Goodby, Silverstein & Partners Shutters Its New York Office

About two and a half years after opening its doors in New York City, Goodby, Silverstein & Partners has closed its East Coast office. The NY hub had suffered after the failed merger between its client Comcast and Time Warner Cable in April. According to founder Jeff Goodby, that led to staff cuts across the board, including at least half of its team in New York, which had numbered at around 20 at the time. "The loss of Time Warner created a huge revenue gap that we weren't able to surmount," said Paul Caiozzo, who'd been executive creative director of the New York office. The agency persisted, however, and continued to turn out work this summer for New York-based clients including Zoc Doc and StreetEasy. As for why the agency is closing now, "What changed is that I thought we would be able to slip through this without the [Time-Warner merger] income, and when the merger didn't happen it had a bigger effect on the office than we expected," said Mr. Goodby. "It was a staff of good people, they were first rate, top-of-the-line people, and to gut the place and leave it with only one or two people didn't seem right." Goodby Silverstein remains agency of record for Comcast. At the time of closing, the agency had eight staffers, including Mr. Caiozzo and Managing Director Nancy Reyes. Ms. Reyes founded the New York office in January 2013 with former Executive Creative Director Christian Haas.The agency went on to create campaigns for Google, YouTube, PledgeMusic and Comcast. After Mr. Haas departed last year, Mr. Caiozzo, a former freelancer and ad vet whose credits included work for Microsoft Xbox, Help Remedies and Burger King ("Whopper Freakout," "Whopper Virgins"),then stepped into the ECD role to work on Comcast/Xfinity and pursue new business. On Comcast, the agency created the touching Emily's Oz spot, which retells the story of the Wizard of Oz from a blind girl's point of view. "I'm proud of every single piece we put out," Mr. Caiozzo said. "We don't have any hidden work. Our clients were truly brave and inspiring and it was an honor to collaborate with them." As for what will happen to the New York shop's clients, Mr. Goodby said, "It's up to Paul."

Goodby, Silverstein & Partners Shutters Its New York Office

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