Why these two independent Seattle agencies are merging

Two independent Seattle-based agencies, DNA and Little Hands of Stone are merging, to form DNA&Stone. Each agency had been among the more notable independent shops in the Seattle area and won Ad Age Small Agency awards in the past. DNA, which is LGBTQ+ and Black-owned, has been around for 26 years, while Little Hands of Stone was founded in 2019. The new agency’s key clients include brands such as BECU, Rover, Amazon, Purina, Providence, Ziply Fiber, Aegis, Municipal Credit Union and Rainier Beer. Agency Review Tracker Stay up to date with the latest account reviews Click here The agency’s four founders are Little Hands of Stone co-founders Michael Boychuk and Matt McCain, DNA founder and Chair Alan Brown and DNA co-owner and CEO Chris Witherspoon. They began talks in May, after knowing each other for years and competing in new business pitches over recent years. The merger comes as there continues to be an influx of new agencies while existing ones are combining to stay competitive in a changing agency landscape. Recent news: How a combined Omnicom-IPG would stack up “It’s gotten much more competitive out there, especially from a business development standpoint,” Witherspoon said. “In this environment that is much more project-based, you can run into small creative boutiques and big holding company agencies … we had to make sure that we had the creative work that’s equally as strong as those creative boutiques, but also had the ability to scale to some extent as those bigger companies.” Both agencies had creative chops. DNA also brings media and communications planning capabilities that Little Hands of Stone previously didn’t have. “We realized, as we’ve won a few things, that our ability to scale and serve these kind of bigger pieces of business that we’re getting, were just not there and it would’ve taken us way too long to get to where we’d be happy with that ability without working with Chris and Alan,” Boychuk said. “Our differences make us stronger, and we’re going to work hard to keep those differences intact, even as we merge together,” McCain added. The founders will share equal ownership of DNA&Stone through a stock-for-stock transaction. They will each have different responsibilities and won’t take on traditional C-suite titles. McCain and Boychuk will split creative duties. Boychuk will also oversee production and McCain will oversee strategy. Witherspoon will oversee agency operations such as finances and account management and Brown will oversee brand development and expansion. Witherspoon and Boychuk will also share business development duties. DNA&Stone will have 40 employees, including staff from both prior agencies. Most of the staff comes from DNA and the new agency will be based in DNA’s existing office. Witherspoon said that DNA was attracted by Little Hands of Stone’s “Radical Empathy” approach to creativity. The agency works with a range of freelancers for different work that fits a client’s needs. For example, its recent work for the senior living center Aegis Living involved working with creatives in their 50s and 60s whose parents had either passed away or had been in assisted living. Brown said he expects the merger to bring “dramatic growth” for the agency while maintaining its independence. To celebrate the merger, DNA&Stone created a comedic music video that shows a love ballad between a cowboy and a drag queen. Each founder has cameos throughout the video.

Why these two independent Seattle agencies are merging

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