David&Goliath is opening a new office in Brooklyn, New York, marking the first time the agency has branched out from its Los Angeles base in its 23-year history. Some of the agency’s key clients include Kia, for which it launched a Super Bowl spot this year, Universal and California Lottery.
Agency News
David&Goliath opens office in Brooklyn
Opening marks the Los Angeles' agency's first new office in 23 years
From left: Founder and Creative Chairman David Angelo and Chief of Culture and Social Impact Blake Winfree.
Credit:
David&Goliath
The new space will be led by D&G’s founder and Creative Chairman David Angelo, along with the shop's Chief of Culture and Social Impact Blake Winfree.
Located in the Dumbo section of Brooklyn, the office will focus on what the agency calls “culture and social impact,” which is an extension of the agency’s purpose-driven ethos, according to Angelo. The office's focus will be on helping brands become better “corporate citizens,” in addition to general market work, Winfree said.
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“Not every brand is ready to necessarily do social good or social impact [work],” Winfree said. Winfree pointed to cultural participation, or “engaging with, contributing to, amplifying, and advocating for relevant subcultures,” and cultural change, or “real investment in communities with the very real intention of trying to create measurable social impact and positive change.”
The agency’s inaugural New York clients include African gin company Procera Gin and cryptography software company Fabric.
“I've been at agencies where it's sort of cause marketing, social good, and the work is solid, but you can be both important and operate with a level of provocation and entertainment,” said Winfree, who started discussing what the agency could look like with Angelo a couple of years ago. “We’re kind of coming together to see if we can prove out a business model to make that happen.”
Opening a space in New York was part of Angelo’s vision when he first started D&G after stints at agencies such as DDB New York and Chiat/Day New York in the late 1980s and early 90s. The new space is between 10,000-15,000 square feet and will be shared with another Innocean Worldwide agency, Thelab NYC.
D&G's Brooklyn office, which includes 10 employees, will follow a hybrid model consisting of two days in the office.
As part of the agency’s move to New York, it eventually plans to launch an initiative focused on helping at-risk youth. Last year, the agency’s Today, I’m Brave nonprofit launched the second installment of its children-focused summer camp.
