Max Boritko for showing me what Lithuanian zeppelins and systemic thinking are.
Thanks to the people who were on my team: Nastia Polikarchuk, Vika Basiuk, Sofia Chokan, Alisa Zelenska, Maria Chernenko, Volodia Bundzha, and of course — Serhiy.
Serhiy, thank you for your weird copywriting and the broken office floor from your skateboard. But most of all, thank you for your service in the army.
Because of this office and these parties, I met the love of my life.
Thank you, Olesya Bondar, for becoming the creative partner of my heart. (sorry, it's hard for me to come up with a good pun in English)
And none of this would’ve happened without Yarik, Pasha, and Yegor.
Yarik, thank you for making me fall in love with strategy and showing me how to be endlessly positive.
Pasha, thank you for giving me an example of big thinking, childish stupidity and personal philosophy. Your ideas have always inspired me.
Yegor, thank you very much for your energy, for teaching me to have fun, to think boldly, for showing me how to defend my ideas and my people, for literally raising me to become a Creative Director, for investing your time and trust in my growth.
Thank you guys for creating this miracle.
Thank you for your bravery.
Since the beginning of russia's full-scale war against Ukraine, Banda has changed and adapted to the new realities. The office has changed. Processes have changed. People have changed. I have changed.
But the creative power is still the same. And beyond just advertising, Banda is bringing important social projects to life — projects the country truly needs right now.
I’ll always be watching. Always inspired.
