Wongdoody, which recently hired a new creative director in its Seattle office, had to make a small series of layoffs in the same location this week.
We don’t have specifics regarding the reason for the move or the individuals involved, but we’re told that it affects approximately 10 percent of the staff of AdAge’s 2013 “Small Agency of the Year.”
A statement:
“We can confirm that WONGDOODY did have layoffs yesterday in its Seattle office, losing ten employees. It was a difficult decision and the agency is doing everything it can to help those impacted find new opportunities.”
In June, the agency hired Adam Nowak, formerly of FCB West, to run creative on Amazon (which remains its largest account).
Last year also saw some big staffing moves at Wongdoody: both ECD Pam Fujimoto and ACD Dennis Lee joined the agency for a second time, with Fujimoto running creative in the Los Angeles office. The shop, which changed its name to Wong, Doody, Crandall, Weiner in a Sterling Cooper Draper Price move back in 2011, then rebranded itself with a “shiny new green” site and logo developed in-house. Several months later, the agency made a group of key hires including ACD Ronnie Lee (formerly DigitasLBi), Director of Strategy Jason Gingold (Mother Seattle) and 72andSunny veteran Steve Orenstein, who somehow simultaneously serves as CFO at WD and COO at Mistress Los Angeles.
Recent work by Wongdoody includes the Gary Busey Amazon Fire series, a March Madness project, and more campaigns for the Seattle Film Festival.
The agency also launched a scholarship program for women who want to enter the advertising industry; winners will be announced at the end of the month.