A New Heavyweight: Four Agencies Unite to Form Punch Group

NEW YORK, NY – June 26, 2026 – In a move that signals a significant shift in the agency landscape, four distinct, award-winning firms have officially consolidated under a single new moniker: Punch Group, Inc. The strategic unification brings together brand strategy agency Clever, experiential design firm GLGR, and public relations powerhouse The Right Now, along with its in-house content division, Now Studio. The announcement confirms what many in the industry have been predicting: the era of the siloed agency is giving way to a new model built on integration, scale, and streamlined execution.

This merger is more than a simple roll-up; it's a calculated response to a market that is increasingly demanding comprehensive, single-source solutions. By combining their respective strengths, the founders are betting they can offer the agility and specialized expertise of a boutique agency with the firepower and breadth of a large network, aiming to deliver what they call “frictionless client services” in an increasingly complex media environment.

A Union of Proven Specialists

To understand the potential of Punch Group, one must first look at the pedigree of its component parts. This is not a merger of struggling entities but a strategic alliance of leaders in their respective fields. Each agency brings a formidable portfolio and a distinct set of capabilities to the new organization.

From Los Angeles, Clever, founded by Shannon Gabor, has spent over two decades mastering the art of “people-first branding.” The agency has been the strategic and creative force behind campaigns for a roster of blue-chip clients that includes Netflix, Starbucks, Warner Bros., and Red Bull. Its expertise lies in cutting through market noise to build foundational brand identities that resonate deeply with consumers.

GLGR, led by founder Tim Gallagher, contributes world-class experiential design and marketing. What began three decades ago as a venture in metal sculpture has evolved into a firm that creates immersive brand worlds for some of the biggest names in tech and sports. GLGR is the architect behind high-profile activations like the Capital One Play Ball Park, a shop-in-shop for the Jordan brand, and an immersive experience for Fortnite featuring Lewis Hamilton, demonstrating a unique ability to translate brand ethos into physical, memorable encounters.

Rounding out the trifecta is The Right Now, the public relations and cultural marketing firm founded by industry veteran Sunny Jenkins in 2020. In a short time, the agency has made a significant impact, earning PR Net's 2026 NextGen Lifestyle Agency of the Year. It's known for orchestrating culturally resonant moments, such as securing Post Malone for UGG's Fall 2024 campaign, a move that contributed to UGG's biggest sales year for its Classic boot. This ability to tap into the zeitgeist is amplified by Now Studio, its dedicated content arm led by Rylee Ebsen, which specializes in creating high-impact, social-first video and photo content.

The Consolidation Playbook

The formation of Punch Group is a powerful reflection of a broader consolidation trend reshaping the marketing and advertising industry. For years, Chief Marketing Officers have lamented the operational drag of managing a sprawling roster of specialized agencies. Coordinating between a brand agency, a PR firm, an experiential team, and a social media shop often leads to fragmented strategies, inconsistent messaging, and significant administrative overhead. This merger is a direct answer to that pain point.

By creating a single ecosystem, the newly formed entity aims to eliminate the seams that typically exist between disciplines. The stated goal is to provide end-to-end capabilities within one cohesive structure, ensuring that a brand’s journey from initial concept to final amplification is managed seamlessly. This integrated model is not just about client convenience; it's a strategic necessity in a media landscape where consumer attention is fractured across dozens of platforms and touchpoints.

In a joint statement, founders Shannon Gabor, Tim Gallagher, and Sunny Jenkins articulated this reality: “In today's complex media landscape, individual marketing disciplines rarely capture the full spectrum of consumer attention. Punch Group is designed to connect these dots, moving from insight to execution with a level of agility that standalone agencies cannot match.” Their vision is to create “more cohesive work that cuts through the noise to deliver lasting impact,” a promise that directly targets the core challenge facing every modern brand.

A New Blueprint for Client-Agency Partnership

For clients, the value proposition of Punch Group is clear: streamlined communication, simplified project coordination, and accelerated execution. The new organization promises a partnership where brand strategy, experiential activation, public relations, and content production are not just co-located but fully integrated. This allows for a holistic approach where insights from one discipline can immediately inform and enhance the work of another.

Imagine a global brand looking to launch a new product. Under the Punch Group model, Clever’s team could develop the core brand positioning and identity. GLGR could then design a flagship launch event and a series of pop-up retail experiences. Simultaneously, The Right Now could orchestrate a multi-layered PR and influencer campaign, securing high-profile talent and media coverage, while Now Studio produces a steady stream of social-first content to build and sustain momentum. All of this would be managed under a single, unified strategic vision and one point of contact, ensuring a consistent brand voice across all channels.

This integrated approach is also key to competing with the industry’s behemoths. While large holding companies like WPP and Omnicom have long offered integrated services, they are often perceived as slow-moving and bureaucratic. Punch Group is positioning itself as a more nimble and personalized alternative, combining the resources to handle large-scale projects with the bespoke, high-touch service that made its founding agencies successful.

The unification is explicitly designed to fuel “exponential growth” and enable the group to pursue larger, global accounts that might have been out of reach for the individual agencies. By combining their client lists, expertise, and operational capacity, they are creating a formidable new competitor in the integrated marketing space, ready to challenge established players by offering what they believe is a superior model for delivering measurable impact.