• by Larissa Faw , January 8, 2014

Industry veteran Mike Valdes-Fauli is spearheading the launch of a new full-service multicultural marketing agency called Pinta.

Valdes-Fauli asserts that he is meeting an unfulfilled need among marketers. "We believe there are many agencies that are strategic, but not terribly creative," says the Pinta CEO.

"And then there are extremely creative agencies that are creative to win awards and attract attention, but they aren't necessarily strategic. We [have] an equal measure of strategy and creativity," he says.

The shop will offer a full range of services including market research, media buying and planning, social media, experiential, and digital strategy. 

It took client demand to spark this new agency, per Valdes-Fauli, who previously helmed the PR firm JeffreyGroup and saw a growing number of its clients -- which include Facebook, T-Mobile, TD Bank, and Johnnie Walker -- turn elsewhere to obtain additional services beyond PR.

"We had the strategic capability and skill set to offer these services," says Valdes-Fauli. As a result, JeffreyGroup morphed into Pinta. "[At JeffreyGroup], we would start with PR as the solution. Now we start with the client objective and come up with a solution that may include PR, but may also include 30-second commercials, events, or grassroots outreach," he says. 

Still, Valdes-Fauli recognizes that there may be growing pains in the transformation of a PR agency to full-service player. "Our clients have been supportive, but we realize that many already have full-service agencies already on board. There may be opportunities to win these accounts, but for this launch, our only expectation is to service our current [PR] client base," he says. 

Pinta is stacked with agency veteran talent. Alex Barreras, ex-Hill Holliday and Creatibility, has been appointed creative director, while Romina Bongiovanni, ex-Edelman and Journey Marketing, has been tapped to run the shop’s Los Angeles offices as Managing Director.  

Joe Gutierrez, ex-Global Hue and The Vidal Partnership, has been named Managing Director and Head of Strategic Planning. And Lauren Cortinas serves as Managing Director of Communications overseeing the JeffreyGroup division.

"We are still remaining in PR," says Valdes-Fauli. "We believe it's integral to our success." Offices are located in Miami, New York, and Los Angeles. 

As for the name? Pinta means paint in Spanish, explains Valdes-Fauli. "It emphasizes that we are an artistic creative shop that imbues art in our work, but is balanced with a strategic mindset."