Who We Are

Was Charlotte destined for advertising, or was advertising destined for her? Her mom is an adland vet, and Charlotte starred in a Gap campaign when she was small, so it’s no surprise either way. When she’s not pushing pixels and ideating greatness, find Charlotte hiking with her adorable pup Kona or crushing black diamonds on the slopes.

Important Fact

Julianna Hough spilled a drink on her at a nightclub once.

Three important things: 1) Jess will most likely beat you at Mad Men trivia because she’s binge-watched it three times; 2) she unofficially credits said show for inspiring her career switcharoo from music production to advertising; and 3) her extreme Sagittarius energy means she’s also a travel fiend (for the record, that also includes time travel).

Important Fact

Jess is an Australian native, so don’t be alarmed if you hear the occasional Aussie slang (like “arvo” instead of “afternoon”).

“Scroll fingers” is a thing, and Madison’s got ’em. Which—surprise!—makes her the perfect community manager. She’s also got a knack for running into celebrities on the street, pulling all-nighters, and cooking a mean risotto. And she’s got a borderline obsession with detail, so you know her plating game is 12/10 107% of the time.

Important Fact

She used to be a hair model and was featured on health.com.

All work and no play makes Steve a kickass managing director. Steve has been working since he was eight years old, which is ironic, seeing as how his great-great-uncle helped pass the child labor law. Yet somehow, it all works. Impressive. And the fact that he’s a SAG-legit voiceover actor? Double impressive.

Important Fact

Steve knows all the words to American Pie. The song, not the movie.

Meet Jen, a Midwestern Virgo and a jane-of-all-trades. After graduating with degrees in English lit and pre-med, she then earned her art wizardry wings at design school. Jen’s past lives also include managing an outdoor bike shop and scoring goals for the University of Leicester soccer (ahem, football) team while studying abroad. (Seriously Jen, what’s next on your to-do list?!)

Important Fact

Jen’s cat, a former round boy at 23 pounds, is now proudly down to a svelte 16 pounds.

Have you or someone you know been the recipient of a greeting card from Buenos Aires, Puerto Rico, Miami, Virginia, or Michigan? If so, was it signed “Gaby”? Because at one time or another, she called all five destinations home. It only took a decade of MTA delays and midnight bodega bagel runs before she reached verified New Yorker status.

Important Fact

Go blue!

Conor joined Madwell in our equivalent of the stone age, when we still worked in a one-room loft and designed things by rubbing sticks together. Over the years, his interests have grown far beyond his foundations in fine art and digital design into printmaking, animation, even some code—anything he can get his sticks on. In fact, he gets so worked up about all the cool things he has yet to create that sometimes he just watches Netflix instead.

Important Fact

Conor has the daddest dad humor of us all.

Julia is what they call a go-getter, and after a brief stint as an animal behavior major in college, go-get she did: she packed up all her science-y things and ventured off into the wonderful wonderland of advertising. And while she was at it, she also found her show-stopping chocolate chip cookie recipe. Double whammy.

Important Fact

Pickles are trash. Next question.

And now, representing the great state of Alabama...it’s Lindsey! Lindsey comes packing a mad love of numbers, the ability to connect every dot, and a knack for the arts (she’s not ALL right brain, people). Come weekends, you’ll catch her jumping with her off-the-track thoroughbred, the distinguished Miss Queen Louise.

Important Fact

Lindsey is the daughter of a State Trooper, and thus has lived in every corner of her home state.

Self-deprecating humor is Kelley’s thing: she likes being a copywriter because she's, quote, “more interesting on paper than she’ll ever be in person.” Agree to disagree, Kelley. Uninteresting people don’t travel solo all across South America and Africa. Or hike a 16,000-foot volcano. Or watch sea urchin needles being removed from their foot. We rest our case.

Important Fact

Pizza isn’t even her favorite food. See? Interesting.

Diana started her career as a copywriter in an agency so tiny that she doubled as hand model for a ballpoint pen account. So tiny that on shoot day, the client paid to have only one hand manicured. These days, she’s saved enough to have all fingers and toes tended to. Good thing, since you’ll find her in flip flops till the first snow.

Important Fact

Diana’s into fermenting things, so keep your cabbages under lock and key.

After dabbling in molecular, cellular, and developmental biology, Bri realized she was far better suited to be behind a camera than a microscope. Digital, film, or just her phone—she’s always snapping away. So when she’s not creating design magic or tending to her 10 (yes, 10!) houseplants? That’s exactly where you’ll find her.

Important Fact

If she could, Bri would fly all over the world. (Just imagine all that #content.)

When it came to picking her college major, Delia tried them all: Pre-Law, Pre-Med, Physics, Education, Theater—how’s a young undergrad to choose? But all that experimentation paid off in the end. After landing an HR job at a swanky hotel, she realized that what she’d wanted to do all along was work with people. (Even choosy college students.)

