It's the way we make sense of things. We tell stories, we read stories, we watch them and listen to them. It's how we discover our world and the things we need from it.

Here at Riney, this belief is the foundation of our culture. It's a foundation that was built by a man named Hal Riney because he believed in the power of stories to communicate, and to persuade.

And while the power stories have to influence the success of brands remains unchanged, the landscape used to put a story together has become the most talked about story in decades.

As a result, we believe brand stories today need to go beyond the idea of "storytelling" and extend to what we call, "storybuilding."

These are modern stories that extend traditional storytelling principles into all interactions a brand should have with its consumers—allowing a consumer to not only bear witness, but participate and experience it.

To make this possible we took the digital expertise and experience of a purely digital agency, Modem, and merged it with the traditional, storytelling expertise of Riney. We changed the way we operate. Today we structure a story so that it can be delivered in the most effective way for our modern landscape. Traditional, contemporary, personal, social, contextual.

In one short moving day, we made a single storybuilding agency that can accommodate all of the effective story elements available today.

Welcome to Riney.

Too much advertising today believes its own hype. It's full of frivolities and ambiguities. Agencies spend too much time chasing what’s new at the expense of what works

We believe creativity is critical but it doesn't drive success—persuasive creativity does.

We're not in the business of being creative. We're in the business of using creativity as a tool that persuades people to think or do something on behalf of our brands.

To state the obvious (at least to us), advertising should help sales.

What good is "stickiness" if it isn't persuasive? How good is "engagement" if it doesn’t persuade? Does a brand really need a "discussion" if it isn’t a persuasive one?

Even with all of the new and exciting tools available to build stories, we at Riney stick to the basics. We believe that advertising should build a story that persuades people to think or do something. Every success comes from this starting point.

the better the people the better the advertising.

Here at Riney, we attract more than our fair share of the truly talented people. There’s a simple reason: do great work and great people will want to work with you. We're motivated by each other.

The people who succeed here, have fun here and get the most satisfaction from their day are people who will settle for nothing less. They will do what it takes to plant their flag on the summit of Mt. Everest because climbing a steep hill just isn't good enough.

And that's what makes us different.

It's not a talking point, a sound bite or a catchphrase. It's a culture. Our culture. And it attracts like-minded people.

• Kevin Roddy

  CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER

  

  Kevin Roddy heads the San Francisco office and is one of four creative leaders on the Global Creative Board of Publicis Worldwide.
  
  His creative leadership and vision has resulted in both traditional awards and awards for innovation such as the Cannes Titanium Lion, the AICP NEXT Award (four times), the first-ever AAAA's O'Toole Box Award, and many others.
  
  As a copywriter Kevin has, been recognized for creative excellence throughout his career. Twice he has been ranked in the top three of Boards Magazine's "Top 10 Copywriters Worldwide" list, and he has won every major creative award in the world several times over. In fact, Kevin is the only person in advertising history to have ever won The One Show's "Best of Show" award, twice.

• David Shearer

  EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR,
  Digital

  

  David has been the Executive Creative Director for digital experiences since August 2010. His expertise covers mobile, DiTV, websites, applications, kiosks, direct mail, point of sale and print.
  
  Over nearly two decades David has pioneered industry firsts in live video Q&A through bought media, launched three of Ford's most popular cars into digital interactive TV, and helped conceive IBM's digitally driven approach to global sports marketing that has remained the foundation of their success for a decade.
  
  As both a Copywriter and as a Creative Director, David has been continually recognized for his creativity with over 40 awards for excellence from many of the most respected international shows, including Cannes Cyber and Direct, One Show, DMA Echoes, LIAA and Webbys.

• Julie Liss

  CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER

  

  Julie came to Riney in 2009 to lead strategy and insights. Prior to joining the team she was the Director of Account Planning for TBWA\Chiat\Day in Los Angeles, overseeing a variety of national and global clients.
  
  Julie started her advertising career with Leo Burnett in Chicago before moving to independent Rubin Postaer and Associates as SVP, Director of Planning for their Santa Monica and Chicago offices. While there she founded a stand-alone brand consultancy, The Brand Biography Group. She also served as Saatchi and Saatchi's Team One Director of Planning.
  
