Business is good, but IdeaWork founder and president Jay Schwartz says, “I don’t own a solid gold toilet … yet.” His advertising agency did just bring home three gold Davey Awards, however. The Davies — referencing the biblical tale of David and Goliath — are designated by the International Academy of Visual Arts for “small firms” with “big ideas.”
Schwartz, who holds art and design degrees from UCSB and the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, also admits that he is not the first person you’d expect to operate a thriving company. “I’m an artist and designer. The last thing I wanted to do is run a business.” As an early adapter of graphic web technology, however, he found a niche in the market. And, despite the odds, his ad agency, IdeaWork, with 14 employees and small satellite offices in Las Vegas and Manhattan, boasts an impressive client list.
One might not know that IdeaWork is a mighty mite of the advertising world when looking at that list, which includes Hard Rock Hotels, MGM resorts, Public Hotel, and Caesar’s. The three awards — in the Web sites and online marketing categories — were for campaigns the company ran for N.Y.-based gym chain Crunch Fitness.