Category: agency news

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Visionkit Studios is executing on their vision for growth

That vision started coming to life earlier this year, with the addition of Stephani Norell as Executive Producer, and Isabel Sarhad as Creative Lead.

Stephanie and Isabel both joined Visionkit back in April (yes, I know I’m horribly tardy on that front). From the release about the hiring of these two talented individuals:

Stephani, with nearly two decades of experience in the industry, has joined Visionkit to lead the expansion of their services to include video production. During her tenure at Drake Cooper and North by Northwest Productions, she has successfully managed numerous campaigns and has gained extensive knowledge and expertise in producing high-quality photo and video content. In her new role at Visionkit, Stephani will be responsible for overseeing the entire production process, from planning and organizing client feedback to final delivery, ensuring every project is executed with precision and excellence.

Isabel’s journey in the field of design started during her time as a Marketing student at Boise State. She was able to leverage internships, coursework and her own personal pursuits in order to immerse herself in the fundamentals of design, internships, elective courses, and personal pursuits, she learned the fundamentals of design. After a two-year stint with the National Student Advertising Competition team, she discovered her passion for the creative side of advertising. Isabel then spent over three years at 116 and West, honing her skills in the ad industry before venturing into a marketing-centric role at Hummel Architects. With her vast experience in creative design, brand design, visual aesthetics, social media design, as well as marketing strategy and brand development, Isabel has now joined the team at Visionkit to offer her expertise.

Learn more about Visionkit, and see what they’ve been up to recently here.

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116 & West went north

And came back with a new agency.

Boise-based 116 & West has acquired Klündt Hosmer, a Spokane, Washington-based agency of similar size that was founded in 1987 by Darin Klündt and Rick Hosmer.

In a statement about the acquisition, Darin Klündt said, “We have worked with thousands of organizations, created hundreds of brands, and guided visual communications for clients throughout the Inland Empire, and we’re excited to offer more robust full-service marketing with the additional resources and experience 116 & West provides.”

Also, from Carolyn Lodge, chief operating officer at 116 & West, “Klündt Hosmer’s design-centered approach, longevity in the market, and value proposition to a loyal client base made them an attractive addition to 116 & West, and Spokane is a city we love and have had roots in for many years.”

The four partners of Klündt Hosmer will remain with the company, as principals, with offices in the historic Commission Building in downtown Spokane.

This marks the second acquisition for 116 & West. As MMG, the agency acquired Davies Rourke in 2009. The newly-combined entity subsequently rebranded to DaviesMoore, which then took on its current 116 & West identity in early 2020.

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Who’s hiring nowadays?

Here are a few things we’ve come across recently:

Duft Watterson is looking for an Account Manager and an Art Director/Designer.

Mitchell + Palmer is on the hunt for a Director of Media and a Designer + Production Artist.

Suds Creative is after a Digital Marketing Manager and a Digital Media Coordinator.

And of course there are plenty of marketing-related jobs for those who are interested in life on the client side, including Digital Marketing Coordinator and Creative Content Coordinator with the Grove Hotel, or Graphic Designer with Block 22.

Other openings we should know about? Drop us a line.

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Chase-ing blue skies

After 40 years with W.R. Drake, Elgin Syferd Drake, es/drake, Drake Cooper, Sara Chase has called it a career.

From the announcement and Q&A with Sara on Drake Cooper’s reverb site:

In August of 1981 W.R. Drake & Co. hired a Media Buyer who would become a pillar of the agency for 40 years. Sara Chase has been our mentor, navigator, north star, and sunny side through every up and down of agency life during her dedicated and fulfilling career.

Sara has held several positions at Drake Cooper; she was our Media Director for ten years and our Account Director for over 25 years. She’s also been a Vice President of the agency. She’s been through four agency name changes, three downtown buildings, three ownership changes, and too many timesheets to count. In fact, she’s worked at Drake Cooper longer than our founder, Bill Drake. Sara has led some of our largest accounts throughout her career and those accounts have produced some of our most award-winning campaigns including the Idaho Lottery Commission, The Department of Health and Welfare, and The Idaho Travel Council. Her dedication and commitment to Drake Cooper has always helped us flourish and helped our clients shine.

So we say thank you, Sara, for being the person you are, and for being the person we needed to help us through all those years at Drake Cooper. We say it with a heavy but full heart and with the utmost respect and admiration. We can never thank you enough for all you’ve done for the agency — you built it, you brought it to life and you made it a better and brighter place every damn day. We raise a glass to you and wish you nothing but blue skies ahead.

The full Q&A is a must-read.

So much has already been said about Sara by those who’ve worked with her and know her well. Her influence on the industry, and on those she has worked with over the years, is unmistakable.

I’m certain it’s been said hundreds of times already, but I’ll say it once more:

Thank you, Sara, for all you’ve done.

Enjoy everything that’s next — whatever it may be.

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New Co-Presidents at the helm of Drake Cooper

Drake Cooper recently announced an update to their agency leadership with the appointment of Co-Presidents John Drake and Mindy Stomp.

From the post on their Reverb site:

John Drake will add the title of Co-President to his current role as Chief Strategy Officer, which he assumed in 2019. Since his teenage years, John has been around the agency, with his first role being the somewhat less-prestigious “Runner.” His official career began in Los Angeles at Deutsch, then moving to senior positions with WongDoody and leading his own agency, FourStories, in Portland before joining Drake Cooper fifteen years ago. That journey involved working on brands that included Disney, Carl’s Jr., Tillamook, DIRECTV, Nestlé, Baskin-Robbins, UCLA, and more. John’s role will be to oversee the agency’s work product. His teams will include planning & strategy, creative, media, and analytics.

The other Co-President is a new addition to Drake Cooper. After an extensive search process inside the industry, the agency is excited to welcome Mindy Stomp as Co-President, General Manager. Mindy will oversee the agency’s business operations, client success, and business development teams. She most recently held leadership positions with VMLY&R and brings to Drake Cooper a deep background built at agencies large and small. Her significant digital experience ranges from complex website build projects to leading digital AOR relationships. Her teams have led efforts for clients such as Facebook/Meta, SKYY Vodka, Carnival Cruise Lines, Crystal Cruises, Driscoll’s, Haas Automation, and Mazda.

Jamie Cooper will remain in the CEO role through 2022, and will continue after as chair of Drake Cooper’s ESOP Board of Directors.

Additional coverage at Adweek and Mediapost.