{"id":53274,"date":"2018-11-14T12:49:48","date_gmt":"2018-11-14T19:49:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/?p=53274"},"modified":"2018-11-14T13:02:57","modified_gmt":"2018-11-14T20:02:57","slug":"tony-hawk-launches-branding-agency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/?p=53274","title":{"rendered":"Tony Hawk Launches Branding Agency"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/strong>Tony Hawk<\/strong> announced today (November 14, 2018) that he is dropping in on the “agency” business model with D\/CAL<\/strong><\/a> a “hybrid brand consultancy and creative agency based in Detroit and California, get it? Hawk is co-founding the business with partners Adam Wilson<\/strong> (Carhartt, McGarryBowen), Jared Prindle<\/strong> (Tony Hawk Inc., 900 Films), and Ryan Maconochie<\/strong> (Arc, Leo Burnett, Trisect). Katherine Huber is director of client services.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve worked with many brands and their agencies over the years and even as a relative outsider looking in, I understand the challenges between clients and agencies. Our approach is unique, with an emphasis on authenticity,\u201d added Hawk.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

D\/CAL says current clients include: Michigan-based DROUGHT<\/strong>,  and HoMedics<\/strong>, San Diego-based Tony Hawk Foundation<\/strong>, and Chicago-based CityBase. For the official word from D\/CAL please follow the jump.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

TONY HAWK, AGENCY EXECS, AND CULTURAL INSIDERS<\/strong><\/p>\n

JOIN FORCES TO LAUNCH D\/CAL, A POTENT BRAND AGENCY ALTERNATIVE<\/strong><\/p>\n

D\/CAL, Based in Detroit, Michigan and San Diego, California, Consults and Creates for Brands Seeking Enduring Cultural Relevance<\/strong><\/p>\n

D\/CAL is the Melding of Agency Outsiders with Just Enough Insiders to Help Brands Thrive at the Intersection of Culture and Commerce<\/strong><\/p>\n

DETROIT, MI \u2013 Tony Hawk announces today the launch of D\/CAL a hybrid brand consultancy and creative agency, with Co-Founders Adam Wilson (Carhartt, McGarryBowen), Jared Prindle (Tony Hawk Inc., 900 Films), and Ryan Maconochie (Arc, Leo Burnett, Trisect). With a diverse team of agency execs, brand marketers, cultural entrepreneurs, and a growing network of creators, D\/CAL is uniquely qualified to help solve an equally diverse spectrum of business problems. \u201cAs the next generation continues to favor meaningful brands, the ones that can reconcile cultural relevance with commercial success will endure,\u201d said Wilson. \u201cWe\u2019re here to help make that happen.\u201d The company, with offices in Detroit and San Diego, offers a full suite of brand consultancy and agency services, but branches outside of industry norms by involving strategic and creative minds from outside the agency world, starting with D\/CAL\u2019s Co-Founder, Tony Hawk. \u201cI\u2019ve worked with many brands and their agencies over the years and even as a relative outsider looking in, I understand the challenges between clients and agencies. Our approach is unique, with an emphasis on authenticity,\u201d added Hawk.<\/p>\n

To help brands of all shapes and sizes not just navigate, but thrive at the intersection of culture and commerce, the firm sets itself apart with four integrated components:<\/p>\n

Brand Consultancy<\/strong><\/p>\n

To put more emphasis on helping clients triangulate the problem, the firm has developed an expedited \u201cconsultancy mode,\u201d delivering a range of actionable, insight-driven strategies which include: purpose-driven brand planning, product\/service innovation, \u201cbrand as publisher\u201d consultation, and even optimization of their client\u2019s in-house capabilities. \u201cLet\u2019s help clients figure out how to unlock belief in their brand. Then figure out what shape our agency services need to take to help activate it,\u201d explained Wilson. \u201cIt\u2019s a subtle, yet big differentiator.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cultural Advisory Board (CAB)<\/strong><\/p>\n

To keep the firm and clients closer to the ebbs and flows of subcultures, D\/CAL has created \u201cThe CAB,\u201d a diverse, independent group of individuals from key categories that collectively influence culture at-large. CAB Directors Rick Williams (Burn Rubber) and Cathy Goodman (Skateistan, Tony Hawk Foundation) oversee the eclectic group that so far includes Atiba Jefferson (HipHop, Skate, Pro Sports Photographer), Paul Blair (DJ White Shadow, Producer for Lady Gaga), Joe Gall (Adventure Photographer), Jessica Murnane (One Part Plant), and Jon Gray (Ghetto Gastro). \u201cThey\u2019re an extension of our consultancy. A trove of street-level, here and now insights,\u201d said Wilson. The CAB allows the company to \u201cplug-in\u201d to cultural verticals ranging from music, design, food, gaming, and of course, action sports. \u201cIt\u2019s safe to say we have a solid panel of Action Sports experts,\u201d added Hawk. The firm\u2019s core team also works with the CAB to leverage their own networks to help D\/CAL build its ever growing Creator Network.<\/p>\n

