Firstborn (digital agency)
Encyclopedia
Overview
Firstborn is a digital creative agency founded in 1997 by Michael Ferdman and headquartered in New York City’s Film Center Building located in Hell's Kitchen. The company is made up of strategists, designers, producers, and technologists. Their collective goal is to create great ideas and translate them into engaging, intelligent and innovative user experiences. Firstborn works in any medium associated with digital technology and has both direct clients and agency partners. Past projects include 2010 Mustang Customizer for Ford, along with numerous projects for WrigleyWm. Wrigley Jr. Company
The William Wrigley Jr. Company is a company headquartered in the Wrigley Building in Near North Side, Chicago, Illinois. The company was founded on April 1, 1891, originally selling products such as soap and baking powder. In 1892, William Wrigley, Jr., the company's founder, began packaging...
and SoBe
SoBe
SoBe is a brand of teas, fruit-juice blends and enhanced water beverages owned by PepsiCo. The name SoBe is an abbreviation of South Beach, named after the upscale area located in Miami Beach, Florida. In the past, the SoBe name has also been licensed for gum and chocolate products...
.
Capabilities
Firstborn provides digital and social media strategy, research, planning, information architecture, creative direction and design, front-end and back-end development, 3-D modeling, motion graphics, HD video and copywriting. Some of the things they create include online marketing campaigns, brand destinations, new product launch websites, CRM tools, online advertising units, content management systems, kiosks, outdoor installations, mobile and software applications.Clients
Firstborn works with a mix of direct clients such as PepsiPepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink that is produced and manufactured by PepsiCo...
, Aflac
Aflac
Aflac Incorporated is the largest provider of supplemental insurance in the United States, founded in 1955 and based in Columbus, Georgia. In the United States, Aflac underwrites a wide range of insurance policies, but is perhaps more known for its payroll deduction insurance coverage, which pays...
, Wrigley
Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company
The William Wrigley Jr. Company is a company headquartered in the Wrigley Building in Near North Side, Chicago, Illinois. The company was founded on April 1, 1891, originally selling products such as soap and baking powder. In 1892, William Wrigley, Jr., the company's founder, began packaging...
, JetBlue and Lands’ End
Lands' End
Lands' End is a clothing retailer based in Dodgeville, Wisconsin, that specializes in casual clothing, luggage, and home furnishings. The majority of Lands' End's business is conducted through mail order and Internet sales, but the company also runs more than a dozen retail operations, primarily in...
as well as agency partners including Wunderman Team Detroit, Ogilvy
Ogilvy & Mather
Ogilvy & Mather is an international advertising, marketing and public relations agency based in Manhattan and owned by the WPP Group. The company operates 497 offices in 125 countries with approximately 16,000 employees.-History:...
, Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, Rogers Townsend and Cramer Krasselt
Cramer-Krasselt
Cramer-Krasselt is an American integrated marketing and communications agency. It is the second-largest independent agency in the U.S. according to Advertising Age in terms of revenue and is probably best known for its ads for Corona Beer....
. Their projects span a wide range of industry sectors such as automotive, beverages, spirits, airlines, fashion, beauty, insurance, technology and consumer packaged goods.
Staff
Firstborn has a cross-disciplinary staff of designers, developers, producers, strategists and copywriters. It also has an in-house team of 3D developers and an in-house video department. People come to work at Firstborn from all parts of the globe—including Brazil, Korea and France—many of whom are world leaders in their fields.Awards and Publications
Firstborn has earned over 200 awards from shows such as One Show, CannesCannes Lions International Advertising Festival
The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is a global event for those working in advertising and related fields. The seven-day festival, incorporating the awarding of the Lions awards, is held yearly at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès in Cannes, France...
, SXSW, OMMA, W3, Webby Awards, Telly and theFWA. Other honors include being named to AdAge’s A-List in 2009 and twice to OMMA’s Agency of the Year. Firstborn was listed in Fast Company’s 50 Most Innovative Companies in 2010 and second on their list of best Advertising and Marketing companies.
Firstborn’s work and employees have been featured in such publications as Contagious Magazine, Creativity, Wired, AdAge, OMMA and Communication Arts.
