Ad Age reports that five Crispin Porter & Bogusky staffers have left the shop for greener pastures. Their fledgling agency will be called Goodness Mfg. with offices in Venice, Calif., just blocks from the office Crispin opened (and later shuttered) in the 1990s.
Goodness Mfg. has no clients yet, but the agency is open to “any account that pays the bills,” said creative director Tom Adams.
Crispin’s Chief Creative Officer Alex Bogusky said the losses were not serious, especially given the agency’s size. “It’s not that big a deal — I don’t think if I left it’s that big a deal,” he said. “Once the culture is established, and healthy, that’s what makes it work,” Mr. Bogusky added. “I’m happy for them. I’ll miss those guys — but I don’t dislike change.”
Crikey…I think what the intrepid Bogusky is saying that when a big ship is slowly sinking, its not a bad thing to see even the captiain jump over board as it allows for it to stay a float just a little longer.
I remember reading Mr. Bogusky once say “I am the heart and soul of the agency”. I wonder what his new stance reveals about the health of the agency.
If Im not back again this time tomorrow
Carry on,carry on,as if nothing really matters.
Is Alex leaving too???
Freddy a.k.a. Ben and Rich,
Your “Like Crispin Porter” site is a true classic.
Thanks for the reminder.
Supposedly, Alex almost left a while ago, but then they opened the Boulder outlet to keep him in the fold.
But honestly, there’s alot of turnover in advertising so it’s no surprise Crispin people, like people from anywhere else, eventually want to do something different. Even if Crispin’s not the hot tamale anymore, they still deserve our respect for their influence on this industry.
Does anyone have a phone number or address for Goodness Mfg. Thank you.
I think the work coming out of Crispin a few years ago was incredible, and years ahead of everything elese in the industry. It hurts to see such an amazing and powerful entity be brought down because of so simple as getting to big. All the best to them, and I’d love to see them step back into creative excellence.
I don’t think Goodness is indicative of a sinking Crispin ship quite yet. Rather, it more clearly shows the nature of the field. Look at the ages of the 5 Crispin refugees. They are all in their 30s and 40s – with 37 years of combined experience. At some point, no matter how vibrant an agency’s culture may be, you have to fulfill your goals. And those goals are coming into fruition for these guys.
As for Crispin – even if the agency’s culture is as prolific as Alex suggests, only their newest work will tell.