Important Fact

A random man once asked Delia to audition for a robot action movie. Turns out the man was Michael Bay and the movie was Transformers!

Mike is a tough man to pin down. An expert-level frequent flyer, he once flew from New York City to Honolulu and back again just for the frequent flyer miles (and a quick Mai Tai). There’s a good chance the giant red "escape" key on his keyboard teleports him to the nearest airport.

Important Fact

Mike is an aspiring pinball league champion. (Watch this space.)

After dispatching numerous search and rescue teams, we have successfully located Donald in the ominous black hole known as his closet. At approximately 8:02 AM, Donald was found safely nestled amongst a sea of polyester and organic cotton, pondering life’s most philosophical question: “What should I wear?”

Important Fact

This is probably a good time to also mention that Donald owns over 100+ shirts and counting.

For starters, everyone should know that Ronald is extremely online. This j-school alum is a social media savant and a maestro of memes, which also means he isn’t afraid to throw shade at brands suffering from a tragic case of “How do you do, fellow kids?” For further inquiries about emojis and what the heck a #finsta is, slide into his DMs.

Important Fact

Ronald would best describe himself as “hangry.”

Believe it or not, Charmaine is the official president, vice-president, secretary, and treasurer of the International Alpaca and Llama Fan Club. Which also means there’s a 99% chance she’ll lecture you on “Stylish Camelid Hairstyles 101.” Don’t worry, we’ll share our notes.

Important Fact

Charmaine has a very adorable toy poodle with a very long tongue.

Chris believes great work ethic is the backbone of design. He spent the past eight years rowing competitively at the Varsity and Collegiate level, a sport requiring daily 5 am wake-ups. Luckily, this has given him a high tolerance to the effects of sleep deprivation, an accepted job hazard for any young designer. He also has a mild obsession with Chipotle and struggles each day he goes without it. Chipotle, you're on notice: come to Bushwick, dammit.

Important Fact

Has a passionate hatred for shoe laces and is anxiously waiting for the day velcro comes back into style.

Hailing from a family steeped in the visual arts (her great-grandfather was a typesetter in the Depression and her mother is an artist/art teacher), Julia is one of Madwell’s resident experts in making things look awesome. Her heroes are Carl Sagan, David Attenborough, and Edward Gorey.

Julia is also quite fond of kittens, steak, and becomes irritable with lack of proper food and rest.

Important Fact

Reared in Belgium. But can’t speak French. Or Flemish.

Contrary to popular belief, Chloe isn’t just here for the office doggos. Or the cold brew on tap. Or the beer fridge. In reality, she’s in it for wonderfully weird world known as creative agency life. (We’re aligned, Chloe.) Her other sources of happiness include bountiful wheels of Brie, running, and drowning everything in Sriracha.

Important Fact

Chloe is related to Daniel Boone. Yes, really!

So what if Joe is horribly uncoordinated and generally not great with his hands? Computers don’t mind, and there’s nothing a good backspace and refresh can’t fix. Since first tinkering with code at age 11, Joe has made all kinds of neat stuff sans hand-eye coordination. Let’s just keep him away from the laser cutter, please.

Important Fact

Joe once landed a job tutoring the Mayor of Istanbul's son based on his entirely average knowledge of John Cena.

Libby fell in love with words early on, writing her first “novel” at the age of nine on her parents’ computer. (The book was Titanic fanfiction, as one does in 1998.) Originally from the Midwest, she studied journalism and psychology in college and then moved to the Big Apple. Turns out her background vibed with advertising, and her disposition vibed with New York City.

Important Fact

Libby hasn’t eaten a doughnut in 20 years. Could Bushwick’s Dun-Well Doughnuts break the streak? Only time will tell.

David is a man of vision, and he’s no stranger to making those late-night musings a reality. Visionary proof point #1: a life of steadfast vegetarianism comes to a crashing halt following a vision of hamburgers in the night. Visionary proof point #2: Madwell. (Bushwick-based ad agencies don’t just appear out of thin air, see.)

Important Fact

From his OG endeavor (www.freediamondearings.com!) to that newfangled bitcoin, David has been out here mining for web gold, well, as long as he can remember

If Mary looks a little familiar to you, it’s probably because she was ALMOST a reality star on season 6 of Master Chef. Sadly, that didn’t pan out. However she did happen to successfully sneak into swanky Cannes Lion shindigs by pretending to be an intern. That right there is smart strategy at work.

Important Fact

Mary doesn’t like drinking water.

Kait has known she was meant for the ad industry since college. Why? Because she loves creative, smart, charismatic people. (Go on, Kait, you’re making us blush.) She also loves massages, wine, and whale watching—but not necessarily in that order, and not necessarily together. Special shoutout to her 130-pound mega-mastiff, Murphy.

