-Wolf news-

I've been kind of circumspect about posting about this, but now that it's in the New York Times, I guess it's ok.

On Monday, we were called into an impromptu agency meeting and told some big news. The Wolf office in New York had closed on Friday. The Toronto office, Flavour, was closing that day. And our local management was buying out the Rochester and Atlanta offices and changing the name to Partners & Napier.

It was shocking. To say the least. For the last several years, Wolf Rochester has been the most profitable agency in the network, but I think everyone was a bit isolated from how unhealthy some of the other branches of the network were.

However, for our office the news couldn't have been better. The space were are in remains the same. All the employees remain the same. The clients remain the same. In fact, I think we are better off now. Because now the upper creative and account management are stable, since they have a vested interest in the new entity. Sharon Napier, Steve Crabb, Jim DiNoto and Jeff Gable--these are brilliant business and creative minds. And I'm not just saying that because they pay my check. I truly believe that. And that sort of talent stability is hard to guarantee in the fluid ad world. When it happens, great agencies happen. That's why the best agencies in the world don't have branded names--they are named for the talented people that build them.

Anyway, big news. It's a little scary. And a lot exciting.

Posted by brandon barr at February 7, 2004 10:24 AM | TrackBack