03/03/2026
Behind every agency is a story. I’m Alistair, founder of SDM – and here’s mine...
📝 In 2000, I started at a London ad agency that had just one computer. I filled pads with ideas. Many ended up in the bin. A few became real ads.
🖥️ By 2009, I’d taught myself to code and was leading creative and tech teams across London and Vienna – including a multi-million-pound rebrand and filming at Real Madrid and Man United ⚽️ (as a rugby fan, I sadly didn’t know that many players!).
🇩🇰 In 2014, I joined LEGO as Head of the Global Live marketing team, bouncing between London and Denmark. My kids were convinced I didn’t have a real job – but they didn’t complain 🎁
👨💼 In 2017, I launched SDM, with LEGO our first client. Then Rubik’s (yes, I can solve the Cube!).
😷 COVID was tough. But with incredible clients, we weathered the storm.
📈 We’ve worked across many sectors, from pets to fintech, helping brands scale, reposition and unlock growth.
It’s been a whirlwind … plenty of wins, a few bruises and a lot of wrinkles.
I wouldn’t change it. Because at the heart of it all … my two amazing kids ❤️
I think Hunter S. Thompson said it best:
Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a ride!”
