Hooton expands to the UK: One foot in Amsterdam, one on Brighton beach

After 15 years in the Netherlands – and 12 years to the day since I founded Hooton – I'm writing this blog post from Brighton with some exciting news: Hooton is expanding to the UK.

It’s a move we’ve been mulling over for a while. 2025 was our strongest year yet, allowing us to grow our team in Amsterdam – and proving that we’re ready to take this next step.

Ever since launching Hooton, I’ve maintained that if we lead with our values, the right clients will follow. Last year, it felt like I got to watch that motto come true in real time – we worked with a whole host of amazing brands and organisations from across the Netherlands, the UK, France, the US and Switzerland – all of whom care about the same things that we care about. We took on ever-more ambitious projects, all holding sustainability, purpose and meaningful storytelling close to their hearts. We even expanded into new (to us) industries, such as sustainable aviation fuel. 

At the same time, we lost out on a few UK pitches to London-based agencies. Each time, we got the same feedback: they’d really love to work with us, but (understandably) they wanted their agency within reach and in the same time zone. 

So we decided to do something about it. 

Why now? Why Brighton?

This is the perfect moment for us to establish Hooton’s UK presence. Our Amsterdam team is stronger than ever, meaning that our Dutch operations will continue to grow and evolve as always. And personally, after 15 years in Amsterdam (and three years in Paris before that), the timing feels right for me to come back to the UK and lead our expansion myself – from our new home here in Brighton. 

Brighton mirrors the values that have shaped Hooton from its earliest beginnings. It’s a city that is widely known for being independent, entrepreneurial, progressive and culturally alive. It also feels very open and international – I keep spotting EU flags in the shop windows! For an agency that was built on cross-border collaboration and working with inclusive, purpose-driven brands, these things really matter. 

And, oddly enough, ever since arriving I’ve been bumping into people who’ve lived in Amsterdam in the past or are half Dutch. Maybe this says something about Brighton and its overlap of cultures. Or maybe it’s just what happens when you move somewhere that already shares your rhythm. 

What this means for our clients

Going forward, Hooton will operate from both Amsterdam and Brighton. Our Amsterdam team will continue to grow and lead on our Dutch and European clients. Meanwhile, our hub in Brighton means we’re finally within coffee-grabbing distance of UK brands, London media and the creative community we've been working with remotely for years.

Hooton's always had the UK in its DNA. I’m so excited that we're finally here full-time, offering existing and new UK clients the proximity we’ve always provided to those in the Netherlands. 

So if you're a UK-based brand working in the creative industries, culture, sustainability or food – or if you're just a bit curious about what a Netherlands-UK agency looks like in practice – let's grab that coffee. London or Brighton, your call. 

I'll be popping back to Amsterdam every month (someone needs to keep burning their mouth on bitterballen), but now Hooton has two homes instead of one.