Pictured, left to right: Send+Receive partners JP Gravina, Simon Craig and Andrew Carty.
Toronto has a new shop, with a mandate to dedicate 10% of revenue toward creative projects.
Send+Receive, which soft launched earlier this summer, was founded by creative partners JP Gravina and Simon Craig, and partner and strategist Andrew Carty.
Gravina and Craig previously worked together as associate creative directors at BBDO before becoming freelancers (Craig was also briefly an ACD at John St.). Carty was most recently VP of strategy and innovation at Grey Canada.
Collectively, the three partners have worked on various brands across categories including RBC, Audi, PepsiCo, Kraft and Unilever, the Heart & Stroke Foundation, the Government of Ontario and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. They’ve also all contributed to winning campaigns at the One Show, D&AD, the CASSIES, Cannes and the Effies.
The new full-service shop operates with a project-based model, billing based on output instead of retainer hours. So far, it’s been working with production support and plans to add freelancers on projects as needed. Some clients are looking for longer projects, which may require more permanent staffing.
Not being part of a holding company (and not having to deliver margin back to it) allows them to dedicate 10% of revenue back into creative projects, according to Carty.
Send+Receive’s creative projects so far include Kickstarter initiatives, tech startups and short films. Its first projects include partnering as executive producers on a Toronto-based film that’s set to hit film festivals this fall.
Other projects since launch include rebranding a cruise line, repositioning a women’s cancer foundation, helping launch a new retail brand and working for a tech accessories company. The agency is currently pitching new business in both Canada and the U.S.
