While half the industry is still trying to explain Roblox to their CMO, independent creative agency ATime&Place has launched a dedicated practice to catch the ad-dodging youth where they actually live.
The agency has launched its ‘Digital Experience and Entertainment Practice’, dubbed DEEP.
DEEP expands the offering of the agency into brand-owned entertainment, end-to-end digital product development, customer experience design, and gaming.
The new division brings together product, creative, and technology capabilities to deliver native apps, e-commerce, loyalty programs, and community experiences.
Bringing the band back together
Head of digital experience Jasmine Hansen, former eGEN product lead, joins the agency to lead the new practice. Hansen previously built proprietary platforms to help brands like e.l.f. Cosmetics and Adidas engage audiences in environments such as Roblox.
She also held senior product roles at Sportsbet and led the Dumb Ways to Die gaming franchise at Metro Trains Melbourne.
Chief creative officer and co-founder Matt Lawson noted the launch formalises a critical capability for modern brand-building. “We build worlds for brands, and create ideas that give those worlds a gravity to pull people in,” Lawson said.
He added that the team reunites Hansen with co-founder Adrian Mills. The Dumb Ways To Die franchise which they built together, generated multi-million dollar revenues through over 6.7 billion game sessions.
Adrian Mills of ATime&Place. Image: file
Marketing as a revenue generator
The agency aims to capture younger consumers who command a projected global spending power of more than $12 trillion by 2030.
Hansen argued that modern marketing fundamentally revolves around entertainment. “Brands that build experiences people actively want to take part in, whether through loyalty, utility or entertainment, drive deeper engagement and stronger long-term value,” Hansen said.
Hansen pointed out that platforms like Roblox offer more than 151 million daily active users.
These digital environments allow brands to unlock entirely new revenue streams beyond their core business. “It’s a compelling shift for CMOs, where marketing is no longer just an expense line item, but a generator of revenue,” she added.
Creative director Chris Jovanov, who joined the agency six months ago after holding senior roles at AKQA and R/GA, will work alongside Hansen.
He highlighted that the combination of creative and product capabilities opens up new possibilities. “There’s a real opportunity here to build things people actually want to spend time with,” Jovanov said.
Feature image- Chris Jovanov, Matt Lawson, Jasmine Hansen of ATime&Place