Palmerston North creative agency Eltezza finds its wings

The team at Palmerston North creative agency Eltezza (from left): Pradeep Chhetri, Chris Teneza, Danilo Herrera Torres and Mo Eltayeb.

A picture on the wall of Eltezza’s meeting room in central Palmerston North declares: “Dreams don’t work unless you do.”

The team at the creative agency believe in dreams and hard work.

Eltezza is a combination of managing director Mo Eltayeb and creative director Chris Teneza’s last names.

One night they were reflecting on what they had learned that day working on their shaving cream start-up, Cutly. They realised they couldn’t pay an agency for creative work but had some background in the area, so decided to do the work themselves.

They didn’t stop there, though, and from 8pm-12am would take online courses and study how to take and edit photos and videos. This approach meant they could apply what they learned the next morning.

When Eltayeb suggested they start a creative agency to provide services to other businesses, Teneza’s initial reaction was, “Not another headache.”

Eltezza was launched in June 2022 and is growing faster than the men expected.

It specialises in web development, graphic design, social media strategy and video production. The company uses five-second video storytelling to cater for reduced attention spans in order to capture, hook and convert, Eltayeb says. Eltezza’s tagline is “We create scroll-stopping content.”

Initially, they cold-called potential clients offering to improve their brand awareness. Potential clients are now contacting them and clients are referring other companies.

They have done work for Palmerston North businesses such as Steve’s Tyre Service, Robèrt Embroideries and Black Pearl Cafe, the Juluwarlu Group Aboriginal Corporation in Western Australia, and larger players like Auckland War Memorial Museum and Kmart.

Eltezza managing director Mo Eltayeb (left) and creative director Chris Teneza talk to one of their clients, the Juluwarlu Group Aboriginal Corporation.

Teneza was working fulltime in a telemarketing job to sustain the business, but now it is supporting everyone. “It’s paying, it’s not a pain anymore,” Eltayeb says.

He finds it mind-blowing the business has grown so much in less than two years, as he thought it would take a minimum of five.

Account manager Pradeep Chhetri says beyond cash, start-up life is about grit, unity and sticking to your plans.

“In the Eltezza journey, challenges have always made me feel like I am a student again: Dive into skills with a genuine interest and focus on practical outcomes, not just theory.”

Business strategist Danilo Herrera Torres says Eltezza has a good feel and his colleagues are driven. “You can tell if things are going to work or not.”

From Santiago, Chile, he came to Palmerston North with his family when he was 5 for a better life.

He has a Bachelor of Business Administration from Massey University, and met Eltayeb when he had finished his studies.

If they hadn’t met, Herrera Torres says he would probably be living in a bigger city.

Eltezza has a multi-cultural vibe, with Chhetri originally from Bhutan, Eltayeb Sudan and Teneza the Philippines.

Meanwhile, Cutly’s shaving cream has been reformulated for the retail market. A shelf-stable, scalable solution is due to be launched in April.

Judith Lacy has been the editor of the Manawatū Guardian since December 2020. She graduated from journalism school in 2001 and this is her second role editing a community paper.