ATime&Place Launches DEEP Division for Gen Z and Gen Alpha

Independent creative agency ATime&Place has launched DEEP (Digital Experience and Entertainment Practice), a new division focused on immersive digital experiences for Gen Z and Gen Alpha consumers, with operations beginning across Australia and New Zealand this month.

What DEEP Does and Who Is Leading It

DEEP consolidates product, creative, and technology capabilities into a single practice. Its services span native apps, e-commerce, loyalty programs, community experiences, and gaming.

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Jasmine Hansen joins as Head of Digital Experience, coming from eGEN where she built brand platforms on Roblox for e.l.f. Cosmetics and Adidas. She also led the Dumb Ways to Die gaming franchise, which recorded 6.7 billion game sessions and generated multi-million dollar revenues.

Creative Director Chris Jovanov, who joined ATime&Place six months ago from AKQA and R/GA, leads the creative side of the division. Multiple client projects are already in development, with further announcements expected soon.

"Marketing at its core is about entertainment," said Hansen. "Brands that build experiences people actively want to take part in drive deeper engagement and stronger long-term value."

The Commercial Case Behind the Launch

The division's launch is driven by a clear demographic shift. Gen Z and Gen Alpha consumers are projected to command over US$12 trillion in combined global spending power by 2030, making them the most commercially significant group for brand investment over the next five years.

These audiences prefer participating in brand-owned environments over watching traditional ads. Platforms like Roblox, which reports over 151 million daily active users, offer brands interactive engagement at a scale that rivals broadcast media.

ATime&Place co-founder and Chief Creative Officer Matt Lawson framed the strategic intent directly: "We build worlds for brands, and create ideas that give those worlds a gravity to pull people in."

How DEEP Fits the Broader Agency Restructuring Trend

Traditional agencies typically operate as separate teams, each managing individual channels independently. DEEP's model integrates acquisition, conversion, loyalty, and monetization under one practice, addressing a structural gap in how most agencies currently serve younger audiences.

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Agency restructuring research notes that real growth does not exist in isolated channels but in the connections between them. DEEP's design reflects this directly.

The model also responds to commercial pressure from generative AI, which is compressing the execution work that has historically justified traditional agency billing. Agencies are repositioning around strategy, culture, and product thinking rather than production volume.

Digital natives now represent more than half of B2B buyers, extending the Gen Z engagement imperative beyond consumer marketing into business purchasing decisions.

Proven Precedents for the Model

The commercial case for brand-owned entertainment is not theoretical. The Dumb Ways to Die franchise, developed by members of DEEP's leadership team, demonstrated that a brand-owned gaming property can generate standalone revenue rather than function purely as a marketing cost.

Agency-led gaming platform development has also been validated elsewhere. DEPT® built a play-and-earn gaming community platform for Merit Circle across 30-plus games in 2021 and 2022, establishing that this capability model is commercially proven.

Roblox's 2026 IP licensing update, which introduced revenue shares of 10-25% for branded digital experiences, creates a formalized commercial framework that agencies like DEEP can use on behalf of clients.

DEEP launches this month across ANZ, with client projects already underway.