Andrew Essex is the co-founder and chief executive officer of Plan A. He created the company in 2018. It is a holding company in the advertising industry. He operates a different business model than similar companies as it leaner and features lighter operations. The agencies that make up his company include Twin Studios. Van’s General Store, Beekman Social, and Untitled Worldwide.
He is a graduate of New York University, where he earned both his undergraduate and master’s degrees in the English language and literature. He graduated in 1992 and was soon working for The New Yorker as a journalist. He later transitioned into being an editor. Andrew Essex says that as an editor he learned to differentiate between what is interesting and what isn’t. He learned to curate, which he regards as one of his most important skills.
In 2006, Andrew Essex became the vice chairman and CEO of Droga5. This is a New York City-based advertising firm. He became CEO of Tribeca Enterprises in January 2016. This organization holds the annual Tribeca Film Festival. He became an angel investor and advisor in 2010. Companies he has worked with include Sir Kensington’s and Gimlet. ACUE, Harry’s, and Glossier. Andrew Essex joined the board of directors for IPIC Theaters in November 2018. In October 2019, he became a board member of the Ad Council.
He co-founded Plan A with his fellow entrepreneur MT Carney. Investors and advisors to the company include Michael Ovitz, Michael Kassan, Ben Lerer and Alexis Ohanian. One of its first clients was the shoe retailer Zappos. This was described by Adweek as a bright and sunny brand campaign. Some of their clients have since included Vanity Fair, Palantir, Oracle, Olivia Palermo, Oscar, Douglas Elliman Real Estate and LG.
Andrew Essex says that before he started Plan A company’s had to either hire an agency on Madison Avenue or hire multiple small boutiques. Both of these options have problems. He created a company that acts as a centralized account manager. They then hire the best advertising boutiques to craft the ad campaign. This way, the client can hold Plan A solely responsible if the ad campaign fails to get the desired results.
He has written multiple books. Andrew Essex wrote, “The End of Advertising: Why It Had to Die and The Creative Resurrection to Come.” He co-wrote “Chasing Cool,” “A Very Public Offering,” and “The Story of the Globe.com,” and “Le Freak: An Upside Down Story of Family, Disco, and Destiny.” His writing has been published in Rolling Stone, The New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker, The New York Times, and other magazines. He has also been a TV commentator on Anderson Cooper, ABC, FOX News, and CNN.
