Translate Culture and Paq Works Founders Launch Data-Driven Creative Agency VSSL37

Mar. 27, 2026

VSSL37 (pronounced veh·sl thirty seven), a new global, data informed, strategic and creative agency, will offer enhanced storytelling at the intersection of sports, culture and lifestyle.

The agency has been founded by husband and wife duo, Annie Allen and Joshua Aleph from paq works alongside Masibu Manima from performance marketing agency, Translate Culture.

VSSL37 will partner with brands and IP owners to unlock commercial opportunities at the intersection of sports, culture and lifestyle, bringing data informed strategic direction into each creative campaign to maximise brand relevance, audience connection and measurable commercial impact. Annie Allen will be Managing Director; Joshua Aleph, Executive Creative Director; and Masibu Manima Founding Partner.

Joshua Aleph, co-founded Brixton based creative collective paq works in 2017, delivering works with purpose, authenticity and quality - across an array of brands including: Nike, Converse, V&A and Juventus FC. paq works famously collaborated with Spotify on international campaigns for its Blockbuster playlists, including the award-winning Day 1s Club for Rap UK, which merged data and creativity to celebrate and legitimise true fans, and Carnival Sounds, a digital experience that authentically platformed the essence of Carnival during the pandemic.

Annie Allen boasts a wealth of agency experience from Livity, Dentsu, Anomaly, TRO, Mother and VaynerMedia. Annie consistently pushed to incubate young talent within agencies recognising their energy, cultural insight, and potential. At paq works, as Business Director she helped install big-agency infrastructure into the culture-led shop, growing the team from 4 to 15.

Masibu founded Translate Culture in 2019 to bridge the gap between performance marketing and cultural relevance. The agency has generated over £100M in revenue for consumer brands across the US and UK through data and culturally informed paid advertising and marketplace management. T:C has helped scale brands like Plantmade (which made the 2024 Sunday Times’ 100 Fastest Growing Companies list) alongside culturally relevant clients including Gaffer and The Unity Cup 2025.

After paq works and Translate Culture collaborated on the launch of TRIM IT - an app powered mobile barbershop and the UK launch of Harry’s Skincare line in 2021, it made for an incredible pairing, sowing the seed for creating something new in the years to come.

Masibu Manima, Founding Partner, VSSL37, said:

“Brand and performance can no longer live in separate silos. We’re building an agency with a deep understanding of how to deliver short and long term impact through data and culturally informed storytelling.”

 

Providing brands with insight into diverse communities in sports, VSSL37 will specialise in bringing strategic data driven direction into each creative campaign, generating meaningful storytelling that builds trust and belonging.

Annie Allen, Managing Director, VSSL37 said:

“Sport is culture. It reflects multiple identities at once, from heritage, geography, music, fashion and community. When you lead with identity instead of outdated segmentation models, you unlock authentic connection that lasts.”

 

Joshua Aleph, ECD said:

“Brands don’t need more noise - they need meaning. As AI makes marketing more efficient, it also makes it more similar. Our edge is human. We operate in the trenches of sport and culture, building ideas rooted in identity that scale, measure and multiply.”

 

VSSL37 launches as the retained creative agency for Juventus FC. Working across the brand and creative platforms, VSSL37 will create stories that resonate with global audiences.

VSSL37 core services include:

Brand strategy and positioning for brands wanting to use sport as a platform to reach communities and a global fanbase. Storytelling and content, delivering campaigns across music, fashion, sport, and community. Cultural partnerships, Identifying and structuring authentic collaborations designed to connect brands with a global and emerging audience.

While Translate Culture will continue to operate with a strong focus on performance marketing, paq works will devolve its offer as an agency and serve as an apparel brand. Annie and Joshua from the paq works team have assumed positions at VSSL37, with the aim to grow the team further in the coming year in-line with client demand.