Creator Network<\/strong><\/p>\n

In agency \u201cmode,\u201d D\/CAL turbocharges creative development with a re-imagined briefing process designed specifically for collaboration with next-generation creators who, by and large, have never seen a marketing brief. \u201cWe mine for conceptual raw material that can be polished into authentic work,\u201d says Maconochie. This unfiltered thinking from raw creative talent allows a smaller team of more seasoned agency creatives to explore more creative territory in a shorter period of time. \u201cInfluencers aren\u2019t just for buying audiences – with some rigor, they can have meaningful influence on upstream thinking,\u201d said Wilson.<\/p>\n

Specialized Partners<\/strong><\/p>\n

To remain hyper-adaptive to client\u2019s executional needs, D\/CAL partners with an impressive (and growing) roster of Specialized Partners. From an in-house partnership with Hawk\u2019s production company 900 Films (www.900films.com), to a preferred partnership with the world-class app development shop, Detroit Labs (www.detroitlabs.com), the D\/CAL team believes they deliver on what many clients are yearning for\u2014focus and flexibility. \u201cWe can build a full-service offering, or complement a brand\u2019s in-house agency without putting the burden of scale squarely on our clients,\u201d added Katherine Huber, Director of Client Services. \u201cClients and agencies don\u2019t want to feel boxed in anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

Current clients include: Michigan-based DROUGHT (https:\/\/droughtjuice.com\/) and HoMedics (https:\/\/www.homedics.com\/), San Diego-based Tony Hawk Foundation (www.tonyhawkfoundation.org), and Chicago-based CityBase (https:\/\/thecitybase.com\/).<\/p>\n

Additional information about D\/CAL can be found at www.DCALagency.com. Follow @dcalagency on Instagram and Twitter.<\/p>\n

ABOUT THE FOUNDERS<\/p>\n

Tony Hawk, Co-Founder<\/p>\n

After more than 30 years of building a global brand, ranging from apparel, toys, events, endorsements, film production and one of the most successful video game franchises ever, Hawk\u2019s insight is like none other \u2013 a master in the game of relevance. Hawk remains one of the most popular athletes in the world and still rides his skateboard almost everyday.<\/p>\n

Adam Wilson, Co-Founder<\/p>\n

With 21 years at creative and digital shops (JWT, McGarryBowen, Organic, McCann), leading brands like Jeep, Disney and Kraft, his time at Carhartt as Director of Brand Marketing for North America prepared him the most for building the kind of agency today\u2019s clients are yearning for. Wilson loves tackling big strategic challenges as much as leading teams to beautiful executions.<\/p>\n

Jared Prindle, Co-Founder<\/p>\n

Since becoming Tony Hawk Inc.\u2019s first employee, Prindle has been an integral part of building everything from a successful line of Hawk apparel to growing Hawk\u2019s production unit, 900 Films. Prindle\u2019s work in establishing a partnership with YouTube resulted in the Ride Channel, one of the largest skateboarding content platforms on YouTube.<\/p>\n

Ryan Maconochie, Co-Founder<\/p>\n

Maconochie comes to D\/CAL with 20 years of experience at agencies such as Arc, Leo Burnett and Trisect. He has led creative on iconic brands such as Miller High Life and McDonald’s. Maconochie has always been a true creative even after the clock was punched, working on his own creative endeavors which include editing a magazine (Book Band), designing foodie maps (Small Snack), publishing a children\u2019s book (This Is Your Book from Stewart, Tabori and Chang), and rebranding destinations from his many travels (redarrowmich.com).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tony Hawk announced today (November 14, 2018) that he is dropping in on the “agency” business model with D\/CAL a “hybrid brand consultancy and creative agency based in Detroit and California, get it? Hawk is co-founding the business with partners Adam Wilson (Carhartt, McGarryBowen), Jared Prindle (Tony Hawk Inc., 900 Films), and Ryan Maconochie (Arc, Leo […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,3,12],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53274"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=53274"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53274\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":53280,"href":"https:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53274\/revisions\/53280"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=53274"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=53274"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=53274"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}