Mischief @ No Fixed Address–the recently formed NY shop which gave Canadian agency No Fixed Address (NFA) its first major foothold in the U.S. market–has brought Bianca Guimaraes and Kevin Mulroy aboard as executive creative directors and partners. Guimaraes and Mulroy were both most recently at BBDO New York. Guimaraes served as a BBDO NY SVP, creative director while Mulroy was SVP, creative director/writer. They now reunite with former BBDO NY chief creative officer Greg Hahn whom NFA founders Dave Lafond and Serge Rancourt recruited to launch New York-based Mischief @ No Fixed Address in June.
“Once we knew Greg was involved, leaving one of the best agencies in the world to help start a new one in the middle of a pandemic in the worst recession in modern history seemed like a no brainer,” said Guimaraes. “Our industry is facing a reckoning right now, and Greg, Kevin and I are really excited to use the opportunity we have as creative leaders to make change directly, building a diverse creative department from the ground up and spending the time to nurture talent so they’re set up for success as the next leaders.”
She added: “I’m always pushing myself to feel uncomfortable. Having the opportunity to build something will require a different set of muscles and I’m looking forward to finding myself in situations where I might have no clue of what the right answer is.”
At BBDO NY, Guimaraes ran the Sandy Hook Promise account, as well as Macy’s, Cesar dog food and anti-bullying efforts in partnership with Monica Lewinsky, which produced needle-moving work like The Epidemic.
Mulroy and Guimaraes formed a power duo at BBDO NY to run Macy’s, as well as “It Can Wait,” AT&T’s provocative distracted driving initiative. Mulroy has a flair for entertainment writing outside of adland, too, and has enjoyed collaborations with Eric Stonestreet (Modern Family), and Samantha Bee (The Daily Show, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee).
Mulroy said, “At every agency, no matter how good it is, you have to think about what the next step is going to be. Every time another agency or recruiter reaches out, you always take the call, just to see what’s out there. It’s a testament to my past agency that during my six-year stint that there just wasn’t anything better than the situation I had. I loved the work I was doing and the people I was doing it with.
“But if I ever thought for a second that one of my options would be starting a new shop, backed by an agency full of smart people eager to take risks, with Greg Hahn as a creative partner, I would’ve questioned my blood-alcohol content. This is the most excited I’ve ever been in advertising.”
Mischief @ No Fixed Address CCO and co-founder Hahn said, “Kevin and Bianca are not only some of the best creatives in the industry, but also just really great people. The magic doesn’t come out of thin air, it comes from the people and the chemistry, and I am really looking forward to working with this group as well as bringing new voices into the mix as we carve out a new creative roadmap.”
Meanwhile Oliver McAteer, formerly associate editor at Campaign, joins as director of development. Mischief has also hired business manager Leila Chee whose most recent stint was at MullenLowe on Burger King social and digital.
“Mischief @ No Fixed Address is a tight unit of six people right now–we couldn’t be more proud of the family,” said Mischief president Kerry McKibbin. “We’re intentionally building a team of Swiss Army knife people who can bridge disciplines and do it without ego.“
