David & Goliath's founder is naming two executives to help run the growing independent agency.
Founder and Chief Creative Officer David Angelo has named Director for Client Services Brian Dunbar to the new post of president at the Los Angeles shop and Executive Creative Director Colin Jeffery to take over as chief creative officer. Mr. Angelo, who opened David & Goliath in 1999 and is majority owner, is assuming the newly created role of chairman and will continue to work with clients.
"I'm still going to be hands-on and working with clients, but it's a signal to the agency and everyone else that I have to share the responsibility of running an agency and its growth," said Mr. Angelo. He added that the shop has hired more than 30 people this year, bringing the total head count to about 190.
The agency, which is known for having helped popularize auto brand Kia in the U.S., increased revenue 15% in 2013, to $38.6 million, according to Ad Age's DataCenter. David & Goliath added Vizio as a client last year, but Mr. Angelo said much of its growth has come from existing clients such as Kia.
Mr. Dunbar and Mr. Jeffery "helped me grow the agency," said Mr. Angelo, adding that "you can only do so much when you have growth like this. This move is less about taking a step back and more about dividing up responsibilities."
Mr. Dunbar joined David & Goliath in October 2010 as managing partner and director of client services; he previously held leadership positions at DDB and Goodby, Silverstein & Partners.
As president at David & Goliath, Mr. Dunbar will lead the development and execution of the company's business strategy and operations, including business development and efforts to expand agency offerings and resources. He will continue to oversee the account management and digital departments, where he has been emphasizing building digital and social media capabilities and talent.
Mr. Jeffery has served as the agency's executive creative director, running the daily operations of the department, since 2006.
His promotion brings with it a new structure to the 50-person creative department, which will include four group creative directors to oversee the department day-to-day. Three of the four group creative directors are already in-house: Ben Purcell, Steve Yee and Dino Spadavecchia. The agency is searching for the fourth. "The agency has substantial momentum right now, and while both David and I will remain hands-on with the work, we recognize the need for an expanded layer of senior creative management to help us continue on this trajectory," Mr. Jeffery said in a statement.
