Agency Business #50: Amanda Forgione, CEO of Morrison
Dec 15, 2025
Amanda Forgione, CEO of Morrison, shares her insights from her 25-year journey in an independent agency with deep family roots in advertising. She discusses how AI disrupts traditional practices and the necessity of a flexible, people-first model in agency management. Amanda highlights the importance of senior access, cautious budgeting, and the value of creativity with limited resources. She emphasizes the enduring relevance of PR and the rise of female leadership, while contrasting the independence of agencies with larger corporate structures.
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Agency Life Is Family Legacy
- Amanda Forgione grew up in advertising with both parents and stepparents in agency roles and joined Morrison after working at J. Walter Thompson.
- She recorded a podcast with her stepdad who started Morrison in 1986 and has been at the agency 25 years.
Small Independents Can Outcompete Big Agencies
- Morrison positions itself as a boutique independent that punches above its weight via networks and senior access.
- Amanda believes small, integrated independents can outcompete big agencies through flexibility and partnership.
Start With Client Needs, Not Deliverables
- Ask clients what technology and people they truly need before defining agency scope.
- Solve business problems, not just communications problems, to stay indispensable.