Lee Clow once said, “Everything your brand does is an ad.” So the glossy TV spot and social post, certainly, but also the souvenir pencil, the letterhead, the retweet, the holiday party flier, and the elevator music. What a great way to think. Big and holistic and far-reaching and inventive. When everything is an ad, nothing is off limits and it’s all considered.
Pete Harvey
Writer by trade. Most recently Partner & Executive Creative Director of BarrettSF.
Pete cut his teeth at Hal Riney, Arnold and Goodby, Silverstein & Partners before leaving to start and grow an agency of 30+ alongside business partner Jamie Barrett. Recognition over the years has come from the One Show, Cannes, D&AD and the Emmys, as well as publications ranging from Rolling Stone to The New York Times. In 2016, AdAge named Pete one of the Top 50 Creatives in the U.S.
Since taking a year off to travel, Pete has reduced the number of collars he wears in photos and grown a full and wood-splitting beard.
Past
Partner, Owner & Executive Creative Director
BarrettSF
Starting an agency from scratch with two partners, a small investment, and bullish expectations. A wild, exhausting, fun endeavor. On my departure, the agency had grown to 30+ people, won its first One Show pencils, and had clients ranging from Salesforce to 2K Games to Walmart to Major League Baseball.
Creative Director
Goodby, Silverstein & Partners
An incredible place to grow as a writer, a partner, and a creative director.
Experience: NBA. Got Milk? Nintendo. HP. Google. Sonic Drive-In. Chevrolet.
Copywriter
Arnold Worldwide
Extremely good humans.
Experience: *truth. Volvo. Jack Daniels. Carnival Cruise Lines. TAG Body Spray. ESPN.com. McDonald’s.
If not me, them.
Sometimes you don’t need a writer, you need an art director. Or a production company. Or a design studio. Or - gasp - a cheaper writer. It happens. Below are people I love and endorse. Because advertising is a small world, we need to support one another, and I’ve worked with all of these humans: they’re both lovely and talented as hell.
Micky Coyne
Art Director
My creative counterpart and a creative force to be reckoned with. Sharp eye, design and digital chops, insatiable appetite for great work, and a penchant for making wild ideas a reality. Micky’s the kind of AD and CD you want thinking big on your brand. He also looks like Roger Federer and will sign your tennis visor for $20. Say hi.
Jan O'Malley
Content Producer
Arguably the loveliest person anyone has worked with - in any business - Jan O’Malley is the cream of the production crop. She brings with her decades of integrated production experience at iconic agencies like Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, where Pete first met amazing Jan. This is who you want going to the mat with you on a hard job. Say hi.
Dalia Burde /
Avocados & Coconuts
Jobs big. Jobs small. Jobs beautiful either way. Dalia Burde is the founder of San Francisco-based production company Avocados & Coconuts, and I’ve worked with her both as a client and a creative. Equally great experiences. Avocados makes beautiful film, they make great partners, and they make delicious chocolate in their studio. Say hi.
Doug Harvey
Copywriter
Doug bootstrapped into his role as a writer, eschewing ad school and taking a copywriter role at Harborside, California’s pioneering cannabis dispensary. What he brings is a playwright’s command of language, a tireless work ethic and a quick-study elasticity. His one-man theatre show, A Time Traveler’s Guide to the Present, makes its international debut at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August 2021. Say hi.
Brian Gunderson / Stout
Design Studio
Brian is the gold standard when it comes to design. Considered, refined, approachable, smart, real, new. Whether it’s a whole brand identity, a bit of packaging, a logo, a poster or a campaign, his design studio - Stout - is the dream team. I should charge for this advice because they’re that good, but I can’t because they’re that lovely. No reservations. Say hi.