Paul Keister, the former CP+B creative director who co-founded goodness Mfg. and went to Deutsch late last year, will resign from the agency to take a new job with a startup that was a client of his former agency.
Keister spent nearly a decade with the Crispin organization, serving as creative director on the IKEA and Miller accounts (among others). He was one of five CP+B vets who broke away to launch goodness Mfg. in 2007.
One of goodness Mfg’s clients was Phoenix-based auto tech startup Carvana, and the agency produced a regional Super Bowl spot in January. Keister recently received an offer to become the company’s first CCO and couldn’t pass it up; his last day at Deutsch is next Friday.
Hollywood, CA-based entertainment marketing agency Trailer Park bought goodness Mfg. in 2010. All five founders eventually left, with the creative trio of Keister, Bob Cianfrone and Tom Adams joining Deutsch as ECDs when their contracts expired last December. Prior to that move, general manager Brian Rekasis went to Apple and producer Rupert Samuel returned to Crispin as executive director of content.
Keister worked on Pizza Hut, Avvo and California Milk and Advisory Board since joining Deutsch in January. Regarding his time there, he says:
“I wouldn’t leave to go to another agency, because they don’t have Pete, Mike and the incredible crew that we have at Deutsch. This is an opportunity to work with former clients and colleagues I really admire, doing creative product development from the brand side.”
The latest news on the goodness Mfg. front is that the shop will soon become part of Ian Schafer’s creative agency Deep Focus.
More details (we assume) to come.
Carvana plans to make a formal announcement regarding Keister’s hire in a few weeks.