Charts+Darts: The Indie Shop Fusing Creative, Media and AI - Without Losing Themselves
Company: Charts+Darts Advertising Agency
Location: Long Beach, United States
Date: 11/02/2026
Some agencies chase trends. Charts+Darts builds systems. Co-founders Brian Lerche and Matthew Smith started the shop in 2018 to do what big networks struggled with: blend creative and media under one roof, move fast, and keep the soul intact.
Their partnership started with digital strategy and grew through trust. Over time, that friendship turned into a business that's unusually aligned: speed-based, feedback-driven, and grounded in respect. It shows in how they work and how clients respond.
The Media DNA Most Shops Skip
Half of Charts+Darts is media. Not bolted on-built in. That means strategy, creative, planning and buying move as one. It also means the team gets shortlisted on pitches simply for having in-house media fluency and proof they can tie ideas to distribution.
They'll partner on either side-audience or creative strategy-when that's the unlock. But their best work happens when both are connected. Ideas are designed for the channel from day one, not retrofitted three days before launch.
"Chart and Dart": A Test-and-Learn Operating System
Every project runs inside a repeatable framework: build, test, learn, scale. Internally and with clients. No six-week black boxes. No ta-da decks. Quick-turn design sprints, rapid creative cycles, and decisions informed by live feedback, not guesswork.
They treat the agency like a lab. If it works in-house, it's ready for a client stage. That mindset keeps the team nimble and the output practical-especially useful for brands that want momentum, not meetings.
Hyper Engine: AI That's Part of the Workflow, Not the Headline
Charts+Darts' proprietary AI layer-Hyper Engine-sits under research, strategy, and production. The goal isn't to replace people; it's to remove waste. Storyboards, shot lists, and edits get sharper and faster, freeing creatives to push ideas instead of wrestling logistics.
They hard-wire credible data into planning. Instead of relying on third parties alone, their agents pull direct from public sources like the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Cleaner inputs, better insights, smarter media. If AI is in the loop, it has to be accurate, defensible, and actually helpful.
Clients, Speed, and The No-Pitch Future
From Yokohama and Lexus to AMD, GT's Kombucha and start-ups like Golden Eagle Vodka, the team runs quick-turn programs that prove value fast. Sprints make fit obvious in hours, not months. That's pushing them toward productized services-clear problems, clear prices, clear outcomes.
Pitches drain time and rarely pay off. A focused sprint pays both sides: clients get answers, the agency gets compensated, and trust builds from real work, not theater.
2026: Turbulence, AI, and Not Losing the Plot
AI is changing what clients buy and how they value creative. Expect an overcorrection: a flood of low-effort content, then a snap back to taste, craft, and intent. Charts+Darts is preparing for both-lean operations with a human core.
They're correcting for the market, but not over-correcting. Efficiency matters. So does gut. If the work stops reflecting what the team believes in, the win isn't a win.
What Creatives Can Steal From Their Playbook
- Build media into the idea. Don't hand off. Co-create.
- Run sprints. Short cycles, fast feedback, visible momentum.
- Ship tests, not decks. Let results steer the next move.
- Use AI as an operating layer: boards, lists, edits, research-then add taste.
- Train on owned assets. Keep control of voice, look, and IP.
- Pull data from primary sources for audience and media logic.
- Productize a few offers. Make it easy to start, then expand.
- Protect your DNA. Efficiency is pointless if the work loses its edge.
The Bottom Line
Charts+Darts blends creative, media, and AI without outsourcing their identity. Speed with standards. Data with taste. Tools with human judgment. That's the combo clients want in a weird year-and the one more creatives should build around.
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