Key Outpost Of Leading Independent And Transparent Media Agency Wins New Clients, Expands Services And Goes On Hiring Spree
PHILADELPHIA – September 6, 2018 – “Every champion was once a contender who refused to give up,” Rocky Balboa once said, and the Philadelphia office of the leading independent media agency in this country, Crossmedia, is living proof of that adage. No longer just a contender, Crossmedia Philadelphia announced today that it has hired five new executives in response to major new business wins and has expanded its capabilities by launching an in-house content service that helps clients take advantage of creative opportunities across all media platforms and channels.
“The major expansion of a media agency in a market outside the mainstream of New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, is a pretty rare thing, and beyond exciting,” said Ray Valcich, Managing Director of the Philadelphia office. “Our Philly team has simply out-hustled the competition in a vibrant and traditionally underserved market. There’s a ton of media business in the Philadelphia region and talent that’s hungry to hone their craft and do great work at growing and culture-rich agency. This year has been amazing on several fronts and we’re showing no signs of slowing down.”
Launched in 2011, with just two people, the Philadelphia office of Crossmedia now numbers 40 employees, with AOR clients including Longwood Gardens, one of the premier horticultural display gardens in the U.S, the Philadelphia Zoo and Indiana University. Recent new wins include iHealth, makers of Culturelle probiotics; Art Van, the largest midwest based furniture retailer; Main Line Health, a well-known hospital system in the Philly region; and JEGS, a leading aftermarket auto parts chain and racing team. Crossmedia also relocated its longstanding client New Era to Philadelphia.
The combined new business wins represent a tripling of billings for the office. To accommodate this growth, the office has relocated from its original 2500 sq. ft. space to a 10,000 sq. ft. office in the Manayunk neighborhood, and hired the following new talent:
Steve Cisowski, Supervisor, Social Media
Steve has worked in the Philly digital advertising field for over 13 years, with eight years working exclusively in social media marketing. He was awarded two Social Media Icon awards from PR News in 2013 and was named an inaugural “Social Media Star” by the Philadelphia Business Journal in 2011. A Philly native, Steve graduated from Drexel University with a BS degree in Corporate Communications, and studied advertising copywriting at The University of the Arts.
Ashley Smith, Supervisor, Paid Search
Ashley has been engaged in Digital Marketing over the past four years. Executing and optimizing B2B and B2C campaigns for pharmaceutical, entertainment and financial services brands, she works with a diverse range of clients and products to inspire creativity and test market strategies.
Derek Pehlman, Director, Paid Search
Derek joins the team with over 10 years of digital marketing experience on the brand and agency sides of business. His experience includes developing short and long term multichannel digital marketing plans for Fortune 500 companies and SMB’s.
Jen Dolan, Account Director
Prior to Crossmedia, Jen spent 12 years at Tierney, where she managed multi-channel advertising campaigns, most recently in the healthcare and utility sectors. In addition to day-to-day client work, Jen also assisted in new business pitches over the years in a wide range of categories, including food and beverage, retail, education and others.
Brian Hall, Account Director
Brian has 12 years of agency experience working on strategic, multi-channel marketing campaigns at Harmelin Media and LevLane Advertising. He led the planning, implementation and measurement of traditional and digital media campaigns for clients across a variety of categories, including financial services, healthcare, retail, tourism, education and non-profit.
Crossmedia’s Philadelphia office also has opened Factory, an in-house, integrated design and content service that focuses on solving creative problems. Launched as a response to the need for editing and revising creative internally based on media planning and buying requirements, Factory is already working on campaigns for the NFL, MLS, NASCAR, Supercuts, New York University and various packaged goods brands. The new unit is run by Crossmedia Managing Director Chris Ebmeyer.
“Factory is a way we can help clients and our creative partners build the assets to pivot with the needs of media today,” said Ebmeyer. “We’re taking our clients’ insights and ideas and helping to quickly develop content that will get campaigns across the finish line. This is what clients are asking for, and we are providing.”
About Crossmedia
Crossmedia is an independent, international full service communications planning and media services agency with offices in New York, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, London, Berlin, Dusseldorf, and Hamburg. It has earned two Advertising Age Best Small Agency awards and was named by Adweek as a pioneering “New Model Agency” and an Adweek Agency 3.0. As the only fully transparent alternative to traditional holding company media agencies, Crossmedia is pushing the boundaries of modern media services by delivering a non-siloed, holistic, highly collaborative approach driven by creativity and integrated, real-time media analytics. Crossmedia clients include U.S. Bank, The Hartford Insurance Group, HomeAway, MINI USA, Supercuts, New Era Caps, NASCAR, Nordstrom Rack, Tillamook, Jägermeister, and White Castle.