Forty Under 40: Anthony Bagley

When Anthony Bagley was younger, he wanted to design video games for a living.

But a few turns in life, including a self-proclaimed realization that he could not compete in that design realm, led him down a different path.

Bagley’s career began when he moved from his hometown of Los Angeles to Tulsa, Oklahoma, near the end of the dot-com boom, in 2000. He had taken a job at Learn.com, after graduating from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California.

He worked there for two years, before moving to Hallmark Cards Inc. in Kansas City, Missouri, where he began his career in shopper marketing.

In 2005, he joined New Creature as a 3D designer, and about four years later, was promoted to CEO.

“I could say it was fate. It was luck. It was all that,” Bagley said.

It all comes down to Bagley’s desire to help people.

“That is what I feel we do,” he said. 

Since 2009, sales have almost tripled, and the agency, with its 47 staff members, is operating 10 times more efficiently, Bagley said.

However, to focus on the numbers would sell Bagley short, according to the people he works with.

Others describe him as a visionary, a leader with unique tactics to inspire greatness from his staff.

New Creature was formed in 1999, but Bagley has increased the visibility of the company significantly, making it one of the most recognizable names in shopper marketing in Northwest Arkansas.