Michael Ferdman
Michael is founder and CEO of Firstborn (www.fborn.com), the award-winning digital creative agency based in New York City. Working with agencies and brands alike on a full range of digital marketing services, Michael is responsible for managing Firstborn’s internal business operations while maintaining the shop’s high level of commitment to client relations. Michael founded Firstborn in 1997, on the cusp of the digital era. Early on, Firstborn found its footing in the fashion industry, helping to bring the likes of Calvin KleinCalvin Klein
Calvin Richard Klein is an American fashion designer who launched the company that would later become Calvin Klein Inc. in 1968. In addition to clothing, Klein has also given his name to a range of perfumes, watches, and jewelry....
and Antonio Fusco to the digital space. Today, Firstborn’s digital strategies and unique design aesthetic can be seen across the automotive, beverage/liquor, retail, sports, entertainment, finance, and social responsibility categories. Michael is a founding member of SODA (Society of Digital Agencies) and remains an active participant of the IAB
Interactive Advertising Bureau
The Interactive Advertising Bureau is an advertising business organization that develops industry standards, conducts research, and provides legal support for the online advertising industry. The organization represents a large number of the most prominent media outlets in the United...
(Interactive Advertising Bureau). He has served as a judge for the Webby’s, The One Show, The Tokyo Interactive Awards, HOW and other industry competitions.
Michael serves on the National Advisory Council of the North Shore Animal League and has spearheaded several non-profit events including Cycle for Survival and Hoops4Hope.
Dan LaCivita
Dan joined New York-based digital agency, Firstborn, in 2003 as a Flash Developer. Today he is the President of the agency, leading the brand development and creative strategy teams within Firstborn, while overseeing the shop’s full range of creative production services and emerging R&D practices. Dan has supervised high-profile digital projects for brands such as: Ford, IBMIBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
, Kodak, M&M’s, Puma, Lowe’s, Aflac
Aflac
Aflac Incorporated is the largest provider of supplemental insurance in the United States, founded in 1955 and based in Columbus, Georgia. In the United States, Aflac underwrites a wide range of insurance policies, but is perhaps more known for its payroll deduction insurance coverage, which pays...
, HP, AirTran
AirTran Airways
AirTran Airways, a subsidiary of the Dallas, Texas-based Southwest Airlines, is an American low-cost airline headquartered in Orlando, Florida. AirTran operates over 650 daily flights , primarily in the eastern and midwestern United States...
, SoBe
SoBe
SoBe is a brand of teas, fruit-juice blends and enhanced water beverages owned by PepsiCo. The name SoBe is an abbreviation of South Beach, named after the upscale area located in Miami Beach, Florida. In the past, the SoBe name has also been licensed for gum and chocolate products...
, Nokia
Nokia
Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational communications corporation that is headquartered in Keilaniemi, Espoo, a city neighbouring Finland's capital Helsinki...
and more. Under his guidance, Firstborn has enjoyed recognition from industry organizations, including: The Clio Awards, The One Show, The Webby Awards, The London International Awards and The FWA. In 2008 and 2009, Dan led Firstborn to achieve OMMA Magazine’s Creative Agency of the Year and Agency of the Year titles respectively, with Firstborn also being named to Advertising Age’s 2010 Agency A-List. In the March 2010 issue of Fast Company
Fast Company (magazine)
Fast Company is a full-color business magazine that releases 10 issues per year and reports on topics including innovation, digital media, technology, change management, leadership, design, and social responsibility...
, Firstborn was named one of the world’s 50 most innovative companies and listed as #2 for Advertising and Marketing. Dan has presented at leading industry events such as: Creativity and Technology (CAT), Flash in the Can (FITC), Boards Summit, UGCX 2009 and OMMA Global. He serves on judging and speaking panels and is frequently quoted in industry publications such as Advertising Age
Advertising Age
Advertising Age is a magazine, delivering news, analysis and data on marketing and media. The magazine was started as a broadsheet newspaper in Chicago in 1930...
, Adweek
Adweek
Adweek is a weekly American advertising trade publication that was first published in 1978....
