Local Talent
Recommended Talent
The following is a list of local talent which we strongly endorse. It is through the efforts of locals such as these that Denver will eventually make a name for itself. It is by no means a comprehensive list. Visit our Submissions page to place suggestions.
Kelly Morgan
Kelly brings a boatload of experience from time spent at big shops in Boston and Chicago. She made an impact in Denver working at McClain Finlon for two years. Now she's a hired gun. Get her while you can.
Michael Maciolek
Michael's mind works in ways we really dig. For instance, he's got ideas that don't suck and an eye for laying them out so they continue not to suck in execution.
Terry Oleary
You don't find his kind of experience much in these parts – big agency, big clients (American Express, Pepsi, AT&T Cellular, Duracell, The New York Times, it goes on and on). Hit him up for anything you need. He won't disappoint.
BrandJuice
They're sort of a secret weapon in these parts that a lot of big companies from out of town have already discovered. We want to turn them on to companies here in Denver, too. BrandJuice specializes in the uncovering the unique, ownable brand positioning, thorough research and has the ability to grow market share for existing products or turn ideas into tangible moneymakers.
Ashley Billings
Thirteen words for you: Cannes shortlist, Addys, Effies, Archive Magazine, Creativity, Wall Street Journal, New York Times.
Damon Barbour
Another hot talent back from a stint at a couple shops in Baltimore.
Eric Kiker
He was associate creative director at one of the top ad shops in town. Now he's for rent as one of the top strategic minds in the city. Contact him at his company, Killer Tomato Red, 303.332.9834.
Holly Menges
A great writer with killer skills. Formerly ACD with power house Karsh+Hagan, Holly has worked with some of the best agencies around the country and we're lucky enough to have her right here in Denver.
Jim Glynn
If you've seen an award winning campaign out of Denver in the last say, several decades, there's probably ink from Jim's pen on it. Book him early and often because he gets busy. Call him at 303.675.0711.
Mike King
His last name is King, which pretty much says it all. Mike spent the past two years at TDA, one of the best shops in the region. Now, he's over at Factory, knocking it out.
Steve Dolbinski
With the huge agency experience Steve's had (BBDO, W+K, Chiat/Day, Dentsu, GSD&M, The Martin Agency), it's a jaw dropper to think he's living right here in Colorado ready for us all to take advantage of.
Tom Van Ness
Tom comes with a ton of talent and no heaping ego to taint it – a breath of fresh air when you need good copy.
Zac Spector
Zac spent the last year-and-a-half at Crispin Porter + Bogusky learning the science of what they do so damn well – come up with advertising ideas people love, instead of hate. Now, he's breaking off as a freelancer who's ready to share all he's learned for the benefit of your clients. Use him to your full advantage by phoning 720.840.9774 or by sending some electronic mail his way.
Aaron Ray
Deeply entrenched in today's youth mindset, Aaron Ray has been consistently knocking it out of the park for huge lifestyle brands, including Airwalk, Vision Street Wear, Sims and an eclectic mix of up-and-coming bands who always rely on this craftsman to show them the way.
Brian Edward Miller
And so we shall be graced with a jack-of-all-trades from the far left coast, bringing with him a bag of print, web and illustration goodies to share with the deserving agencies and clients seeking a bit of Orange County sauce.
Brian Son
Here is one recent Art Institute of Colorado grad (2007) we won't have to worry about. He creates a phenomenal knack for balancing his stunning art without having the message get lost. Be sure to look at the work he did for Ford while interning at JWT. The one worry we do have is that someone will woo him away from Colorado. Let's keep him too busy to have that happen.
Chris Cox
Stupid deep talent if you're looking for gritty, Gen-Y flavor. We're throwing him in the designer category, but it's so very clear from his site that he's beyond fantastic at illustration and motion, as well.
Jack Ryan Schuler
Jack's raw talent was molded at Pasadena's Art Center College of Design in the environmental design program. Over the last few years, he's been applying that talent to a wide range of media including print, online, fleet graphics, signage outdoor, environmental and more, molding him into the full package.
Pete Barnett
Despite the somewhat sparse portfolio, there's little question that Pete could deliver on whatever needs you may have. With a nice range of work from corporate cleanliness to rugged collateral, we expect to see great things come from this guy.
Table2Press
THE local gurus for poster design and screenprinting, especially for all the hipster music shows floating through town. Super high-quality, visually engaging work consistently flows from this band of four.
thinkmule
If you're looking for a touch of grunge wrapped in a whole bowl of design sophistication, look no further. You can't get much better than this.
McGinty
McGinty Inc. has done fine work for such clients as Barnes & Noble,The Harvard COOP and the CU Art Museum. Their use of physical space and design is an example of understated sophistication and professionalism we can all aspire to.
