In 2018, five people sat around a kitchen table in Detroit and started Lafayette American.

One of us happened to have most recently been the Global Chief Creative Officer on all things Ford. One of us had launched a viral media company. One of us launched America’s most interesting modern luxury brand. We had long careers in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York and Chicago, and for one reason or another, chose Detroit as our home.

We didn’t start with any clients. We weren’t backed by a hold-co or private equity. We just started making things. Most importantly, our principles: Be curious. Be generous. Be rigorous. Dig deeper. And leave a door open for the magic.

The magic looks like Lafayette American today. A much larger but still “small” agency with global clients and team members across the country. 

Together, we redesigned Will Ferrell’s face, wrote a book, reimagined two cultural institutions, won plenty of awards, and, most importantly, delivered real, repeated results for our clients.