about
the monkey budget story.
In 2014, we launched a respectable B2B video agency. In 2025, we launched this one.
Monkey Budget isn’t a rebrand. It’s a rebirth. Same creative genius. New rules. Better color palette.
We’re not here to play it safe. There are plenty of very talented agencies that specialize in smart, effective, safe work. We just don’t want to be one of them.
Monkey Budget was built to chase braver ideas, stranger pitches, and work that gets remembered.
The name? That’s an inside joke. An early video concept featured a pet monkey harassing someone trying to work from home. Someone else said, “Guys, we don’t have monkey budget on this one.” It stuck. Because that’s the job: dream too big, scale it just right, and still get the laugh.
Our unfair advantage? The Writers’ Room. It’s the beating heart of Monkey Budget—where comedy flows into everything we make. We’re talking stand-ups, sketch writers, improvisers, screenwriters, chaos-minded copy pros, and probably someone writing this bio right now.
We’re not trying to be the biggest B2B agency. Just the hardest one to ignore.
leadership. Yep, these guys.
Ben Oliver
Co-Founder & Principal
Ben’s professional life began as a drummer in a touring band you ‘ve never heard of. “Intelligent rock with punk sensibilities,” they said. That was followed by 7 years of corporate sales, and a few years of “now what?” (read: start-up consulting)
In an effort to find more billable hours, he told a client he had experience editing video. A calling was found, more hours were billed, and a career in video began. In 2014, Ben co-founded Storyboard Media with Justin Plant.
Ben lives in Downtown Durham with no wife and no kids, but season tickets to the Carolina Hurricanes and DPAC, and as a member of Preservation Durham.
Which is just as impressive, right? Right?
Justin Plant
Co-Founder & Principal
Justin was born in Wisconsin in 1985 as a full-grown, 6-foot-5-inch man. While his frame may be intimidating, his child-like nature and eagerness to please will boost you to eye level.
His career started in corporate sales, like most 2000’s marketing graduates. Except while others were selling silly software on the horizon of the 2008 tech boom, Justin wisely exploited the quickly dying industry of print advertising. I guess the iPhone won.
As print was dying an ugly death, he transitioned into video, leveraging the rapid adoption of YouTube and DSLRs. In those next 3 years, he honed his skills, met his future business partner (Ben Oliver) and when his 401k vested, he split and started his first company. And that’s what he’s been doing ever since. I guess video won.
Justin lives in Durham, NC, with his wife, sons, dogs, chores, real life responsibilities, empty wallet, and full heart.
Oh yeah, he really wanted me to tell you that he is a really really good hunter, world-class athlete, and Michelin star chef.
Our unfair advantage: our writers’ room.
This is the engine. The heartbeat. The thing that makes Monkey Budget different from every other B2B agency pretending they’re “funny.”
Our Writers’ Room is stacked with sketch writers, screenwriters, stand-ups, improvisers, comedic actors, and copywriters with dangerous instincts. They don’t just punch up scripts. They blow up assumptions. They pitch big. They cut tight. They find the angle no one else sees.
And because we believe great comedy should pay the bills, we’ve partnered with Mettlesome – a Durham comedy school and theater – to bring rising talent into the world of branded content.
You’re not just hiring an agency. You’re unleashing a team of comedians and writers trained to make smart ideas unforgettable.
Join our writers’ room.
We’re building something a little weird—and a lot of fun. A creative force that helps B2B brands stand out through smart, surprising, strategically sharp comedy.
Our writers’ room includes sketch writers, stand-ups, screenwriters, improvisers, and copywriters who know how to entertain and deliver.
If that sounds like your kind of thing, we’d love to meet you. There’s an application. There’s an audition. And if it clicks, we make cool stuff together.
Let’s see what you’ve got.