Evan Hecox
Slinking through our metropolis and illustrating the urban landscape along his journey, Evan Hecox has become a globally recognized phenom – working for Nike, Stuggle Inc., and skate companies like Chocolate and Girl.
Gwenda Kaczor
Gwenda is an internationally recognized illustrator living in Denver. She has done work for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The San Francisco Chronicle, AOL, Nickelodeon and on and on. Snoop around her site and you'll find some additional gems. Also, we enjoy saying her name aloud. Try it. Gwenda. Gwenda. Gwenda. Cool, right?
Jason Thielke
A gorgeous mix of urban contemporary mixed with a bit of dirt and classic proportion.
Jay Vollmar
Jay is an extremely talented illustrator and designer living in Denver. His silk-screened rock posters are well-known here and around the world. Disciples of rock, raise high your lighters.
Josh Holland
Everything's bright about Josh Holland. His colors. His style. His mind. His future. Check him out for some character-driven brilliance.
Lisa Haney
Lisa Haney has worked regularly for the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times over the last twenty years and she just won the Gold Award at the Colorado Alliance of Illutrator's annual show this year. Her scratchboard illustration is colored with Dr. Martin's Dyes and lends itself beautifully to packaging, advertising and editorial.
Markham "Shitty Kitten" Maes
Screen printer by day, artist by night, Markham kicks out more high integrity original artwork than virtually any other young artist working in Colorado. Shitty's style is a mash up between figurative character illustration and graffiti inspired typography.
Shaw Nielsen
Shaw is an emerging talent with a whimsical, vibrant style. And he already has an ADCD award under his belt.
Blue Fruit
Working for a wide variety of impressive agencies as well as direct-to-client on consumer packaged goods, tech, children's products, restaurants and more, Blue Fruit is the design and motion graphics studio of Jason Metter and friends. Sharp and monstrously capable with motion graphics skills to boot, these guys are the real deal.
FL-2
Top shelf agency working for the big dogs conveniently located in the 303.
Fusionbox
THE TOP search engine marketing (SEM) and search engine optimization (SEO) interactive agency in the region, if not the country. Take advantage of this service for your clients and reap the benefits. Just get a meeting with them, you'll understand.
Joe Mease Creative
Joe is the go-to guy for XylemCCI and The Integer Group for complex Flash/action script programming nightmares. If the best interactive shops in town use him, that should clue you in to his expertise.
Matthew Leach
A master AS programmer with a good sense of design. Leach has 8 years of experience developing Flash sites and teaching others to do the same.
texturemedia
Stationed on Boulder's Pearl Street, texturemedia is the local interactive agency that works with serious national clients (as well as a handful of hometown greats like Izze, Celestial Seasonings, Crocs and Pearl Izumi). Precision, process and creatively-driven, texturemedia is one of the few Colorado interactive shops making a big difference.
Xylem CCI
It's been cool to watch this company grow and flourish in a city that boasts few interactive shops at this impressive level.
Adam Espinoza
Adam works with the top-notch agencies in this region and beyond and deserves your very serious consideration next time the need for motion graphics arises.
Adam Singer
We've said it before and we'll say it again. Most of the motion graphics talent here in Denver is embarrassingly bad – at best. Hence, our celebration when someone we would actually be honored to use comes along. Watch his reel. There's really no reason to say more.
Citizen Pictures
Escaping to the left or right coast for film production may sound wonderful at the moment, but why not get the same amazing production value and visionary creativity from a heavy hitter right here in town – and go home and sleep in your own bed at night.
Impossible Pictures
Chilled out atmosphere with some top notch players – including an Oscar award winner – helping the execution live up to the concept.
Runrobot
Runrobot is Jean Pichot, who founded Denver's Spillt motion house in 2002, along with a band of brilliant motion specialists that he uses to tackle complex projects. The shop works with a number of the hottest clients in Colorado as well as on both coasts, aiming to over-deliver with everything they produce.
Spillt
Denver seems to lose a lot of its best motion designers to Los Angeles where the industry pulls them in like a magnet. Rejoice. Spillt is a brand spankin' new motion design and animation firm, focusing on network re-branding, commercial production, main titles for film, music videos and installations. Check out their reel on the site, and notice they're definitely not f'in around.
Allen Birnbach
Yes, Allen Birnbach can shoot that. He can shoot anything with flawless beauty. Just ask any client on his list, including American Airlines, AT&T, Charles Schwab & Co., Colgate-Palmolive, Giant Bicycles, Hewlett-Packard, IBM and a dozen other Fortune 500 companies who they'd recommend for that next shot you have to get absolutely right.
