MoMac Expands With Key Hires & New Shareholder

One of New Zealand’s fastest growing smaller creative agencies has continued expanding after hiring key new staff members and introducing a new investor.

From small beginnings in 2017, the North Canterbury creative agency has continued to go from strength to strength and is now a key player within the marketing industry. The team at MoMac loves nothing more than to punch above their weight.

Specialising in a range of marketing services including websites, branding, graphic design, photography, videography and social media, MoMac has more than 150 active clients nationwide across a range of industries including high-performance car manufacturer Rodin Cars and racing superstar Liam Lawson.

Creative Director and Founder Ryan McDonald believes the secret to MoMac’s success, which has seen the company grow substantially year on year, is a combination of three core principles.

“It’s actually really simple when you break it down. Number one is to produce good work, number two is to be good to work with, and number three our work has to deliver value. I’m a firm believer that profit is a by-product of doing great work, so great work is always the primary focus within our agency.”

And for Ryan, investing in his team is a fundamental part of MoMac’s core values.

“We’re really big on developing people and seeing their skill sets grow and develop. We’ve now reached a point where the team’s individual skills are far greater than mine in their areas of expertise. The business has changed a lot since the start when I could do everything myself, so my role has pivoted and is now primarily to lead, motivate and foster a winning team culture.”

Senior Web Developer Michael Price began his career at MoMac as a high school student and has had a front-row seat to the MoMac journey.

“When I started it was relatively small and it’s grown exponentially. It feels like we’re definitely punching above our weight, and it feels like all of North Canterbury knows about us.”

So sure of MoMac’s ongoing potential, Michael officially became a shareholder in the business in 2022, achieving his goal of running his own creative agency.

“I could see it was a good opportunity, a good company, run by good people and I really liked being part of it. I have learnt heaps about business operations and everything that goes into it. It has been really cool to be closer to the heart of it and be involved in the decision-making and understanding the bigger picture.”

Michael’s goals for the business align with Ryan’s vision, with the duo hoping to expand the business through strategic partnerships and exploring acquisitions.

“[And] positioning ourselves into a space where we can easily innovate and experiment. It has been a big thing for us so far this year and we would like to see that continue. We’re trying to build a company that benefits everyone.”

As the business has continued to grow, so has the team, with two new key hires recently joining the MoMac whānau. Senior Client Manager Carl Robertson joined the team in October 2022 bringing with him more than 20 years of marketing experience.

“I was very glad to join MoMac which is a growing and ambitious company. Ryan’s clearly very ambitious. He’s keen to keep driving forward and is very happy to consider different ways to do things, and to see those recommendations payoff is very satisfying and rewarding.

“A big part of my role is to take a lot of the load off Ryan’s plate so that he can focus on growing the business. So, I do the initial discovery and planning stages with our clients, and then tailor our services with the objective of helping them grow their business from a marketing perspective.”

Working alongside Carl is vastly experienced Digital Marketer Jaime Belsar who joined the team in early 2023.

“I specialise in all things digital marketing; including targeted ad campaigns across digital, search and social media. Staying on top of emerging trends is something I’m incredibly passionate about and in particular, the organic reach and engagement of TikTok.”

For Jaime, who started her digital marketing career at TradeMe over ten years ago, working at MoMac has been on her radar for a while.

“I knew who MoMac were and the work that they did, and I was keeping an eye on them to see if any opportunities came up. The culture of the team was one of the first things that I actually noticed. You could just tell that it’s a really good vibe, awesome people to work with so it’s no surprise they produce really good work.”

With an eye on the future, Ryan hopes to see MoMac continue to grow its profile and lead the way in digital innovation.

“The brand becoming more reputable and becoming more well known is something that we’re excited about. And that generally comes from doing good work.”