The rituals behind Bud’s culture: The work we don't bill for
Bud Communications is a truly cross-cultural agency, with over 20 employees sitting across six markets in the APAC region. We have boots on the ground in Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Australia, and most recently, Hong Kong.
Core to how we operate is making sure no market is siloed; we have one P&L, and it will always stay that way. Each time Bud opens into a new market, we do so with a group mentality, and that crosses over for client work. Whenever one market needs extra hands, there’s no hesitation; someone else can help despite the time zones. Actually, the time zones can be handy as it means there are a few extra hours in the workday.
But working well with people who are on the other side of the region takes deliberate effort, and an established relationship is necessary. As our founder, Oliver Budgen, mentioned during a recent podcast with Tim Castle, “I'm not trying to win the year. I'm trying to win the decade.” Part of that means investing in relationships that might not be billable, but make the billable work we do better.
Here are some of the rituals behind it…
Toast
At the heart of our collaboration is the agency-wide Toast meetings held twice-weekly. We keep these online calls pretty casual with the conversations mimicking those you’d have around the water cooler, which is something we’d otherwise lose when everyone works across different markets.
Toast has been a staple since the agency opened its doors as a three-person team. Back then, the meeting would only take as long as it took to toast a slice of bread. But as our team grew, the name stuck, and now it usually lasts 30 minutes #burnttoast 🍞
On Mondays, everyone shares a work highlight, weekend highlight, and word for the week. Each week, toast is hosted by a different member of the team; the toastmaster ensures the meeting is going well and is also responsible for setting the all-important question of the week.
Friday’s Toast is even more casual, and the main task is answering the question of the week, which can get pretty creative. Some past questions include:
The world's ending, and you know that in 2000 years archaeologists will uncover your remains, Pompeii style. What pose would you adopt?
If there was one fruit you would want to grow for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?
In line with Toast, what is the superior type of toast (be bready to defend your answer)?
To sweeten the start of each month, buddies get an allowance to bring their own breakfast to Toast.
Now New Next (NNN)
Similar to Toast, we have an agency-wide monthly NNN meeting, which stands for New Now Next and acts as a more professional town hall.
The main purpose of NNN is to keep all buddies in the loop about what’s happening in the business. Nothing is a secret at Bud, from monthly revenue and new client wins to potential new business pitches. Each market also shares what’s been happening locally, from work wins and events to socials (usually decorated with plenty of pictures).
Occasionally there is some time spent on education. For example, recently the team received an update on how AI can and cannot be used in the business.
To end the meeting on a fun note, any work anniversaries and work wins are celebrated, and if there are any new Buddies in the room, they’ll be properly indoctrinated with a quick two truths one lie. Here’s an example…
Monthly Socials
If these regular meetings weren’t fun enough, we also have a monthly virtual meeting or activity dedicated to socialising. Every month is different, and in the past we’ve had Guessing Games, Office Olympics, and Find the Chameleon - all run over Google Meet.
Other times it’s more involved than just a video call. Just last month we had a Step Challenge where every week each staff member would share their weekly step count and join a leaderboard to keep track of the winners, which would be up for a cash prize.
Or for International Women’s Day this year, we celebrated with a Book Club. Each staff member was given an Audible credit to spend on a book connected to IWD’s theme Give to Gain. The goal was to pick something you’re genuinely curious about, whether it be fiction, memoir or essays, anything goes. The agency then met to talk about the book chosen.
Bud University
About once every quarter, the whole agency comes together for a knowledge-sharing session called Bud University.
Unlike Toast or NNN, Bud University is solely focused on learning, a dedicated space to build skills that make everyone better at their jobs, regardless of market or discipline. Our last session was Presenting with Confidence, where Buddies learnt about how they can conduct client meetings more efficiently.
Agency Off-Site
Definitely the most exciting activity in the Bud calendar is the yearly off-site. Yes, this is a big expense as we fly all of our staff to one destination in APAC and put them up in accommodation for a few days, not to mention the cost of putting tools down for the week. But this is just how important we believe coming together is.
This past June, the whole agency met up in Da Nang, Vietnam for five days. The agenda was packed, from communal meals, social activities like a pub quiz and karaoke, educational workshops, team planning sessions and even a day tour to Hoi An. Of course, in between events we were checking emails and ensuring all client needs continued to be met.
Why this matters to clients
Strong agency culture encourages employees to perform better, which then results in better output for the clients. This doesn’t stop at an agency separated by thousands of kilometres of ocean; it just requires more consistency, which Bud has prioritised from the moment we opened our doors.
When people across six markets know and trust each other, collaboration flourishes. And the Buddies themselves see the difference.
For Kiana Carreon, Account Director in the Philippines, it’s about “feeling genuinely connected to other Buddies, even when we’re geographically far apart.” It makes “collaboration more natural, relationships stronger, and honestly, the hard days a little lighter.”
Over in Australia, Lhara Paraboles, Account Manager, admits that when her calendar is full, she’s tempted to skip Toast and NNN. But, “I never once regretted joining.” It’s where she gets to know Buddies outside Sydney. “Their quirks, their hobbies, stuff that never comes up in a client WIP.”
And Rachel Koh, Account Executive, in Singapore keeps it pretty simple: “Work is much more enjoyable when you actually enjoy the people you’re working with.” It’s a chance to step away from client work, recharge and have a laugh together.
Those relationships make it easier to ask for help and work together across borders. And ultimately, that makes for better work for our clients.
Playing the long game
The results speak for themselves. In 2026, Bud was named Australia and New Zealand Agency of the Year and one of the Best Agencies to Work For in Asia-Pacific by PRovoke Media, alongside winning the Medium Consultancy Award at the PRCA APAC Awards.
But growth shouldn’t come at the expense of the culture behind it. As Oli says, “If we've won five new clients in a month, fantastic. That’s great for our revenue. But I don't want that to become unsustainable for the team where it compromises the quality of the work, or it compromises the culture of the business.”
After all, we're not trying to win the year. We're trying to win the decade.
