Blacklist is a multi-disciplinary agency working at the cutting edge of entertainment, gaming, and experiential campaigns. Their creative output impresses everyone from broadcasters to global streamers but, behind the scenes, their financial visibility was limited making it hard to plan ahead.
Blacklist had grown quickly and organically, expanding to a team of almost 50 across offices in London and Amsterdam. But like many fast-moving creative agencies, their systems hadn’t kept pace with their ambitions.
Without cash flow forecasting in place, although they had experienced previous growth and good client traction, a sudden dip in work led to tricky times for the leadership team.
The co-founders knew they needed a deeper level of financial insight; not just backward-looking accounts, but forward-facing clarity. They needed to understand which projects and clients were truly profitable, model out different scenarios for the future, and bring structure and strategy to their decision-making.
But like many small businesses, they also assumed they couldn’t afford that level of expertise. Until they discovered the fractional CFO model and were joined by The CFO Centre’s Rob Stewart.
Rob joined Blacklist and had an immediate impact. He worked alongside the co-founders and finance team to implement cash flow forecasting, improve reporting systems, and identify financial triggers to support smarter decision-making.
One of the first wins was helping the team step out of crisis mode. Rob restructured their cash flow model, helping them regain control and drastically reducing the time they needed to spend firefighting finances.
From there, he helped shift their mindset from short-term survival to long-term growth. He also played a critical role in mapping financial data into a new agency management system allowing deeper insight into project performance and resourcing.
Like many small and growing businesses, Blacklist Creative assumed they couldn’t afford the level of expertise offered by The CFO Centre. The fractional CFO model proved them wrong and they’ve since worked on profitability analysis, scenario planning, and modelling new services, including the development of an internal AI platform they’re now considering turning into a SaaS product.
Ultimately, Rob brought experience, empathy, and energy to a business that needed all three.
His deep understanding of the creative sector meant he could relate instantly to the challenges Blacklist faced, and his broader client experience gave the team confidence that they weren’t alone.
With Rob’s support, the business has not only improved its financial position but also laid the groundwork for scalable growth and product innovation. The co-founders are no longer needing to micromanage cash flow and are now leading the business with vision, backed by real-time insight and strategic confidence.
Lola Gamester – Joint MD – Blacklist
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