If you’re expecting a story about hustle, grind, and late‑night pitch decks, managing director Nomi Leasure is politely here to disappoint you. The MD of a fast‑growing experiential agency, responsible for the highly praised Amazon Port activation at Cannes Lions, explains to The Subthread's editor-in-chief Alex Zeevalkink how her number one priority is caring for the people that make Pinch.
Nomi is always mindful not to let staff burn out, despite the often high demands that come with building experiences. Though this is not an uncommon phrase, at Salt and Pinch they back it up with flexible PTO, enforced breaks, care packages, and a refusal to treat all‑nighters as a badge of honor, she explains.
Nomi had an unconventional route into agency leadership: from local TV reporter and theater kid, to blogger writing frankly about love and relationships for an audience of young women who grew up alongside her. That curiosity about people – and a childhood in a house full of social workers and developing language around feelings – now underpins how she runs Pinch.
Understanding emotions also offers its value in the output of the agency. Rather than starting with “the big idea,” Nomi talks about designing from the emotional undercurrent of an experience: how people are actually feeling when they walk into a space, what state you need to move them into, and why just “making the campaign big in real life” misses the point of experiential entirely.
She and Alex also get into how “never arrive” became a core principle for the agency as it serves as a reminder that agencies, like people, have to keep evolving. And there’s plenty of uncomfortable honesty, too. Nomi talks about moving from account director to MD, the constant crash‑course learning, and the imposter syndrome that comes with suddenly being the person who’s supposed to “figure it all out.”
Finally Nomi discusses her emerging focus on “experiential‑curious” challenger brands that have only existed online, and outlines how wants to help these newer players find their voice in the real world for the first time.
To see more interviews with agency leaders who dig into the realities of their roles, how they innovate, motivate, and where they believe the industry is headed, check out The Subthread's Uncut series.