Important Fact

Kait is allergic to truffle (both the real deal and the oil). Which technically means this is more of a sad fact…

Some say Phil’s passion for media was written in the stars. Others say he caught the ad bug that time he ate a scorpion. The true story is a classic: boy boards subway, boy spots ad on subway, boy is instantly reborn as a master marketer whilst riding said subway. When it comes to love at first sight, good ad placement helps.

Important Fact

Phil’s perfect day involves one cat, one dog, and anywhere between one and five cups of coffee.

What do Bar Mitzvah backup dancing and accounting have in common? Passion, curiosity, attention to detail…and Doug. Discerning by nature, Doug is naturally also among the fussiest of the fussy Madwellian eaters, our beloved King of Carbs. Bring him your pastas, your breads, your cookies, your crackers, your cakes. Now you're speaking Doug’s language.

Important Fact

Fun Fact: Despite his last name, Doug dislikes any and all seafood.

Essence. Emulsion. Ampoule. To some, this may sound like complex chemistry class jargon. To Yan, it’s literally her everyday Korean beauty skincare routine. On top of that, she’s our resident K-pop connoisseur and K-drama buff, which makes her fun fact not-so-surprising (see below).

Important Fact

Yan visits South Korea every three months.

This cool, calm, collected ginger got his start accounts-side in a content agency—that is, unless you count waiting tables when you first get to Brooklyn a start. (It's content too, sort of?). After that, he did a stint in-house with Amex, and he can now confirm that, on a scale of waiting tables to working in-house with Amex, he’s a solid Bankrobber.

Important Fact

Sam loves the radio. It’s his favorite way to consume music and news.

Matt sees effectiveness in design as providing a holistic experience that breeds trust, delight, and true engagement with users. His sensibilities are influenced by his background in architecture; he often dives into distinct project components including visual/interactive design, coding, or conceptual planning. He and David constantly battle for the title of Madwell Ping Pong Champion, but only after Matt has made a ritual French Press.

Important Fact

Matt has eleven toes.

Emma’s happy place? Wherever the cardboard and hot glue is—her not-so-secret love is crafting, after all. Our very own MacGyver also devotes her precious time to kayaking with Orca whales and even shape-shifting à la Nymphadora Tonks. (Okay, that one may just be a fantasy, but can we pretend it’s real?)

Important Fact

This is Emma’s first job out of college! *sent with confetti*

Caroline is out here proving that, yes, writers do have more fun. Ikon or Epic ski pass? Screw it, Caroline’s getting both. Wondering about the best hiking trails? Caroline’s done them all. And don’t even get her started on the music scene. No, really—she’ll fan girl all over you. It’s that love of life that makes us her biggest fan.

Important Fact

Caroline doesn’t like talking about herself, so her fun fact is that she’s been to the moon. Translation? She’s great at making up stories.

Jeff is an inventor who moonlights as a writer who daylights as a creative director. What Jeff does best, though, is churn out creative ideas however a brand needs them most, and he’s got the trophy case to prove it. But his favorite job of all? That’s easy: Dad.

Important Fact

Jeff has had a lot of jobs in his time, including (but not limited to) a gig as a parachute packer.

Joanna is a verified globetrotter, so when it comes to world travel, she’s particularly particular. Bus, train, or plane, you'll kindly save her a seat on the right-hand side of the vessel, or she won’t be sitting with you. And don’t expect to catch this minimalist with more than a carry-on—even if it means sporting her trusty hiking boots on the plane. (Or bus, or train...)

Important Fact

Joanna’s preferred sport is a brisk walk.

A New York native, Julia headed west to Colorado for college and ended up sticking around twice as long as expected. There she worked with one agency specializing in custom installs, apparel, and high-end merch and another, smaller shop (population: Julia) working alongside a polar explorer. Team arctic wildlife for life, y’all.

Important Fact

Julia has had nightmares involving Oreos.

For Alex, advertising scratches every itch. If he’s feeling creative, he’ll pop into a creative review and share his two cents. And if he’s craving a good old-fashioned Excel doc? Perfect—there’s a meeting with Finance coming right up. That’s the kind of variety life as a door-to-door hand-warmer salesman (true story) just can't beat.

Important Fact

French is Alex’s first language. Biking in the park is his second.

Originally an English teacher, Amber got her start in the world of advertising by way of an accidental field trip. While visiting an ad pal who was called into work over the weekend, Amber decided to tag along. She fell instantly in love with the industry and quit that teaching job lickity split. A few gigs and a whole lot of good strategizing later, she found her way to us (thank goodness).

Important Fact

Amber once had a side gig as a “local caller” who national radio DJs could reach out to when they wanted to pull pranks live on air.

In a parallel universe, Will is an engineer. In this universe, Will left engineering school to become a chef, a career he actually likes. Building on his experience baking and selling apple pies to his neighbors at age 6, Will blends business and chef-ery to help Madwell develop and launch new food innovations (and host the occasional high-end backyard barbecue).

Important Fact

Will’s favorite food is whatever vegetables are in season.

