Night Agency
Co-founder and Executive Creative Director of one of New York's most recognized independent digital agencies — a decade of viral-before-viral work for brands who wanted to actually mean something online.
Night Agency ran from the mid-2000s through the early 2010s and became known for making things on the internet that people actually wanted to watch, share, and talk about — before any of that was standard practice. Named one of Ad Age's Hottest Digital Agencies, covered in Creativity, Gothamist, PRWeek, and the New York Times, and awarded by every major digital recognition body of the era.
As co-founder and Executive Creative Director, the work I'm most proud of was always the stuff that blurred lines: branded entertainment that forgot to be an ad, viral campaigns with no fingerprints, stunts that became news.
New York Health & Racquet Club — Ass-vertising
A street stunt for New York Health & Racquet Club: teams on Midtown sidewalks in matching “Think Less / Feel Better / Live Well” tees, pants down, BOOTY CALL printed across the seat. CD Scott Cohn called it ass-vertising — less flyer-handout, more disarming exchange that tourists photographed and emailed as personalized ads. Covered as an Ad Age Creativity Editor’s Pick (July 7, 2004).
MTV VMAs — Troy the Confused Tourist
At the MTV Video Music Awards, we deployed Chris Gordon (later known for the Honey Badger Don't Care viral videos) as Troy, a hapless tourist who stumbled into the awards show with a camera and a complete lack of awareness. Troy interviewed Method Man on the red carpet — and they ended up freestyling together on video. One of the cleanest executed guerrilla integrations of the era.
MTV International — Head & Body
A manufactured unbranded viral campaign for MTV International built around Mikey the Monkey — a character with no visible brand connection at launch, designed purely to spread. The campaign seeded across platforms and let audiences discover it organically before the MTV reveal. Covered extensively in the trades as a case study in pre-social viral mechanics.
MTV2 — thetwoheadeddog.com
The brand relaunch of MTV2, centered on a destination site — thetwoheadeddog.com — that served as a content hub for the network's repositioning. Built around the idea that two heads arguing is more interesting than one voice broadcasting.
Dial — GetMagnetic
Smell Dating
The campaign's single most-covered moment: a live Smell Dating event — speed dating by scent — tied to Dial's body wash launch. Covered on the cover of the New York Times Style section and in PRWeek. The kind of stunt that sounds absurd in a brief and becomes obvious in the press clip.
Mr. Molecule
A fully original animated short by Dan Meth (known for his Internet Archaeologist and Trilogy of Terror series) produced specifically for the GetMagnetic campaign. Featured Seth Herzog as the campaign's host personality. Also included a robust online personality test and an ongoing series of videos — one of the first brand content programs built around a real creator's aesthetic rather than a brand brief.
Keds — Collective & The Original Sneaker
Two overlapping Keds campaigns that ran across fashion, music, and pop culture. The Keds Collective featured talent that ranged from emerging to enormous — including Lady Gaga and Lana Del Rey before either had broken through to mainstream recognition. The Original Sneaker campaign built a visual and editorial identity for the brand that was distinctly more editorial than advertising.
Lucky Jeans — Denim Highway
A summer-long music festival tour that covered every major outdoor festival on the circuit, built around long-form documentary content and editorial coverage. Highlights:
- SXSW: Sat down with Neil Young, Ian McCulloch (Echo and the Bunnymen), and Chris Isaak — who liked the campaign enough to write a jingle for it
- Covered Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, and every major summer circuit stop
- One of the earliest branded festival content programs; a template that dozens of brands followed in subsequent years
Keep A Child Alive — with Alicia Keys
Charity work for Keep A Child Alive, Alicia Keys' foundation supporting children and families affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa and India. Campaign strategy and digital presence for one of the most high-profile celebrity-driven charitable organizations of the mid-2000s.
Mark Girl — Lauren Conrad & Jordin Sparks
Digital campaign work for Avon's Mark cosmetics line, featuring Lauren Conrad and Jordin Sparks at the height of their cultural moment. Content strategy and interactive execution for a millennial-targeted brand in the early social era.
Doodlely — with Jim Davis
An interactive digital project with Jim Davis, the creator of Garfield — a collaborative doodling platform built around his illustration style. One of the earlier experiments in creator-led interactive content.