Despite denying multiple sources’ claims last month, Goodby, Silverstein & Partners co-founder Jeff Goodby confirmed to Adweek today that the agency has indeed closed its New York office, which opened in February of 2013.
Approximately two months ago, Goodby explained in a memo to employees that the agency would be making cuts to both its San Francisco and New York teams as a result of Comcast’s failed merger with Time Warner. In the memo, Goodby praised the agency’s New York office as “an amazing beacon of freshness and light,” pointing to its recent wins of The New York Post and StreetEasy accounts and “Emily’s Oz” Oscar spot for Comcast, adding that he was “sure the office will leap forward.”
The Manhattan location, which employed around 20 people at its peak, had a staff of just eight when it closed this month. While GS&P New York’s clients technically remain with the agency and Goodby speculates that ECD Paul Caiozzo (who joined the agency in 2014 to run the Comcast account in New York) may work for them in a freelance capacity, they will almost certainly move to other New York agencies in the months following this announcement.
“The office did really good work that we’re really proud of,” Goodby told Adweek. “Ironically, some of the best stuff was for Comcast, including the ‘Emily’s Oz’ spot.” He added that the agency was hoping to grow the Comcast account but following the failed merger “a lot of the funding for the office didn’t make sense.”
Caiozzo and GS&P New York Managing Partner Nancy Reyes said in a statement:
“We feel honored to have gotten the chance to spend the last year surrounded by some of the most spectacular coworkers and clients. We set out on a simple mission to make better advertising. Thanks to our clients’ bravery, intelligence and partnership we were able to do that. A tremendous thank you to Comcast, The New York Post, StreetEasy and ZocDoc.”
GS&P will continue to serve as creative AOR for Comcast.