Why Senior Agency Talent Is Going Independent

Former ARN chief audience and content officer Lauren Joyce has launched Gun For Hire, an independent consultancy, securing Tasmanian audio production house Abe's Audio as her first client within one week of opening.

Joyce departed ARN at the end of 2025 after six years with the company. She launched Gun For Hire three months later.

Joyce's Career Path and Rapid Client Acquisition

Joyce joined ARN in April 2019 as national strategy director. She moved into the role of chief strategy and connections officer in 2020, then was promoted to chief audience and content officer in January 2025, succeeding Duncan Campbell, who had held the role for 15 years.

Abe's Audio founder Abe Udy confirmed the engagement in a public release. "We've engaged her to challenge how we think, open up new opportunities and help us evolve how we connect with the market," Udy said.

Joyce will work with Abe's Audio on customer acquisition and market positioning. She described the production house as having "already built a highly effective creative production engine" with capabilities "that many media companies simply don't have the resources to invest in right now."

Mumbrella reports that several additional client conversations are currently in progress.

A Wider Shift Away From Agency Employment

Joyce's move reflects a broader pattern in how senior marketing professionals are choosing to work. More than 7.3 million U.S. professionals now work full-time as solo independents, including a significant share of consultants.

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Deloitte's 2024 research identifies a "boundaryless workforce" as a defining trend, with senior talent increasingly moving between project-based engagements rather than staying within traditional agency structures.

The financial incentives are also measurable. 36% of independent consultants report earning more than they did in traditional employment. Nearly 80% report higher happiness. Independent consultants typically charge between US$3,000 and US$12,000 per month, compared to full-service agency retainers that range from US$5,000 to US$25,000 per month.

Over 70% of independent consultants rely on referrals as their primary source of new business, consistent with Joyce's model of converting an established industry network into immediate client relationships.

What This Means for Agency Talent Retention

Joyce's stated philosophy frames the independent model as a structural response to a market gap. "There's a growing gap between what the industry needs and how it's traditionally structured to deliver it," she said. "Businesses don't necessarily need more people. They need the right expertise, applied at the right moment to unlock growth."

A study of 700 senior leaders conducted by Harvard Business School in partnership with BCG found that 40% reported gains in speed, productivity, and innovation when engaging independent senior talent through on-demand arrangements. This provides measurable support for the project-based engagement model Joyce is deploying with Abe's Audio.

For agency leaders, the data presents a retention challenge. Senior executives with deep networks, C-suite credentials, and immediate client appeal face weakening incentives to remain within traditional employment structures. Joyce's ability to secure a paying client within her first week of operation illustrates how quickly accumulated professional capital can convert into independent revenue.

Gun For Hire is positioned as a solo practice rather than a competing agency, with Joyce describing the model as applying targeted expertise at specific moments rather than providing ongoing staffing.

Additional client engagements are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.