Important Fact

My bio is coming soon!

Sean takes organization and cleanliness very seriously, except when it comes to cleaning his own keyboard. He’s a double index finger typing prodigy who loves discussing social marketing trends as much as he likes pontificating about whiskey. FYI, you’re drinking it wrong.

Important Fact

He’s not a millennial. Shhh, he doesn’t know it.

Eric is our most introverted extrovert. An aspiring self-made pianist and avid maker of pestos, this Kansas native is also a fantastic plant dad (just ask his plants). Although there was once an outside chance he’d become an oil painter, as a designer, he can (1) photoshop pimples away, (2) make money, and (3) do it all without ruining his clothes.

Important Fact

Eric’s perfect day consists of some combination of breakfast food, puppies, outdoors-ness, rap, and a boat, maybe.

The Seth Hosko Guide To The Galaxy offers three essential pillars of wisdom: maximize time alone in the desert, keep your ideas recorded in a notebook, and always drink full-fat cow’s milk. (How the heck does one even milk an oat?) Follow Seth’s key teachings and maybe, just maybe, you’ll find yourself strategizing the day away, too.

Important Fact

Fun Fact: Seth is skeptical about how this bio will turn out. We think it came out pretty good, yeah?

Ryan was originally afraid to pursue his creative side because he didn’t think he could “make it.” Well, dear reader, he did indeed make it—after a few years of aimless wandering at the University of Georgia, that is. But after a costume design class ignited his love for all things design, Ryan turned his passions into a full-time gig—and he hasn’t looked back since.

Important Fact

When Ryan was but a boy, he won a newly released Aladdin on VHS from his local Blockbuster coloring contest. A sentence that truly dates itself in many different ways.

Welcome to a Russellian utopia, wherein Russell drives a Tesla and Elon Musk has personally installed 1,000,000 new car charging stations in the East Coast. Here, teleportation is an Olympic sport, and Russell’s friendly aura is beloved by all—so much so that he sells his own range of locally sourced good vibes. Seriously, save us some.

Important Fact

Russell played piano for seven years and remembers nothing from it.

Jabs knows good art when she sees it; after all, this MICA grad has been art-ing her whole life. Pokemon? Art. Blink-182? Art. Mario Kart? High art. And when she’s not busy consuming art, she’s creating artful brand stories of her own. From challenging herself conceptually to bringing ideas to life through design, Jabs lives for it all.

Important Fact

Jabs has mastered the side hustle: she spins records and runs her own pin and accessories brand on the side.

A Brooklyn native, Jackson got his foot in the door at Madwell purely by chance. After being wrapped in a towel and half-heartedly put up for adoption, Jackson proved himself to be an essential part of the team, and he’s been here ever since. His interests include cosplay, cheese, and killing.

Important Fact

In spite of being on staff for years, Jackson has yet to work a single billable hour.

Dan describes himself as “irreverent, large, polite, inquisitive, and squishy.” We describe him as sensitive (he cried at the end of Pitch Perfect 2), creative (his go-to karaoke song is "Bullet with Butterfly Wings" by Smashing Pumpkins), mysterious (he’s performed at Canada's largest gothic industrial festival), unique (he only likes full-sour pickles), and finally, fabulous. No explanation necessary.

Important Fact

If Dan had a superpower it would be telepathy. For party tricks and most likely crime.

Tweenage Alex emerged from her first-of-its-kind creative high school with nothing but pure love for design (and a documentary about mimes). Now, fueled by her Bay Area chill/Detroit hustle/NYC ambition, grown-up Alex wakes up ready to rock steady every day, so pumped to work her craft that it moves her to tears on the hour.

Important Fact

For three years, Alex spent her Saturday mornings teaching art and creative writing in a maximum-security prison.

Pore through Devin's grade-school notebooks and you'll find weird rhyme schemes, basketball recaps, and creative stories. As an adult, he never outgrew those passions—no small feat, since at 6'5", he outgrew pretty much everything else. At Madwell, Devin thrives on solving language puzzles and his memories of dunking. (He swears he will again one day.)

Important Fact

Devin is on a lifelong quest to find the world's best chicken wings.

Sarah has had marketing on the mind ever since she was a wee college undergrad, but after discovering the perfect storm of business and creative that is agency life, she was officially hooked. In between campaigns, this globetrotter has managed to visit a whopping 30 countries, including Germany (and not even just because it was Oktoberfest). Prost!

Important Fact

Looking for the perfect song for the perfect mood? Sarah’s got you covered.

Frank has 13 years of experience in building for the web, many years of that overlapping with building things out of glass, steel, and concrete. Letting no detail go without care, he is constantly pushing his skills forward in both the design and development realms. He follows Car & Driver, Consumer Reports, and the decaying state of the retail industry at Labelscar.com

Important Fact

There are only a few things on this earth he does not have an opinion about.

