In-House vs Out-of-House

From 2002 to 2010 I ran five cable channels—National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo Wild,Nat Geo Adventure, Fox Crime, FX, plus our massive ad sales production unit. It was an incredible ride and we were the highest awarded cable network in South East Asia.. Each channel had its own identity, its own audience, and its own demands. We built a talented in-house team to handle the day-to-day grind: promos, branding, content, campaigns. They worked flat out to keep everything moving.

But even with such a strong team, there were moments when we had to go ‘Out of House’. And that was a good thing.

Here’s the truth many companies with in-house teams don’t always want to hear: you can’t do everything internally. Nor should you try.

An in-house team is invaluable. They live and breathe the brand. They know the history, the quirks, the tone of voice. They can turn projects around fast and keep the creative consistent. But expecting them to cover every single brief, no matter how big or specialized, is a recipe for burnout—and sometimes, missed opportunities.

That’s where agencies and outside specialists come in. When we launched big campaigns or needed to reinvent a channel’s identity, we pulled in agencies who could bring fresh thinking and deep expertise. They gave us new creative perspectives, technical skills we didn’t have internally, and the ability to scale up when deadlines loomed. TSLA out of  Singapore created a ground breaking launch Campaign for FX. Tactic in Australia helped us when we needed extra technical know-how.

Working with an agency never made our in-house team less important. In fact, it freed them up to focus on what they did best—keeping the brand steady and sharp—while the agency could bring a burst of new energy and ideas to the table.

And agencies have one huge advantage: focus. While our in-house team was juggling five channels and endless requests, agencies were laser-focused on solving one problem. That outside perspective often challenged us in the best way—helping us push the work further than we could have alone.

Looking back, I think the most successful projects were the ones where our in-house and out-of-house teams worked together. It wasn’t a question of either/or—it was about playing to each other’s strengths. The in-house team brought the brand DNA; the agency brought scale, expertise, and perspective.

So if you lead or work in an in-house team, here’s my advice: be proud of what you can do, but don’t fall into the trap of thinking you can do it all. Sometimes the smartest move is to bring in outside partners who can elevate your work and help your brand punch above its weight.

In the end, it’s not about in-house vs out-of-house. It’s about knowing when to lean on each—because that’s when the really great work happens.

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