• by Larissa Faw , September 23, 2016

The recently launched London In New York is opening its door in an unusual location that makes it unlike any other agency in the Big Apple. The creative shop works out of the Metropolitan Opera House, down the hall from a long rack of costumes. Their office door is the stage door. 

This unique creative partnership between London in New York and the Met is a first for the Met Opera and is a new collaborative approach for the almost 50-year old cultural institution.  

Carolyn London and Michael Ladino serve as the shop's co-creative directors. Previously the duo led the New York office for the Liquid Agency, working on NASDAQ, Lexus Nexus and Keurig. London has also served as ECD at Serino/Coyne where she began her relationship with the Met envisioning and launching the Last Night at the Met Fashion Blog.

While the Met serves as a key client for this new agency, the founders intend to work across a variety of industries: “We want to harness an outsider creative lens inspired by art, music, fashion and culture to tell compelling, of-the-moment brand stories that solve real business challenges," they say. 

But the Met is up First. The iconic institution and its agency are introducing The Voice Must Be Heard, the 2016/17 season campaign that includes broadcast, online, social media and subway ads. The creative introduces artists and behind-the-scenes workers who work together to make live opera happen. The Last Night at the Met blog will cover opening night September 26 to position the event similar to a red carpet award show or high profile event. 

The name London in New York is also a tongue-in-cheek play of the outsider looking in, referencing the agency duo’s  non-New York shared love of the underground art and punk scenes of their hometowns in the late 80’s and early 90’s.