Ryan caught the ad bug way, way back in the day after shadowing a designer and discovering the wonders of creative problem solving. After majoring in design and working for a financial newsletter service in Baltimore, Ryan made his way up to good ol’ New York and joined us right here at Madwell. His only career regret thus far? A morning commute featuring the R train.

Important Fact

If Ryan had a superpower it would be the ability to zap every mosquito in any room.

The clock strikes midnight. Ben is glued to his laptop, bathing in the screen’s blue light. His curiosity gets the better of him. At 12:03 AM, he types the eight letters that forever change the course of his career: Linkedin.com. His heart pounds at the sight of a Madwell job listing. He holds his breath and hits “submit.” And that, dear reader, was that.

Important Fact

Ben’s happy place rotates daily between concert venue, football stadium, and tattoo shop.

Like any good night owl, Anna loves coffee and African drumming. Although her raw sketching and scribbling skills have given an organic edge to many a Madwell project, her cream cheese bust of Kevin Bacon is still one of her proudest pieces. Anna’s favorite color is Pantone 5773 C; her second favorite color is organization. (If all the dishes are washed and lovingly aligned, we know she’s been by.)

Important Fact

Anna was once bit on the buttocks by a penguin. And she has an unhealthy (literally) fear of vegetables.

Let’s get one thing straight: Jenny Liu was born to plan. And we’re not just talking media, either. Need lunch inspo? Travel advice? Jenny’s got a spreadsheet for that. Word to the wise if you’re looking for a Saturday excel tutoring session, though: this ski bunny hits the slopes every winter weekend. (Watch out, MWCO.)

Important Fact

Jenny once spent a whole summer running a chicken stand at a New York flea market.

After years of high-stakes client presentations, team debriefs, and last minute feedback-fielding, Derek’s nerves were getting a little too unaffected for his liking. So this self-proclaimed adrenaline junkie has taken up a few new hobbies like skydiving, scuba diving, gambling, and crafting cocktails to help him maintain his edge while also taking the edge off.

Important Fact

Fun Fact: Other than the Madwell Hong Kong office, the most beautiful place Derek has ever visited is the Himalayas (his words, not ours).

Charity had had just about enough of changing bed pans in the ER when she decided to do something a bit more…colorful, if you will. So she tossed out her latex gloves and dove head first into the bright and brilliant world of word wizardry. When not scribbling or typing away, you can find her in the dance studio, tickling the ivories, and wearing clothes that aren’t scrubs.

Important Fact

Despite checking every gift shop on every trip she’s ever taken, she's still not found her name on a tiny souvenir license plate.

A self-declared nerd (New York State Science Olympiad champion for life), Rachel can and will school you in a game of “what bird is that.” And if avian trivia isn’t your thing, quiz her on her brewery geography: she’s only been to 90 of them. Her only known weakness is hot sauce.

Important Fact

Rachel has a cat named after the Ghostbusters demon dog, Zuul.

Being selected as the captain of her high school basketball team told Brigid one thing: her team leadership skills and generally positive attitude MUST be greater than her bench warming skills. A knack for meticulous to-do lists, tenacious bank account monitoring, and avoidance of her mother’s advice to go into Accounting led her to the wonderful world of Production and Account Management, which has proven to be the perfect fit.

Important Fact

Baby Brigid spent the first year of her life in a body cast.

From atop the sinking ship of his existentially confusing career in banking, Colin scanned the Great Sea of Employment for a champion. Just then, a friend shouted from a raft called Advertising. What luck—there were a few seats left! And people were drinking! With nothing but a copy of “Ogilvy on Advertising” in hand, he jumped in and started swimming.

Important Fact

Colin is almost certainly going bald but can’t get anyone to believe him.

Michelle is an expert relationship builder and organizer of things—a true Virgo. She’s worked in community development, government, and on the other side of advertising, appearing in spots for Aussie brands you’ve never heard of. She fell in love with her future husband on a two-week holiday (that’s Australian for “vacation”) and moved here for good two months later. USA 1, AUS 0.

Important Fact

In process there is peace.

Since the dawn of always, Amanda has been passionate about the social landscape. Whether she’s been hard at work in-house or devising outside-the-box strategies at agencies, she absolutely loves the immediacy of it all. Want to see how a brand resonates in culture in seconds, not months? Just ask Amanda.

Important Fact

Fun Fact: Amanda’s perfect day involves some shrimp tempura, a seaweed side salad, and a whole lot of beachside relaxing.

Art or computers? Computers or art? Such were the questions tormenting Zach as he tried to map out life after college. Then he landed his first job at an ad agency and discovered he could do both. Huzzah! When he’s not pushing pixels, he’s probably playing board games or practicing parkour in hopes of becoming a real life ninja.

Important Fact

He can standing broad jump over 7 feet on a good day.