Brian Bailey
He's the action adventure shooter with the heart, soul and fire of an action adventurer. Brian is truly one of the finest photographers for this genre anywhere.
Dann Coffey
In his own words, "Based in the mountains of Colorado for over 15 years, our specialty and emphasis revolves around resorts, hotels, recreation, homes and lifestyles of active people." The work is stunning and should absolutely be used whenever possible.
De Frisco Studio
On the market for a high-action shot of an athletic Adonis barely breaking a sweat? Look no further.
James Balog
James is one of the most highly regarded living nature conservation photographers in the world. He was the first photographer ever commissioned to create a full plate of stamps for the U.S. Postal Service and boasts credits in dozens of the largest magazine publications throughout the world.
Joe Hancock
Fun, lighthearted and packing a serious photographic punch, Joe Hancock has an incredibly dialed 5,000 square foot studio right outside downtown or he'll go wherever you need him out of town to get the shot.
Juan Garcia
Piercing, in-the-moment portraits full of urban funk and LA Latino grit are what Juan captures with exceptional expertise. A nice bit of SoCal talent we're lucky to have in our city.
Kim Cook
Despite a site that needs a little TLC, check out her beautiful B&W photography. She's a joy to work with on top of that.
Souders Studios
Souders Studios is one of Colorado's largest and most respected Food/Beverage and Still-life Studio. They were awarded Best Beverage Studio in the World at the 2007 World Food Media Awards in South Australia. They offer digital imaging through award-winning retouching and compositing.
Tod Kapke
Tod Kapke illustrates every image he conceives – even though he uses his trusted camera and the mixing and manipulation of other media to achieve the effect. His comedic, surreal style is definitive, page-stopping and should be used amply at every opportunity.
Tyler Stableford
Named by Men's Journal as one of the seven "World's Greatest Adventure Photographers." And he's right here in our own backyard in Carbondale, Colorado. Fresh air breeding ultra fresh imagery.
Mando-Matic
Specializing in bringing out the visual emotion in photography, Mando-Matic is genius at color correcting, retouching and compositing images. For years, they've worked with top national photographers, ad agencies and designers – landing their work in CA, Print, HOW and numerous photography annuals.
Hero Design Studio
This aptly named whiz bang operation has bailed us out of more than one production crunch. Their website doesn't lie – they get it and they're easy. Try 'em you'll like 'em.
Paul Gould
Ego, attitude and excuse-free, Paul Gould spent a good chunk of time at Karsh\Hagan learning the production trade before breaking out on his own as a freelancer. He's the only person we've ever seen kern body copy if that tells you anything about what a perfectionist he is. Give him a hollar.
Fusion Promotional Marketing
A local firm specializing in entertainment and consumer packaged goods (CPG) hooking up explosively huge deals on a national stage. Your company interested in partnering with Fox Home Entertainment, Paramount Pictures, Yari Film Group, Nestle, Procter and Gamble, Purina or dozens of others? These are your peeps.
Art & Anthropology
From corporate branding to artsyfartsy whatnots, A&A brings a high level of conceptual and aesthetic quality to everything they do.
Cactus
Looking for forward-thinking, breakthrough ideas rooted in solid strategy? Looking for a good group of dedicated individuals? Looking for an agency that will give you what you really need, not just what you think you need? Then you're looking for Cactus.
Crispin Porter + Bogusky
If you haven't been paying attention to their genius ways over the last decade, you may kindly leave and never return.
Cultivator
Concept is king and flawless design is queen at Cultivator, cranking out stunning work rivaling shops on both coasts.
Factory Design Labs
From interactive to motion to print, Factory Design Labs plays at a level that transcends Denver and has started to earn them national attention and clientele.
LeeReedy
A creative landmark in Denver for over 40 years, LeeReedy consistently bangs out big time campaigns for big time players.
Moxie Sozo
This group of serious design connoisseurs has never lost a client in nearly 10 years of being in business. The work and the attitude are the reasons.
Reed Hill
A three-part studio specializing in design, photography and bound books – each with thoughtful, meaningful and poetic results. Watch them really explode onto Denver's scene within the next few years.
Sukle Advertising & Design
If you've ever picked up a major design or advertising publication, you've more than likely seen the work of Sukle. One of the few ad shops in Denver that is consistently putting out world-class work.
tda Advertising & Design
One of only a couple big mamajama ad shops in town and certainly one of the most interesting. Their work for Chipotle could be the only thing they'd ever done and they'd still be listed here.
The Integer Group
They aren't one of the bombs in TBWA's arsenal for nothing. Integer specializes in sales promotion, but they're so much more – seemingly handling every media with ease. A huge international, big-brand player living and breathing right here among the rest of us.