Ty Montague and Amy Nicholson have only been on the job a few months, but already these co-creative directors of Wieden+Kennedy (W+K), New York, are off and running. They recently landed a new account, New York’s School of Visual Arts, and they’re currently beefing up the agency’s talent roster.
Presently, the New York office comprises a total of six creative teams. "We’re hiring right now because when we got here, we were a few quarts low in the creative department," Montague explains. "So we’re trying to get that back up to a regular staffing level."
Meanwhile, in terms of client growth, Montague and Nicholson aren’t necessarily aiming for size. "We have quality goals," says Montague. "We think that if you’re doing work that is fantastic and getting noticed, clients naturally come. And we’re looking for clients that are like-minded, that believe in the power of creativity to move their businesses. That takes time. That’s not the kind of thing that happens overnight."
At the moment, W+K, New York, services such clients as ESPN, Nike, Konami, Suretrade, Footlocker/Lady Footlocker (the agency handles advertising for the exclusive products that Nike sells through these footwear retailers), and the aforementioned School of Visual Arts.
Keeping those clients satisfied is a priority, and in recent months Montague and Nicholson have completed work they and their clients are especially proud of. That work includes ESPN ads such as "Carrot Top," "Jersey Day" and "Old Timers Day," all of which were co-directed by Hank Perlman and Joe Ventura of bicoastal/international hungry man. "Carrot Top" casts the eponymous comedian as a new addition to the SportsCenter team. As SportsCenter anchor Stuart Scott explains in the ad, "Monday Night Football—they brought in Dennis Miller; so we decided to give our show a shot in the arm."
Cut to SportsCenter anchor Karl Ravech sharing the desk with Carrot Top. While Ravech reports the sports news of the day, the crazy comic acts up. At one point, he swings a Venus Williams’ tennis racket adorned with beads.
Montague and Nicholson enjoyed working with Perlman, who originated the "This is SportsCenter" campaign when he was a creative at W+K, Portland, Ore. "It was great to get him involved again, because the idea came out of his head," says Montague, who notes that Perlman is a great collaborator. "I think that’s ultimately what we look for in directors and editors: great collaborators. Some agencies hire directors as a pair of hands—’You just run the film through the camera.’ We are not at all that way. We tend to like ideas that require a great deal of collaboration. We see a storyboard as a starting point, not as an ending point."
Other recent work includes a Suretrade campaign comprising the spots "Bear," "Brain," "Radar" and "Eyeballs," all directed by Brian Beletic of bicoastal Satellite. The ads point out the complexities of the stock market. In "Bear," the commercial focuses on a black-and-white still of a bear. The word "October" appears on the screen, and there is a quick close-up of the bear’s teeth. Then a sentence appears. It reads, "Ever wonder if the stock market cares what month it is?" The final super indicates that the spot is for Suretrade, and includes the tag line, "When you know."
Ultimately, Montague and Nicholson would like to land more new clients, and are currently pursuing new business—"Some very interesting accounts," Montague hints.
"We definitely want a little more variety in the account roster," adds Nicholson. "It’s a little sports heavy right now. We don’t have any particular type of business targeted. … We’re just going after things where we think we can do interesting work."
In addition to seeking new accounts, Montague and Nicholson want to maintain an open, relaxed vibe at W+K. "One of the things that Dan [Wieden] said to us is, he wants W+K, wherever it is—Portland or New York or Amsterdam—to be a place where people can come and pursue their own creative destiny," notes Montague.
When W+K’s New York office opened in April 1997, partner/creative director Stacy Wall and partner/art director Gary Koepke headed up the shop. Koepke left it, and earlier this year founded, along with Lance Jensen, Boston agency Modernista!. After Koepke’s departure, Michael Prieve took over his duties. Prieve left the shop earlier this year, going to the Portland office of W+K; Wall is now a writer/director at hungry man.
Montague and Nicholson say they’re enjoying W+K’s creative atmosphere. It didn’t take much for Dan Wieden, president/executive director of the firm, to convince them to come on board. "He hypnotizes you," Montague deadpans. Montague joined W+K in September after a stint running the New York office of Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH), London. Prior to that, he ran his own consulting firm, Norwalk, Conn.-based Montague &.
W+K wasn’t unfamiliar turf for Montague. "I have known Dan for many years," he notes. "I did a freelance project for the agency on the Coke business in 1996, and he had asked me to join the Portland office."
At that point, leaving the East Coast wasn’t an option. But Wieden got in touch with Montague again. "When Dan called again to talk to me about New York, I felt like BBH was on the way to getting off the ground," relates Montague. "And since I knew Dan, and we’d talked for so long, and I liked him so much and believed so much in what the company did, I felt it was the right time to make the move to Wieden+ Kennedy, New York."
Nicholson moved cross-country for her job. She joined W+K in August after departing Goodby, Silverstein & Partners (GS&P), San Francisco, where she was a senior art director. While at GS&P, Nicholson worked on Got Milk?, and Dreyer’s Ice Cream, as well as on some Nike projects. She had previously been at Kirshenbaum Bond & Partners, New York, and Fallon, Minneapolis. When Wieden came calling, Nicholson says, she couldn’t say no. "It’s impossible to say ‘no’ to Dan Wieden," she says.
She knew for sure that she had made the right decision when Wieden actually came out to New York last August to work as her co-creative director for a week and a half until Montague started on the job. "His name isn’t just on the front door," Nicholson states. "He’s really involved in the day-to-day operations. And that’s what makes this agency different."Û