It took Kelsey months to write this bio, mainly because she’s been busy Instagramming mai tais and reminding everyone that she’s a Pisces sun *AND* rising. If you see her, please feel free to consult her on topics such as cowboy emojis, sordid love affairs with Thesaurus.com, and the best pizza condiment (ranch).

Important Fact

Kelsey’s DNA is 66% Cool Ranch Doritos (notice a theme here?), 23% psychedelic surf rock, and 11% neon signs.

Name a movie and, statistically speaking, Colin has seen it. This cinephile sees between two and four films a week, and movie-watching isn't even his official side-hustle; that’s illustration. It’s partly how Colin got his ad-world start—as an art director—before finding his way into the wild world of creative production.

Important Fact

Want to see some of those sweet illustrations? No problem; Colin regularly showcases his work all across the country.

Young Scotty got his start in animation as a child prodigy post-it flip-book artist. All these years later, he hasn't doubted his line of work once—except for the time he took a stab at burrito blogging, or that stint surfing, or that time he contemplated a career in Muppeteering...

Important Fact

Scotty’s idea of a perfect day is twofold. Part one, a foot massage. Part two, a magic show.

Picture this: a stroll through Central Park, the latest, greatest mystery novel, and a Dunkin medium iced coffee with a dash of delicious butter pecan syrup. That, my friend, is Kristen’s perfect day. To complete The Kristen Experience, grab a Subway footlong with extra mayo and chipotle sauce and then snuggle with some kittens.

Important Fact

Fun Fact: If Kristen had a superpower it would be flying. She’s terrified of planes and would rather do it herself.

Long ago (in 1995) and far away (read: at her grandma’s house in Mexico), a young Tanya decided to tinker around with Microsoft Paint. Her first major project: airplane tickets, each personalized for her stuffed animal pals. In the wise words of Tanya’s dad, “You’re probably going to be a graphic designer.” He ain’t wrong there.

Important Fact

Tanya wants to be a tiger or a Michelin-starred chef in her next life.

Wanted: Kate Rohrich, for the murder of several houseplants. Once you're done *not* asking Kate to take care of your plants, ask her if Portlandia is really what her hometown is like (in short, more than she'd like to admit). You can also ask her about saxophones, NaNoWriMo, and what life is like as a Leo rising.

Important Fact

Kate collects scissors (no, not that kind; the cute, teensy embroidery kind).

A control freak at heart (her words, we swear) Meg and Production are a match made in heaven. After a first career in the publishing world, Meg found herself craving a faster paced environment. So ever so bravely, she called it off with the books and drove off into the sunset with her new love: project management.

Important Fact

Fun Fact: Meg is the proud mother of a grumpy and finicky cat named Babka.

While Matt was always into drawing—in high school, he was an avid in-class doodler—he credits his father for turning him onto the Sunday comics. Matt counts Dr. Seuss and Doug Funnie among his influences, and in other news, he’d happily eat bagels with cream cheese and lox for every meal.

Important Fact

If Matt had his way, “Return of the Mack” would play every time he entered a room.

How does one get into this line of work, you ask? Simple: one follows one’s love for art direction and design. And why does one love it, you ask? Because it’s amazing to create something so simple and streamlined that evokes such a strong reaction from people. And what does one do when not designing, you ask? One golfs. You ask a lot of questions.

Important Fact

Alex hails from the same town as Charlie in the original Willy Wonka. Or does Charlie hail from the same town as Alex?

Ever heard of Liver Nifflies? Natalie couldn’t get enough of them until that day 17 years ago when she finally read the ingredients. A lover of the outdoors with “Rocky Mountain State” written all over her, when Natalie’s not hiking the hikes and camping the camps, you can catch her powwowing it out with her creatives. They keep her on her toes.

Important Fact

Natalie once made the Denver Derby Dolls roller derby team. She never played...she just wanted to see if she could make the cut.

Sydney didn’t need to visit the Empire State to know it was the place for her. She just packed her bags and boldly moved from Virginia, as you do. Her advice for all the other New York hopefuls out there: only fold your slice in the presence of real New Yorkers, winter is cold (like really cold), and another thing about that pizza: make sure to put hot sauce on it.

Important Fact

Sydney is the proud dog-mom to one dachshund-corgi mix and the proud plant-mom to more plants than she prefers to count.

After getting his degree in art, Pedro took a major career turn to pursue professional cycling in Spain. Then he returned to the States to sell mortgages. So how did he get back to design without a portfolio? All it took was a knowledge of Illustrator for his neighbor Gary to spontaneously offer him a job. And for that, Gary, we thank you.

Important Fact

Pedro has seven no-name chickens (he finds it best to not get too attached).

At age 22, David “Steak” Salisbury (get it???) jetted off to Hong Kong to live the glamorous life of an underpaid junior copywriter. After getting his fill of being very, very far from home, he returned stateside for another dance with his beloved West Virginia (he’ll tell you all about it, trust us) before making the big move to the big city.