  Over the course of her career, Julie has worked across a wide variety of categories and brands — from Scotch, Financial Services, and Luxury Automotive to Children's Toys and Package Goods.

• Trace Cohen

  EXECUTIVE STRATEGY DIRECTOR,
  DIGITAL

  

  Trace joined the team in January 2011 to lead social and digital strategy after transferring from Publicis Seattle, where she had successfully partnered with Drew Meyers to lead digital for T-Mobile USA.
  
  She began her career as a copywriter with Grey in South Africa before moving to Foote Cone Belding in 1995 to launch what became Levi's award winning first website.
  
  In 2000 she founded a socially focused dotcom startup but was headhunted after a year. For the next four years she managed the user experience team of Razorfish.
  
  Trace has been at the leading edge of social media for well over a decade. She has designed digital experience strategy for many of the world's most famous blue chip brands.

• Harold Sogard

  CHAIRMAN

  

  Harold returned to Riney in September, 2011 after a 19 year "loan" to a Riney spin-off, Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, where he was Vice Chairman and Partner.
  
  During his time at GSP Harold helped lead that agency's growth from 40 employees and $40 million in billings to over 625 employees and more than $2 billion in billings. Accounts he led won nine Gold Effies for marketing effectiveness. The culmination of this success was AdWeek magazine naming GSP "Agency of the Decade" in 2010.
  
  A native of Red Wing, Minnesota, Harold earned his BA with honors at Wesleyan University and his MBA with honors at The Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago.

• Kristi Vandenbosch

  CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

  

  Kristi joined Riney in 2009 from TBWA where she was the North American President of TEQUILA. Her experience includes leading a regional network for TBWA Worldwide, Managing Director tenures at Omnicom's Direct Partners, and Draft Worldwide.
  
  Kristi developed her integrated marketing experience in global teams for Nissan, Infiniti, Sony and Pioneer. Her category expertise covers automotive, packaged goods, consumer electronics, financial services, technology and fashion.
  
  Kristi spent the first decade of her career in the creative department, eventually as EVP, Creative Director for an agency specializing in marketing to women.
  
  Kristi earned her M.B.A. from DePaul University's Kellstadt School of Business, Chicago, and undergraduate degrees in Advertising Management from DePaul University, plus Technical Illustration/Commercial Art from Ferris State University.

• Drew Meyers

  MANAGING DIRECTOR

  

  Since joining Publicis as Managing Director in August 2010, Drew has driven thought leadership and account rigor for all client relationships.
  
  Prior to Riney he led digital for America's fourth largest wireless carrier, T-Mobile USA, at Publicis Seattle. His focus was guiding online advertising, social media, Web and in-store. Drew also led all digital communications for Chevrolet.
  
  Before Publicis, Drew was the driving force behind a large portion of the Microsoft global digital and direct relationship for McCann Worldgroup and helped shape the company's emerging media program, rolling out up to 20 worldwide pilots for Microsoft on an annual basis.
  
  Drew holds a Bachelor of Arts from Middlebury College, and is nearing the completion his MBA from Babson College.

• Michael Convey

  CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

  

  Prior to becoming Riney's CFO in 2006, Michael was the financial controller for McCann Erickson in San Francisco focusing on the global Microsoft client.
  
  He began his career in NY with IPG as an Internal Auditor performing audits for McCann Erickson offices around the world. The President of McCann Erickson in Bogota, Colombia persuaded Michael to relocate to Bogota as CFO to implement his audit recommendations. Over the next seven years he moved with the company to Mexico City, Mexico and Sao Paulo, Brazil. During this time he also worked closely with IPG on many of their Latin America acquisitions.
  
  Originally from the east coast, Michael has a degree in Accounting from Hofstra University and is a CPA registered in NY.

• Mary Johnstone

  HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR

  

  Mary has been shaping agency culture and guiding teams for over two decades. She was taught very early on that her most valuable skill was taking away all the distractions from employees so they can focus on the work.
  
  One of the longest standing members of Riney, Mary joined the team in 1996 and has guided over 500 employees through their life at the agency. The culture Mary has helped cultivate not only fosters creativity, but has also ensured one of the highest re-hire rates in the industry.
  
  Before Riney, Mary spent seven years working in advertising in Boston, MA, with a brief stint in HR Consulting before realizing she belonged in a more creative environment and returned to agency life.