• by April 10, 2008

As Andrew O'Dell, the former president of AKQA, co-founder of Lot 21 and vice president at Carat, co-launches what The Wall Street Journal termed a new "full-service agency," don't expects media planning and buying to be part of the mix. O¹Dell says his new firm, Pereira & O'Dell, plans to "bring on a strategist or two to help with media," but will find partners to do the actual planning and buying.

Pereira & O'Dell kicks off with a staff of 15 full-timers and clients Lego Systems and Pony Brands on board. The agency said it has secured $30 million in funding from Brazil-based ABC International.

On the creative side, the San Francisco-based agency touts its ability to work in both the digital and traditional realms "without any assumptions or prejudice," in the words of co-founder P.J. Pereira.

O'Dell said that "plenty of companies" already have the media expertise in both the digital and traditional space, so while Pereira & O'Dell will "have that expertise on staff," he would prefer to work with media agency partners.

Pereira worked with O'Dell for three years at AKQA, where he was executive creative director. At the new agency, he will again drive creative, with O'Dell focusing on the business side.