Amar Chohan
Founder & CEO
Amar founded DCA to make the marketing capability landscape easier to navigate and to create a better route between marketers with real problems and the specialist businesses capable of solving them.
LinkedInView the DCA Map
DCA is the connective layer between changing marketing needs and the capability able to meet them.
We help marketers understand what is changing, decide what to do about it, and find the right partners capable of doing it.
The landscape changed. The way we navigate it hasn’t.
Marketing services are changing faster than many organisations can understand them. New agencies, studios, consultancies, collectives and specialist capabilities appear quickly, while the systems marketers use to discover and assess them remain fragmented.
The result is predictable: people default to the safest, most visible or most familiar option, even when a better answer exists elsewhere.
How DCA works
One system, two connected jobs. We help marketers navigate change, then turn a specific problem into the right capability and partners.
Explore our insightsUnderstand what is changing.
Through intelligence, research, market mapping and practitioner insight, DCA surfaces useful evidence and makes a complex capability landscape easier to read.- Tell DCA what you need
Turn understanding into action.
When there is a live need, DCA helps turn the problem into relevant agency options, introductions and, where needed, a configured pitch or working partnership.
Why DCA exists
More capability, less visibility.
Some of the most relevant expertise sits outside the names marketers already know. DCA makes that capability easier to discover and understand.
More choice, harder decisions.
The challenge is no longer access to options. It is knowing which options are genuinely relevant to the problem in front of you.
Change creates new needs.
New channels, technologies, behaviours and operating models continually reshape what marketers need from external partners.
Human judgement still matters.
Data can map the market at scale. Human judgement is still required to interpret evidence, understand context and make a useful recommendation.
Meet the Team
DCA is being built by people with experience across marketing, agencies, journalism and the businesses that connect them.
James Swift
Editorial Director
James has spent nearly two decades in journalism covering marketing, advertising and media, including senior editorial roles at MediaCat, Contagious and Campaign. He leads DCA’s intelligence and editorial programme.
Kate Busby
CMO
As a seasoned Fractional CMO, Board Advisor, and Marketing Educator and Mentor.
Karl Marsden
Cofounder & Chair
An experienced media and marketing leadership executive, Karl was part of the founding team at ShortList Media, where he was chief operating officer through to its successful sale. He later joined Contagious, becoming CEO and chair, and led the business until its sale seven years after he arrived.
Understand the market. Then act on it.
Explore DCA intelligence, browse the market or tell us what you need.
Got Questions?
Can’t see yours? Get in touch and we’ll answer it.
What is DCA?
Department of Creative Affairs (DCA) helps marketers find and work with the right independent agencies.
We combine research and editorial insight with agency discovery, matching and hands-on advice to help you understand your options and choose the right partners.
Who is DCA for?
DCA is for marketers looking for agency support and independent agencies looking to reach prospective clients. Whether you have a specific brief, need help understanding your options or want to make your agency’s expertise more visible, DCA can help.
What does DCA Verified mean?
A DCA Verified agency has completed our detailed profile and verification requirements, including three client references collected directly by DCA. This gives us more evidence about its experience, capabilities and how it works. Verification supports your assessment of an agency, but does not guarantee the outcome of an engagement.
How does DCA keep agency recommendations focused on the client’s needs?
Our agency recommendations are always based on fit for the client’s requirements, whether you use DCA online or work with our consultancy team.
Agencies pay for richer profiles, verification and greater visibility. Paid status can influence the order in which equally suitable agencies appear online, but it does not make an unsuitable agency eligible for recommendation or override a stronger fit.
We do not take commission on agency appointments or a percentage of the work awarded. Consultancy fees are agreed with the client, and our advice is guided by their brief, budget and objectives.