Toronto-based Anomaly has added some out-of-the-box creative talent to the team.
Anomaly, which calls itself a “new model creative agency,” has hired Bryan Espiritu in the newly created role of creative catalyst. Espiritu is a well-known Toronto designer, artist and writer, and is the founder of streetwear brand The Legends League.
Franke Rodriguez, partner and CEO at Anomaly, said he had been following Espiritu and his work since he moved to Toronto from New York to head up Anomaly two years ago.
“One of the things I set out to do very quickly was get immersed in Toronto culture,” Rodriguez told Marketing. “A lot of the brands that we work with — Converse, Mini, Budweiser, Dick’s Sporting Goods — are youth brands and lifestyle brands. I wanted to understand what U.S. brands translate really well here and what local brands that aren’t in the U.S. are making a lot of noise. And that’s how I came across Bryan and his company, The Legends League.”
The two met and had a few conversations about collaborating. More than a year later, they finally decided to act on it. Though Espiritu is not a typical agency creative, Rodriguez said bringing him on board will help Anomaly “continue to push the boundaries of creativity, innovation and design.”
Espiritu, who works in the office two to three days a week, will be involved across Anomaly’s full roster of clients, as well as its philanthropic partnerships with Rethink Breast Cancer and Oasis Skateboard Factory, an alternative school in Toronto.
“What he brings is a really honest, albeit a somewhat controversial, unfiltered perspective and point of view,” said Rodriguez. “He has an opinion… and he’s not afraid to share it and I think that’s very important. Sometimes in advertising, you’re kind of insulted and you get swept up in what’s happening in our industry. And it’s that old adage, ‘it’s hard to see the big picture when you’re inside the frame.’ And I think Bryan is outside the frame.”
Espiritu’s role is wide-ranging, said Rodriguez. He’s already bringing his design skills to a Bud Light campaign, for example, and is effectively acting as creative director on the partnership with Oasis Skateboard Factory. “And when he’s here, the creative teams just grab him [for his opinion on briefs],” said Rodriguez.
“I’ve seen a lot of funny titles at agencies… and I’m not a huge fan of that,” said Rodriguez. “But with Bryan, we can’t just say designer because he’s doing a lot more than that, and he’s not a creative director. So we landed on creative catalyst to suggest that his role is wide ranging… He’s making the work better. He’s challenging people to think about it differently.”
