We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ashley J.B. Chen a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Ashley J.B., thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

The idea for Indie Pups started when my co-founder and I realized how many amazing indie games were struggling to get noticed. Coming from a larger game studio, we had experience running full-scale campaigns with big budgets, dedicated teams, and polished assets. We saw how much planning and strategy went into a successful launch. At the same time, we were constantly seeing indie games with incredible potential get lost simply because the developers didn’t have access to the same level of marketing support.

We started Indie Pups to change that. Our goal was to take what we had learned from big studio marketing and bring that same level of quality and care to smaller teams at an affordable price. We focused on creating services that actually made a difference, like Steam page optimization, launch strategy, influencer outreach, and trailers. We spent time talking with indie devs, figuring out what they needed most, and shaped our offerings around that. We also built the brand to feel approachable and collaborative, more like a teammate than an agency.

We launched by working closely with a few early clients to make sure our process delivered real results. As we saw more successful launches, wishlist growth, and positive feedback, word began to spread organically. Today, Indie Pups continues to help indie teams get their games in front of the right players. We believe great games deserve great marketing, and we’re proud to be the team that makes that possible for the studios who are building with heart.

Ashley J.B., love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I grew up playing games and always felt drawn to the industry. After some time, I was fortunate to join a larger game studio where I gained hands-on experience running marketing campaigns with significant budgets and full teams. While working there, I began helping indie developers on the side because I admired their creativity and passion. I also noticed how many struggled to get their games noticed without the kind of marketing support that bigger studios have. That inspired me to co-found Indie Pups, a marketing studio focused on bringing premium marketing services to indie teams in a way that fits their unique needs and budgets.

Since then, we’ve expanded beyond working directly with developers to partnering with publishers and venture capital groups that support indie games. Whether leading marketing for individual titles or executing campaigns across multiple projects, we focus on being flexible, collaborative, and results-driven. We genuinely care about the games and teams we work with, and pride ourselves on delivering thoughtful, clear, and effective marketing that helps great games reach their audience.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

What helped build our reputation in the indie game marketing space was combining the strategic approach I learned at a larger studio with a true passion for indie games and an understanding of the unique challenges small teams face. We focus on being approachable, transparent, and flexible, tailoring our services to each developer or partner’s needs and budgets. Most of our work comes through referrals because we consistently deliver strong results and treat every project as if it were our own. That combination of expertise, care, and reliability has been essential to earning trust and growing our presence in the community.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

The most effective strategy for growing our clientele has been building genuine relationships within the indie game community and focusing on delivering real value with every project. By listening carefully to developers’ needs and tailoring our marketing approach to fit their specific goals and budgets, we create results that speak for themselves. This approach, combined with clear communication and a collaborative mindset, encourages clients to recommend us to others. Word-of-mouth referrals have been by far our strongest driver of growth, helping us connect with new teams, publishers, and partners who trust us to support their games.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.indiepups.com/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/indiepups
• Twitter: https://x.com/TheIndiePups
• Other: Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/theindiepups.bsky.social