Be curious.
Be generous.
Be rigorous.
Dig deeper.
And leave a door
open for the magic.

Lafayette American 5k Core City Detroit Ginko Trees
Lafayette American Office 5k in Core City Detroit Collaborating
Scorpion Rose Studio Film Rose Image at 5k office space in Core City Detroit

Our Story


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.

Partners


Toby Barlow | CEO, CCO

Referenced in Alan Mulally’s biography as a “genius.”

Emily Siegel | President

Started WPP’s first Content Studio for Ford.

Meg Jannott | Head of Design

Helped launch Shinola, one of the few American luxury brands.

Ben Bator | CMO

Created one of the first humor-centric digital media platforms.

Doug Patterson | ECD

Helped launch a little brand called Amazon.

Agency Team


Christina Gay
Chief Financial Officer

Amy Abbott
Executive Producer

Kara Augustyn
Account Supervisor

Philip Bator
Associate Creative Director

Sarah Bills
Creative Director

Jenna Blackson
Senior Project Manager

Bruna Camargo
Director of Social

India Cleveland
Director of People + Talent

Asha Cook
Designer

Craig Hedges
Art Director

Candice Hukka
Head of Human Resources

Doug James
Creative Strategist

Justin Morley
Senior Account Supervisor

Brent Mosser
Senior Production Designer

Yasmine Shitta
Senior Account Executive

Michele Swanson
Senior Producer

Jon Wolfer
Senior Designer

Caite Marchione
Senior Social Strategist

Stephanie McMillan
Head of Client Services

Aidan McKiernan
Associate Creative Director

Jim O’Briant
Associate Creative Director

Vu Nguyen
Associate Director—Project Management

Austin Schuld
Associate Media Director

Donald Peasley
Senior Account Director

Allison Piper
Account Director

Danielle Piggott
Accounting Manager

Maria Smith
Content Creator

Rocky Ray
Video Editor

What we do


Advertising Sizzle Reel

Advertising

Brand Design

Our Newsletters


The Remedy Social Media Newsletter by Lafayette American's social studio

A healing social media newsletter brought to you by our in-house Social Studio.

Lunch Reads weekly newsletter by Lafayette American on all things culture and food

Weekly newsletter for people who enjoy culture, food, and ignoring work emails.

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