BUOYANT began as a safe place for cultural storytellers. Its sharpest work starts when somebody else's platform stops serving the audience.
Mike Utaegbulam discovered his old job required three replacements. He built an agency around that clue - then learned that doing everything yourself is a terrible way to scale.
A worthy mission still needs someone to make the calls, shape the message and get the story out. This Oakland agency has built its business around that unfinished work.
Steve Stoute left the record business convinced Madison Avenue was reading culture with an old playbook. Two decades later, Translation is the agency that turns cultural currency into brand campaigns - and it built a music platform to keep the supply coming.