, Creativity
Creativity (magazine)
Creativity is a website, formerly a monthly magazine, covering all things creative in advertising and design. The magazine, launched in 1986, provides a showcase of the best ideas across all areas of consumer culture, an exploration of the talent and techniques behind the work and insight on the...
and Mediapost on trends in digital marketing, interactive strategies and digital design and technology. Dan graduated with honors from Boston University’s College of Communication with a BS in Advertising. In his free time, Dan enjoys reading about the history of magic and deception, and honing his performance skills in the art of close-up magic.
JoonYong Park
JoonYong is a creative catalyst. As Firstborn’s Chief Creative Officer, Joon is not only an active designer, but he plays an instrumental role in the concept development and creative execution of most Firstborn projects. Bringing ten years of interactive design experience to Firstborn, he is an inspiration and a mentor. Always full of big ideas, Joon contributes much of his energy to project conceptualization for new business pitches. He works closely with the producers at Firstborn—making sure the design concept of every project stays on brand, is strategically optimal and relevant to the appropriate target audience. He also regularly collaborates with Firstborn’s Studio Director and Director of Interactive Development to uncover exciting new ways to bring brands to life. Prior to joining the team, Joon served as Creative Director of the Orion Group BNM and before that he was the Head of Interactive Branding and Art Direction for Nutility. His work on the Nutility “Samsung & the Matrix” site was awarded the Electronics Winner Prize in the interactive media sector at the 18th London International Awards.Joon began his Firstborn career as a Senior Art Director in 2004 and was promoted to Creative Director in 2007. He is the genius behind Firstborn’s incredible 3D department, and his talents have led to the successful production of various high-profile projects, including Lowe’s Welcome Back Spring, Smirnoff James Bond, JBL Destination Anywhere Tour, Microsoft Zune Journey, the Microsoft Live installation for Operation Smile and numerous projects for Ford. He is also responsible for designing and programming some of Firstborn’s most recognized work during his early years, including the Giftmixer 3000 and the global website for Kohn Pederson Fox Architects.
History and Timeline
- 1997 - Firstborn was founded with three employees
- 1998 - Completed a CD-ROM for Calvin Klein’s fall runway show; Landed work for Redken and L’Oreal; Designed the official Belmont Stakes website
- 1999 - Picked up new clients including Business Week, Federated and Antonio Fusco; Completed projects for Columbia University, Dell, Calvin Klein, L’Oreal, and fragrance giant Dragoco
- 2000 - Launched site for fashion designer Yigal Azrouel; Worked with Ralph Lauren, Lancome, and Lam Research
- 2001 - Continued working with Redken, Estee Lauder, Ralph Lauren; began working with Sergio Rossi, Madstone Films and John Frieda; Expanded to the suite next door and increased staff
- 2002 - Clients included Lam Research, NYRA, L’Oreal and Calvin Klein; Designed Video on Demand interface for Diet Coke, a touch-screen kiosk for Shiseido and websites for Bacardi and the VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards 2002; Threw a fifth anniversary party for 250 friends and clients; Ended the year with 11 employees
- 2003 - Created a unique website for Victoria’s Secret new denim line; More clients, including Cosmopolitan Cosmetics, Puig Beauty and Vitamin Water; Notable CD-ROM project for The Chrysler Crossfire Experience and BBDO, with nearly 4 million CDs distributed; Released interactive holiday greeting card, TYPEflake*
- 2004 - Added new designers and developers to the team; Worked with the Sci Fi Channel and USA Network to feature several miniseries; Added clients including the Museum of Modern Art, Crispin Porter + Bogusky, the Atlantis Resort and Goodby, Silverstein & Partners
- 2005 - Worked with Adobe, Borders, Burger King, Fila, Lee Jeans, NBC Universal, People, Target, Toyota, USA Networks; Opened an L.A. office to serve existing West Coast clients and expand the Firstborn network
- 2006 - More clients, including Saatchi & SaatchiSaatchi & SaatchiSaatchi & Saatchi is a global advertising agency network with 140 offices in 80 countries and over 6,500 staff. It was founded in London in 1970 but now headquartered in New York. The parent company of the agency group was known as Saatchi & Saatchi PLC from 1976 to 1994, was listed on the London...
