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

A middle-aged man with gray hair and a beard, looking to the left, wearing a black sweater over a striped collared shirt, standing against a plain white background.

Toby Barlow | CEO, CCO

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

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Emily Siegel | President

Started WPP’s first Content Studio for Ford.

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Meg Jannott | Head of Design

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

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Doug Patterson | ECD

Helped launch a little brand called Amazon.

Agency Team

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Amy Abbott
Executive Producer

Kara Augustyn
Senior Account Supervisor

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A woman with long brown hair wearing black glasses and a black top, smiling against a plain white background.

Philip Bator
Associate Creative Director

Sarah Bills
Creative Director

Robert Buber
Senior Art Director

Bruna Camargo
Director of Social

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Red sketch of a shrimp with a rose growing from its back on a white background.
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Kisha Clark
Office Manager

India Cleveland
Director of People + Talent

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Caite Crocker
Senior Social Strategist

Craig Hedges
Associate Creative Director

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Candice Hukka
Head of Human Resources

Doug James
Creative Strategist

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Tyler Laperriere
Senior Account Executive

Brie Loveland
Senior Account Director

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Aidan McKiernan
Associate Creative Director

Stephanie McMillan
Head of Client Services

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Elise Miller
Project Manager

Justin Morley
Account Director

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Brent Mosser
Senior Production Designer

Jade Nguyen
Project Manager

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Vu Nguyen
Associate Director—Project Management

Cheryl Pew
Finance Manager

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Danielle Piggott
Head of Finance

Allison Piper
Account Director

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Jim O’Briant
Associate Creative Director

Rocky Ray
Video Editor

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Line drawing of a rose and a scorpion intertwined, with rose on the left and the scorpion below.
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Amanda Reid
Strategy Director

Jackie Salliotte
Agency Operations Director

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Austin Schuld
Associate Media Director

Yasmine Shitta
Senior Account Executive

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Gideon Lovell Smith
Director of Business Development

Maria Smith
Content Creator

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Line drawing of a rose flower with a small cat and a leaf, all in red against a white background.
A young man with short black hair, glasses, and a bright smile wearing a black t-shirt and a pearl necklace, standing against a plain white background.
A young man with short brown hair, blue eyes, and a mustache, wearing a black sweater over a white shirt, standing against a plain white background.
Red line drawing of a scorpion with a rose growing from its back.

Michele Swanson
Executive Producer

Cj Villaflor
Content Creator

Jon Wolfer
Design Director

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What we do

Advertising Sizzle Reel
Sketch of a lobster with a rose in its claw, drawn in red lines with construction guides.
Red line drawing of a scorpion with a heart pattern on its abdomen.
Line drawing of a lobster in red on a white background.
Line drawing of a scorpion with a flower and leaves.
Line drawing of a lobster wearing a crown, holding a beer mug in its claw.
Red line drawing of a shrimp with a flower and plant details.
Red line drawing of a shrimp with a rose on its back, set against a white background.
Red line drawing of a woman with curly hair, a wine glass, and the phrase 'scouring Rose' with the words 'Wines of change' written below.
Red line drawing of a lobster
Line art of a red lobster on a white background.

Advertising

Red line drawing of a scorpion with a flower on its tail.
Red line drawing of grapes with leaves.
Red line drawing of a character with a snail shell on its back, walking with a large lobster claw in front.
Red line drawing of a person sitting with knees pulled up and head resting on arms, appearing tired or contemplative.
Red abstract line drawing of two horses facing each other.
Red line drawing of a fish with leaves and flowers on its body.
Red line drawing of a scorpion intertwined with a rose and leaves
Red line drawing of a crab holding a butterfly on its claw.
Red line drawing of a shrimp on a white background.
Red line drawing of a praying mantis with detailed features, including wings and antennae, on a white background.
Line drawing of a crayfish with a rose on its back, in red outline, on a white background.
Red line drawing of a shrimp with a flower and leaves on its head
Red line drawing of a lobster with a flower on its antenna.
Red line drawing of a smiling crawfish with a rose on its tail.
Line drawing of a scorpion intertwined with rose flowers against a white background.
Simple red line drawing of a dolphin jumping out of water with a flower in front of it.
Line drawing of a scorpion perched on a plant with leaves.
Black background with overlapping 3D letters and images of orange, green, and black patterned spheres.

Brand Design

Line drawing of a lobster in red on a white background.
Red line drawing of a scorpion intertwined with a rose and leaves.

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 by Phil Bator for people who enjoy culture, food, and ignoring work emails.

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