Fresh Juice Creative Agency: Where Cultural Authenticity Meets Commercial Success

Forbes

20-05-2025

Founders of Fresh Juice e Creative Agency
Fresh Juice Creative Agency is pioneering a unique approach to storytelling. This approach prioritizes lived experiences where authentic storytelling takes center stage. Founded by cultural heavyweights Che Kothari, Tanisha Scott, and Kieran Khan, this innovative agency is redefining how brands connect with diverse audiences through visual narratives that resonate on a deeper level.
The trio's recent Clio Gold Award-winning campaign for Adidas and Toronto Football Club has established Fresh Juice as a primary player in the creative ethos. The agency's commitment to amplifying underrepresented voices while delivering commercial success makes them particularly noteworthy in today's marketplace, where 76% of consumers expect brands to contribute to their well-being and quality of life.
I sat down with the Fresh Juice team to discuss their approach to creative work, their commitment to community, and their vision for transforming the industry. This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
Stephanie Tharpe: How does Fresh Juice's approach challenge traditional creative agency models, and what unique strategies does the agency employ to ensure authentic cross-cultural storytelling?
Tanisha Scott: At Fresh Juice, we believe that creative work should be a reflection of lived experience. Traditional agencies often approach culture from the outside looking in. We live it. Our approach is rooted in deep cultural immersion, collaboration with local creatives, and a commitment to ensuring every project is not only visually compelling but emotionally resonant. We build teams that reflect the stories we're telling and allow space for nuance, honesty, and real voices to shape the creative outcome.
Stephanie Tharpe: How does the agency's leadership team leverage their diverse backgrounds to amplify underrepresented voices and drive systemic changes within creative industries?
Tanisha Scott: Our diversity isn't a checkbox—it's the fuel for everything we do. Each of us brings a different cultural lens, and that fusion helps us see the bigger picture and bring forward stories that haven't traditionally been prioritized. We believe systemic change begins when leadership reflects the world we want to see. That's what Fresh Juice is built on.
Stephanie Tharpe: What creative risks and innovative strategies differentiated this project from traditional sports marketing approaches?
Chean Kothari: This campaign was about more than branding—it was about reflecting the soul of a city. We leaned into community, into authenticity, and into the textures that make Toronto what it is. The creative risk wasn't in pushing for flash, but in pulling things back—in letting raw, unfiltered emotion take the lead. We prioritized real people, real environments, and real stories. That choice connected with people on a deeper level and ultimately earned us the Clio Gold. It was a reminder that when culture leads, success follows.
Stephanie Tharpe: How does Fresh Juice approach mentorship and community development, and how does this commitment integrate into the agency's broader operational philosophy?
Kieran Khan: Mentorship isn't a side conversation—it's central to how we move. At Fresh Juice, we're intentional about creating access points for emerging talent, especially those who don't always see a clear pathway into this industry. Whether it's bringing young creatives on set, collaborating with grassroots organizations, or just being available to offer guidance, we make space for real development. It's not just about passing the mic—it's about building a stage where others can take the lead. That's how we grow the culture and move it forward.
Stephanie Tharpe: With backgrounds spanning music, arts, and entertainment, how does the agency maintain artistic authenticity while meeting commercial brand expectations?
Tanisha Scott: We always start with the "why." Our goal is to align with brands that understand the value of authentic storytelling and are open to being challenged creatively. Artistic integrity doesn't need to be sacrificed to meet commercial goals—it's about finding that intersection where purpose and impact meet.
Stephanie Tharpe: What long-term societal changes does Fresh Juice aim to catalyze through its creative work and community engagement?
Tanisha Scott: We want our work to inspire change. Whether it's how brands think about representation or how young creatives see their place in the industry, we hope to open doors and shift perspectives. Community engagement, mentorship, and platform-building are not PR plays for us—they're commitments.
According to a recent study by McKinsey, Black consumers have over $1.4 trillion in spending power in the U.S. alone, yet less than 1% of advertising and marketing agencies are Black-owned. Fresh Juice is taking full advantage of the current market opportunity, and has positioned itself as a minority owned agency willing to break the glass ceiling.
Aside from industry representation, Fresh Juice is finding its success in a sweet spot where authentic representation yields business results. Research shows that campaigns featuring genuine cultural insights and representation see up to 50% higher engagement rates among diverse audiences.
Diverse leadership teams are 33% more likely to outperform their peers on profitability. Fresh Juice embodies this principle, leveraging its founders' varied cultural perspectives to deliver work that resonates across demographics while maintaining the authenticity that today's consumers demand.
Born in Toronto to Jamaican parents, Tanisha Scott began her creative career as a freestyle dancer. Today, her creative vision spans high-profile projects, including co-choreographing Disney's upcoming West End musical "Hercules" and choreographing "Hope Road," a Bob Marley-inspired show premiering at Las Vegas' Mandalay Bay this year. She collaborated with acclaimed director Spike Jonze on Apple's mini-film "Someday," starring Pedro Pascal, showing her ability to translate cultural nuance into commercial success.
Chetan Kothari is a revered photographer, role model, and leader within his community. He started his career photographic some on our times greatest artists like Damian & Ziggy Marley, Nas, Erykah Badu, Ashanti, Ice Cube of NWA, Chuck D of Public Enemy, Common, Cypress Hill, A Tribe Called Quest, Talib Kweli, Dead Prez and many others as personal work and for covers of magazines. His images have been a part of over 100 exhibitions, from museums to the streets in Toronto, Canada, Kingston, Jamaica, New York, USA, Tokyo, Japan, Bombay, and India.
Kieran Khan is a talented video director, editor, and content director based in Toronto, Canada. Kieran has shot music videos, commercials, and content for many renowned artists and brands, including Gwen Stefani, Rick Ross, Buju Banton, Damian Marley, Skip Marley, Nicky Jam, Sean Paul, Adidas, Caribbean Airlines, and Converse becoming one of the world most sought after videography instructors.
The combined expertise of the founding team creates a powerhouse agency uniquely equipped to navigate the intersection of culture and commerce.
Fresh Juice has all of the necessary ingredients to transform how brands engage with culture. They are not just branding culture for consumption but actively shaping it for the better through authentic storytelling and cultural engagement.
For brands looking to connect with increasingly diverse audiences in authentic ways, Fresh Juice offers something increasingly valuable: creative work that honors cultural context while delivering commercial impact—no artificial flavoring, just fresh ideas and global vision.