Onward and upward, indeed...
Back in 2015, Paul Charney, Kenny White and I made what some might have called a very silly gamble. We started Funworks because we truly believed that "fun" wasn't frivolous but a solid weapon against advertising’s biggest challenges (and everything we loathed.) Misalignment, misbriefs, broken budgets, invisible work, inertia, exhaustion, etc. We thought fun could help tackle them all. Not just pool tables or having more happy hours with clients (nothing against those things). We were hellbent on changing the traditional “siloed-slow-expensive” agency process by incorporating much of what we learned from sketch, improv and design thinking. Fun could align us faster with clients around bolder ideas that moved consumers. (Hence “works.”) Over the past nine years, what started as a gut feeling has been proven time and again by scientists and psychologists much smarter than us-- and the results we've achieved with our clients. Fun brought together over 70 employees, 100+ brands, and countless clients (I mean, technically we could count them, but that seems like a weird assignment.) After Covid, the climate of the industry, made us question our love for it. I decided I did--especially the way we were doing it. And Kenny and Paul decided they didn’t as much when we started. That’s when we realized another by-product benefit of our process: YES, we would part ways, AND we’d still love and help each other however we could. They started another company called Funmentum Labs and I would keep and run Funworks alongside the amazing Fiorella Juarez, MBA. Cut to today, the advertising industry has become a reflection of the world as a whole- a lot of fear, confusion, desperation and, heartache. All of which is completely understandable. It seems we’re facing ten times the challenges and uncertainty it once was. Fun can help a lot of it. But it’s not the only tool needed to overcome them. We need savvy tech and passionate, skilled, curious people and partners who know how and have desire to use them. Personally speaking, those people need to be incredibly optimistic and fun, too. That’s why I’m extremely happy to announce that Funworks will be joining, Barrett Hofherr. In a world that sometimes feels heavy with challenges, their "Optimism Always" philosophy resonates deeply with our own belief in the power of positivity. Together, we want to tackle the evolving landscape with a potent mix of proven fun, cutting-edge tech, and passionate creativity. It's a new adventure, and I couldn't be more excited to embark on it with this amazing team. To everyone who's been part of the Funworks story so far—thank you. Your creativity, heart, and trust have meant the world to me. And to those I'll be working with at Barrett Hofherr, especially Jamie Barrett and Matt Hofherr—thanks for having me. Really looking forward to having a lot of fun with you. Onward and upward, cm #advertising #creativity #digitalmarketing #fun #marketing #optimism #innovation