The 21 U.S. employees of Special Group have yet to move into a physical office—but they have already pumped out a Super Bowl ad for Uber eats and attention-grabbing work for anti-Donald Trump PAC The Lincoln Project. 

See all of Ad Age's 2021 Small Agency Award winners here.

The independent shop, which made its name in Australia and New Zealand, established its U.S. beachhead in Southern California last year in November in the middle of the pandemic. A few months later it cranked out a Big Game spot for Uber Eats that reunited “Saturday Night Live” vets Mike Myers and Dana Carvey to reprise their roles from the famous “Wayne’s World” skit in a bid to promote local restaurants. The agency, which had worked for the food delivery brand in Australia, launched the U.S. office to service Uber Eats here—under a mandate to flex the brand’s “Tonight I’ll Be Eating” campaign for the American market. The agency more than delivered on that brief with ads starring unlikely duos of Mark Hamill and Sir Patrick Stewart as well as Jonathan Van Ness and Simone Biles.

The work served as a “love letter” to the fan bases of the stars, especially for "Star Trek" and "Star Wars" fans that geeked out about the Hamill-Stewart ad on platforms such as Reddit, creating what Special Group Chief Creative Officer William Gelner describes as a “nerdgasm.”

Gelner previously worked for agencies including Trailer Park and 180LA and later served on the creative council of The Lincoln Project. That relationship led to “Walk of Shame,” an animated ad Special Group did for the PAC that depicted buyer’s remorse from GOP voters that were symbolized by a horrified elephant. It racked up social media views. With results like that, the agency’s clients won’t have any regrets.

See all of Ad Age's 2021 Small Agency Award winners here.