, JWTJWTJWT is one of the largest advertising agencies in the United States and the fourth-largest in the world. It is one of the key companies of Sir Martin Sorrell's WPP Group and is headquartered in New York. The global agency is led by Worldwide Chairman and Global CEO Bob Jeffrey who took over the...
, TBWATBWATBWA Worldwide is an international advertising agency whose headquarters are in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, United States. The Agency is a unit of Omnicom Group, the world's largest advertising agency holding company. It was founded in 1970 in Paris, France, by William G...
, PublicisPublicisPublicis Groupe is a French multinational advertising and communications company, headquartered in Paris, France. It is one of the world's three largest advertising holding companies . Its current president is Maurice Lévy. Publicis Groupe S.A...
, TM and Lowe WorldwideLowe WorldwideLowe and Partners is an international advertising agency headquartered in London. The Agency is a unit of the Interpublic Group, one of the world's largest advertising agency holding companies...
; Collaborated on JBL, Smirnoff, Toyota, Nationwide Insurance and Perdue; Continued to work directly with brands like McGraw Hill, creating a web-based application that allows professors to create custom classroom presentations; Built an interactive kiosk for FilaFila (company)Fila is one of the world's largest sportswear manufacturing companies. Founded in 1911 in Italy, Fila has been owned and operated from South Korea since a takeover in 2007. Headed by chairman and CEO Yoon-Soo Yoon, Fila now has offices in 11 countries worldwide....
that scanned users’ feet and provided a custom-fitted shoe in-stores - 2007 - Expanded offerings to 3D modeling and high definition video production, exemplified by projects for Microsoft Forefront, Zune, HP and Axe; Engaged the “physical space” with an outdoor installation for Microsoft Live that was developed with Processing and projected onto a 7 story sphere at the South Street Seaport; Worked with Starwood to create an application for Le Meridian Hotels that changed the way the organization designs their hotel rooms; Celebrated their 10th anniversary; Started the Luger's tradition: Their version of a “holiday party,” held at Peter Luger’s Steakhouse; Spyline Studio of the year; Grew to 28 employees
- 2008 - Reclocated their offices to a 9000 square feet (836.1 m²) space on the 9th floor of the Film Center building; Filmed a guy wearing an animatronics bear costume for Lowes with Tribal DDB Chicago; Projects for clients including Microsoft Office for Mac, US Treasury, GE, XM Radio, Northwestern Mutual, Ping Golf, National Grid, Corona, Porche, Malibu Rum and Nokia; Inducted into The FWA’s Hall of Fame for their 38 FWA Sites of the Day; Named Creative Agency of the Year by OMMA Magazine; FWA site of the month – Nokia Music Almighty; Belmont tradition begins: A day at the races, full of betting, food and drink
- 2009 - Hired Copywriters for the first time; OMMA Agency of the Year for Best Web Design and Development; Gained SoBeSoBeSoBe is a brand of teas, fruit-juice blends and enhanced water beverages owned by PepsiCo. The name SoBe is an abbreviation of South Beach, named after the upscale area located in Miami Beach, Florida. In the past, the SoBe name has also been licensed for gum and chocolate products...
, WrigleyWm. Wrigley Jr. CompanyThe William Wrigley Jr. Company is a company headquartered in the Wrigley Building in Near North Side, Chicago, Illinois. The company was founded on April 1, 1891, originally selling products such as soap and baking powder. In 1892, William Wrigley, Jr., the company's founder, began packaging...
and AflacAflacAflac Incorporated is the largest provider of supplemental insurance in the United States, founded in 1955 and based in Columbus, Georgia. In the United States, Aflac underwrites a wide range of insurance policies, but is perhaps more known for its payroll deduction insurance coverage, which pays...
as clients; Continued to work with Team Detroit on various Ford projects; Adage Agency A-List - 2010 - Listed as top 50 most innovative companies in Fast CompanyFast Company (magazine)Fast Company is a full-color business magazine that releases 10 issues per year and reports on topics including innovation, digital media, technology, change management, leadership, design, and social responsibility...
magazine, listed in AdaAge's Agency A-List, release first iPad application-Dofl Ball, ended the year with 60 employees