Larissa Faw, Adweek's Agencies Editor, Has Died

Veteran business journalist Larissa Faw, who joined Adweek earlier this year as agencies editor, died on Aug. 5. She was 43. The cause of death is not yet known. In May, Faw joined Adweek to lead the publication's agencies team after spending more than 15 years reporting on the advertising industry and related topics. In her three months at Adweek, she tackled a wide range of ambitious and influential stories, including how dozens of agencies had quietly backed out of a DEI pledge. She also broke the news that agency Crispin Porter Bogusky had lost signature accounts Hotels.com and Fruit of the Loom, and Faw wrote a compelling look back at how the 1991 Clio Awards descended into chaos. Faw had a reputation for dogged, detailed-oriented reporting, and her network of sources across the industry was sprawling. In daily meetings with her colleagues, she was supportive, inquisitive and eager to pitch in on any project. "Larissa immediately became part of the Adweek family. She liked to call the team 'The Adweek Avengers,' and in her short time here told many thoughtful, original stories about a world in transition," said Stephanie Paterik, Adweek's editor in chief. "I will miss the superhuman drive, curiosity, enthusiasm and sense of humor that she brought to work every day. It's a great loss for our team, and we will carry on those qualities for our readers." Prior to joining Adweek, Faw wrote for a variety of well-known publications, including spending seven years covering pop culture and issues affecting millennial women for Forbes. She also wrote for The Motley Fool from 2013 to 2015. For the past seven years, she had been a reporter at MediaPost, where she covered advertising and marketing. She also wrote a weekly syndicated column rounding up industry news that was featured in news outlets across the country. "Larissa was probably the single most enthusiastic reporter I have ever known," said MediaPost'a Steve McClellan, who worked alongside Faw for seven years. "It was a rare day when she didn’t have a handful of ideas she wanted to turn into stories as quickly as possible. And she was game to chase down any story an editor threw at her." McClellan, a longtime reporter who now edits MediaPost's Agency Daily, said he was consistently impressed by the positive spirit with which Faw tackled her coverage of the agencies world each day. "There is much I will miss about her," he said, "but the sheer joy she brought to her work really stands out. My heart goes out to her family on this very sad day." Faw was born in Manhasset, N.Y., in 1978. She attended the University of Arizona and the University of Oregon, where she graduated in 2001 with a bachelor's degree in business administration. She was living in Isle of Palms, S.C., at the time of her death. She is survived by her parents, Helen Wall and John E. Faw, and her sister, Melinna Mers Faw. She was preceded in death by her brother, Shawn McElwain Faw. Services will be private. In lieu of flowers, her family is encouraging donations to Seaturtle.org, supporting research and conservation of sea turtles.