Change is important

Change is important.

Some of the shifting tides of culture move slowly, others happen in an instant. In 2020 the tides of culture shifted faster than even Nostradamus could have predicted.

While it’s undoubtedly been one of the wildest years in our generation’s living history, there were unexpected opportunities that came with it too. One of those was some space for reflection. It gave us the time to take a deeper, longer and unflinching look at who we are, what we stand for and the kind of future we wanted to co-create. Not everything could come along for the ride. One of the things we knew we wanted to leave behind was our name.

Taking a quick trip down memory lane, the name ‘the projects*’ was conceived 14 years ago when the company was launched in Sydney, Australia, as a very literal interpretation of what the business did: project-based work. It was a special-ops approach; all about events, launches, campaigns and activations. We were in and out, onto the next.

As our business grew, opening offices in London, Los Angeles and New York, the name was seen as a double-entendre and it was assumed it was a deliberate, tongue-in-cheek one at that. As uncomfortable as that was at times, we still kept it because, even though we understood the power of language to shape and transform our world, we had yet to fully grasp how much our name mattered.

More recently, it became clear that this wasn’t just a literal name with an unintended double-entendre. It was an appropriation of cultural identity and social class; an appropriation that wasn’t aligned with our deeply held values of diversity, inclusion, racial equality and social justice. Even though it was never our intention, intention and impact are not the same things.

We were powerfully moved in 2020 by the peaceful BLM-inspired social justice marches that both grieved the police brutality that claimed the lives of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, and also asked that the world wholeheartedly denounce the systemic racism that deeply affects Black, African American, and BIPOC cultures in the U.S. and abroad.

While the decision to move on the name change wasn’t a direct response to the BLM movement, it was one of several monumental shifts in the way we live our values, which spoke to the need to address many of the unresolved and unspoken issues of this cultural chapter. We had to level up.

As an agency that’s fundamentally powered by culture, it’s an acknowledgment of the gulf between what our name has been and who we really are. And with that came the realization that we’re not just an agency, advising clients on how to connect with culture; we ourselves are active participants within culture. Our work exists in the cultural arena and contributes to the conversation. We’re not standing on the sidelines witnessing it; we’re in the arena.

We are New Moon.

A new moon is a symbol of new beginnings, yes. But it’s also symbolic of the cyclical nature of things. Just as the moon pushes and pulls the tides, culture pushes and pulls on our lives. Moving with it is where the magic lies.

A new moon creates alchemy; it brings with it the energy to begin again, creates the space for a fresh vision, setting a renewed purpose. It’s from this place that we invite you to join us as partners, clients and collaborators.

We hope this is the start of a bigger conversation about how we’re collectively part of a new chapter in culture, which you’re a part of too. So, hit us up. We’re keen to hear what you think about our new name. Your thoughts, questions, and feedback would mean the world to us. We’re here for it.