• by Richard Whitman , Columnist, June 13, 2017

Well, looks like things are pretty flush over at Barton F. Graf, the agency formed by Jerry Graf back in 2010, give or take a year or two. 

They’ve just hired a boatload of new “all stars,” according to a press release the shop issued today. 

All Stars? Well the gang hired has an impressive list of credentials. 

For example: copywriter Lauren Cooper and art director Erika Kohnen, came from Deutsch NY. Their recent work for Krylon, “The World’s Largest Pinterest Yard Sale,” won 18 awards last year, including a Titanium Lion at Cannes. Nice. 

And there’s Marco Kaye, creative director, who spent the last six years working freelance and writing for The New Yorker and McSweeney’s. He’s also held posts at Wieden+Kennedy and Google Creative Lab. OK, that's cool. Not Titanium Lion cool, but cool enough. 

Hedvig Kushner, senior art director, came from DDB, where she worked on Pepsi, Unilever, Electrolux, Cotton, Huawei, Lipton and Breyers. Hmmm, Pepsi. That's pretty sweet. 

And Ellery Luse, strategy director, joined from Fallon, where she worked on Arby's, WhiteWave Foods: International Delight/SToK, Cheerios, Talenti, Comedy Central, Cadillac and others.

Meanwhile, Helene Dick, strategist, joined from Carrot, VICE’s digital agency, where she most recently worked on Carl's Jr. & Hardee's, Chipotle Mexican Grill and Unilever brands. Whoa, VICE. Some of the work they do is just crazy.  

And then there’s Katherine Dorey, director of corporate communication, who joins from The Martin Agency, where she served as brand communications manager for their Richmond, Va., New York and London offices.

Brandon Owens, account director, came from Publicis ,where he worked on the Citi Global Brand business. 

Christopher Kelley, senior designer, joined from Saatchi & Saatchi, and Saul Metnick, senior producer, is a former freelance photographer for The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. Two of my favorite publications. Nice left-right balance there.    

Here’s the mind-bending part as Barton states at the top of its announcement: “Barton F. Graf Hires Ten All-Stars to Create ‘An Agency Within the Agency’ But the Larger Agency Will be Folded Into the Smaller Agency and the Smaller Agency Will Also be Called Barton F. Graf’. 

Got that? Kinda like contemplating the beginning of the universe when it fit on the head of a pin and was really hot, like a billion degrees hot. Then things got really interesting. 

That whole agency within an agency thing was just meant to get your attention. Did it? 

The agency says all the new talent is the result of new business and increasing client needs. 

Must be a sh*tload of new business because agencies these days don’t spend dough on talent without a guaranteed revenue return. But of course, when asked for details, none were forthcoming. Yeah. Clients. What a bunch of anal retentive, secretive and paranoid freaks! God forbid the world should know they’ve hired Graf or given them a new business assignment! 

Clearly, anybody who can successfully maneuver in that shark tank is an all-star!