If the names Andrew Berg and Nicolas Will don’t ring a bell, maybe now they will as the duo, who have resumes with aforementioned AKQA and Olson along with the likes of Ogilvy on their resumes, have launched a new Minneapolis/San Francisco-based shop dubbed Humdinger & Sons. According to the parties involved, Berg and Will have only now opened the curtain to reveal an operation focused on innovation, video and design that’s been in “stealth mode” for months.
You can check out an example of some of their work for SmartMarker brand Equil above, but their client base has already extended to the likes of Mark Cuban-backed LED SmartBulb brand Ilumi and Adidas wearable tech line and Northern Grade. You can maybe sense a theme here. Describing starting up a new shop, Will, creative director (Berg’s specialty, meanwhile, is on the account side), says “We’ve worked in both agencies and startups, and have seen a huge disconnect. The business models of each are oil and water — big agencies demand big budgets. They’re slow, layered with fat, and don’t have their pulse on emerging technology. But, startups have the most upside. He adds, “These clients are new brands, new ideas, in a new world. They’re not unwanted stepchildren— they’re juggernauts in the growth stage, and they’re the future. We get it. And them.”