Important Fact

David is a half-decent tennis player and half-decent saxophone player (just not at the same time).

After discovering an untapped creative eye and re-tapping her natural motherly instincts, Zae realized at least one of her callings: coordinating the day-to-day doings of bright-eyed ad-makers. She even gets to do it in her hometown of Bushwick. (Seriously, she grew up on McKibbin Street, right across from the original Madwell office. How crazy is that?)

Important Fact

Watch out for Zaida on the dance floor—she used to dance salsa professionally.

When Courtney was little, she “worked” with her architect dad by “borrowing” all his good supplies for her “creations.” Eventually (very eventually) she realized she liked graphic design more, and her dad’s supply stash was saved. You’ll know Courtney on sight by her Vantablack wardrobe and mega-seriously-for-real fear of clowns.

Important Fact

Grey counts as a pastel.

Master coder turned master planner, Sandy has been managing projects since before Williamsburg was cool (Remember Trash Bar? How about before Trash Bar was Trash Bar?) After a stint on the West coast—and an even briefer stint in the South—Sandy returned to her beloved Williamsburg, where she spends her days enjoying the neighborhood’s more “grown-up” perks.

Important Fact

Sandy’s dream afternoon? Beach, booze, heavy metal.

There’s a reason Charlie is our go-to guy for putting out fires: he was a firefighter for almost 10 years. These days, he’s all about building stuff (you know: carpentry, welding, brand identities…). He’s even restoring a 1984 Dodge truck. Maybe that’s why he’s so patient with us? Sorry again, Charlie. Thanks again, Charlie.

Important Fact

If Charlie had a superpower, it would be to read Frankie’s mind. Frankie is Charlie’s dog, naturally.

Completing creative marathons requires limber, buoyant legs and excessive stamina. At a solid 5 foot 7 inches tall Chris has the creative legs of a pigmy elephant combined with the speed of a full-sized adult cheetah (without the balance). Chris's design career began at the ripe old age of 5 when his mother provided him with a budget to decorate his bedroom to his liking. He has since maintained the philosophy that what he sees in his head he should attempt to manifest, no matter how hard, and always on a budget (for the most part).

Important Fact

Feels that watching Nicolas Cage movies purifies the soul while connecting one's subconscious with the cultural zeitgeist. Especially Bangkok Dangerous.

When you start out selling hearing aids over the phone (true story), you walk away with a loud voice and a pass to do literally anything else. Since that auspicious start, Jenita has worked in theatre, brand marketing, account management, and content production. Off the clock, she gets her kicks reading between the lines and making collages, which she completes to the halfway mark before abruptly stopping.

Important Fact

At dive bars, Jenita typically orders tea.

Hailing from Venice Beach, California, Kenna lived in five (5) countries before making the way-too-hot mid-summer move to New York City. Kenna might be LA to the bone, but they’ve come to love the unique nooks and crannies of the Big Apple all the same. When they're not hard at work ideating on brand strategy, Kenna has been known to curate an art show or two in their spare time.

Important Fact

Shoutout to Kenna’s grad school professor for pointing them on the ad path of no return.

Our mega-organized, type-A theatre buff got her start marketing “The Great White Way” before making her way off Broadway—way, way off Broadway—and onto Boerum Street. If she offers to make you a spreadsheet, define you a process, or serenade you a serenade, do the right thing and take her up on it.

Important Fact

Alex once willingly paid for a full Olive Garden dinner despite being told they were out of the unlimited breadsticks.

Karen’s got a piping hot take for you. Ready? Screw coffee! This media master believes you should always start your day with a big ol’ cup of steaming hot water. Why, you ask? Well according to Karen: 1) it will wake you right up, and 2) do you really need a second reason?

Important Fact

A perfect day involves warm sunlight and cool winds. Case closed.

Though CJ calls himself a “sports-lover,” we prefer to think of him as CJ, Supreme Lord of the Sports Realm. Why the rebrand? Well, there’s the part about his VHS vault of Super Bowl commercials, and the fact that he can identify football team mascots from memory. So yeah, he’s definitely surpassed “sports-lover” at this point.

Important Fact

Polar bears.

Alice’s story is a classic homecoming tale. Way back when—when a multi-decade advertising career was just a twinkle in her eye—this Hong Kong native left for college, venturing across many seas to the great Canadian metropolis of Toronto. Fast forward to today: after a stint in mainland China, Alice is back in Hong Kong, and boy are we thrilled to have her here with us.

Important Fact

Alice is known in these parts for sporting perfectly coordinated black on black ensembles. No Pantone swatches necessary.

Jason is a Texan who moved to NY because he heard about it in a rap song (really pretty much all rap songs not by Dre). His eyesight is on the Mr. Magoo level but his design third eye rivals the power of Cyclops (the optic blasts from the X-Man, not the Greek epic god-spawn). Branding and typography are his passions, as are bean & cheese tacos with bacon and guacamole. And bright colored shoes.

