Three Orange County admen who recently left their respective agencies are collaborating on projects, possibly signaling the start of a more permanent relationship.
Bruce Mayo, former principal and co-creative director of Lawrence, Mayo & Ponder in Newport Beach, Calif., has landed three new clients in California and enlisted Scott Montgomery and Billy Fried to service select accounts.
Montgomery was formerly executive creative director at FCB in Irvine; Fried was svp and group managing director of Doner in Newport Beach.
Mayo’s shop, temporarily based in Newport Beach and known simply as Mayo, is handling creative for Z Pizza, a 10-store chain based in Newport Beach; Tony Hawk Inc. in San Juan Capistrano; and ACEdura flo, a plumbing company in Fullerton that specializes in pipe restoration.
Billings were undisclosed but are estimated at less than $1 million combined.
Two of the accounts were won based on “relationships and reputation” rather than pitches, Mayo said. For instance, Mayo recently worked with Hawk, a pro skateboarder, on a campaign for LM&P client Read California. The exception is ACEdura flo, which Mayo pitched at LM&P. None of the clients had an ongoing relationship with an agency, Mayo said.
While the accounts are currently creative projects only, Mayo is hopeful that they could evolve into retainer relationships including creative and media.
Mayo said there have been “some discussions” about working with Montgomery and Fried on an ongoing basis, but that for now he is a one-man shop.
“Nothing has been decided yet,” he said. “I’m working with the kind of clients I want to work with, keeping it small, and I’m very happy with the direction it’s going in.”
The shop now has four clients, including Renkus-Heinz Speakers, an account Mayo brought with him from LM&P.
Mayo Links With Montgomery, Fried for Projects