Important Fact

In order to be employed at Madwell, Jason inadvertently spent a night in jail. Seriously, he was handcuffed on Madwell time. That's dedication.

Micky’s adventures in advertising began with a Real Men of Genius ad campaign (translation: Bud Light radio spots). Today, she’s not only a master word wrangler, but she’s also—wait for it—a puppy midwife. If you ever go to Sweden and serendipitously meet a dog named Micky, just know that that Micky was named after this one.

Important Fact

Micky’s definition of nirvana is metal music and hockey. At the same time.

Contrary to urban legend, the infant Ben X. Trinh was not rocketed to Earth from a dying planet. (He was in fact born in Arkansas and raised in Memphis.) He's worn as many metaphorical hats as he owns pocket squares: illustrator, graphic designer, bartender, lead singer. You could say that this multitude of experience makes him ideally suited to Design Experiences, or something.

Important Fact

Ben crafts a perfectly accurate margarita.

A UK native, ten years ago Abigail made the move to Hong Kong for work (and good food). While she’s passionate about perfectly aligning text boxes in Powerpoint, Abigail is equally if not more passionate about travel: she’s visited 43 countries to date (and that’s despite a major fear of flying).

Important Fact

Abigail sneezes every time she eats good dark chocolate.

When it comes to dollars and cents, Dan is our number one guy. Madwell’s financial spirit guide gets his kicks showing creative and finance how to collaborate in perfect harmony. When he’s not (gently!) crunching numbers, catch Dan pedaling a trusty two-wheeler around his great home state of New Jersey.

Important Fact

He may have put his tuba practice on the back burner, but it was Dan’s low-brass training that inspired him to put his CPA skills to use in a creative industry.

See that face? That's the face of the worst skier to ever grace the Rockies. While a student-citizen of the great state of Colorado, Emma had to be personally escorted down the mountain due to her dangerously low speed. On the upside, you’re also looking at a bonafide bagel expert (Brooklyn, baby) and a faithful member of the cult of snacktime.

Important Fact

Emma has a debilitating fear of dead birds. Attention, Jackson: no gifts please.

This Laura goes by many names (e.g., Jumpsuit) and wears many rings. She's sort of always been a writer, but it wasn't until she penned a short story about vampires and gave her English teacher nightmares that she considered pursuing it as a career. When she isn't staring into the void willing new thoughts to life, you can find her drinking whiskey at sundry dive bars and attending heavy metal concerts as well as non-thrash related musical happenings.

Important Fact

Laura was born and raised in Louisiana (not New Orleans). She makes up for not having an accent by making really, really good gumbo.

A proud grade school troublemaker, Cullen got his start with a not-so-well-received series of pen-on-desk doodles. While he’s since graduated from tormenting the Wood Acres Elementary custodial staff, he’s never stopped making and breaking. He’s also a fiercely passionate gamer, and by reading this you hereby agree to play him in a game of Catan.

Important Fact

Cullen’s time living in Copenhagen made him a real hygge aficionado. Get comfy and give it a google.

For Jake, danger is just another word, as scary as all the others. It was a college English professor who first showed him how weird, how provocative, how dangerous writing could be (see: Twitter) and the rest is linguistic history. He's also the 2nd-best ping pong player in any medium-sized group.

Important Fact

Jake moved to NYC on a dare from his wife.

Candy’s hours of operation fall strictly after dark. In fact, she only sleeps 3-4 hours a night and feels pretty darn good every morning. How? Could it be that her nocturnal clarity comes from an otherworldly energy source? Is she lunar-powered? Frankly, we’re left with more questions than answers.

Important Fact

On a crisp autumn day, you’ll find Candy lounging in the grass, sipping wine and doing absolutely nothing.

Legend has it that Chloe joined the cult of advertising purely by mistake. But as soon as you meet her, you can tell it wasn’t an accident that brought Chloe into our sparkly galaxy of client calls and team-wrangling—it was fate. Turns out she and advertising were a match made in dream job heaven all along.

Important Fact

Chloe has a phobia of electricity pylons.

A teaser of Germaine’s many marvelous internet tabs: tab one is a four-hour playlist titled “Ambient Music for Deep Concentration.” Sixth tab is Antarctic penguin videos. On the tenth tab, an article about how to conquer the world (through travel). Oh, and did we mention the other 700+ spreadsheet and PDF tabs? Pick a tab, any tab...

Important Fact

According to Germaine’s research, tequila is most effective when taken 3 shots in a row.

It’s a Sunday in the summertime. The AC is on high (a mysterious benefactor pre-pays the bill). You wake up naturally, then spend the entire day cooking dish after dish with fresh and exciting ingredients. Your friends arrive to share in the meal. The wine is flowing, the charades are charading, and at the end of the night, everyone helps do the dishes. The end.

Important Fact

Thanks for coming to Hayley’s perfect day. Please wash this plate.