Our founder

Hi, I’m John Kovacevich, the founder of Agency SOS.

I’m going to let you in on a little secret: I don’t really want to write this page. 

On the one hand, I don’t want to deceive anybody. This agency IS my brainchild and I’m birthing it into existence.

But this place isn’t just about me. There’s a reason my name’s not on the door. Our success is the result of many people—great clients and a bench of talented creatives, strategists, and media planners who made it all possible. 

I also realize that no client in their right mind is going to give us a dime unless they know my credentials, so here’s the scoop…

“Who the hell are you?”

For the past 30 years, I’ve helped companies and organizations tell their story.

For the early part of my career, those organizations were non-profits, theatre companies, schools, and colleges. For the last 20 years, it’s been brands and business.

As a writer and creative director, I worked on advertising campaigns for everything from cars to cat food, pants to pretzels, hamburgers to HR software, and other less alliterative categories.

I held leadership positions at Goodby Silverstein & Partners (twice!), Duncan Channon, and FCB West. I spent several years building a freelance practice (an “agency of one”) and worked at many agencies and direct-to-client projects for brands like Facebook, Airbnb, and Google.

My goal for every assignment: work hard, keep it fun, and try and leave a place better than I found it.

I’ve written extensively about the ad business and tried to give people an inside peek. And I’ve had a few side-projects that caught the imagination of advertising trades: like the time I wrote a personal note to all 1,109 of my LinkedIn contacts or the time I started a satirical Twitter feed to highlight sexism in creative leadership.

Before my ad days, I was well known in the Bay Area improv and sketch comedy scene, performing with groups like BATS Improv and Killing My Lobster. And you, of course, recognize me from my small (but pivotal!) role as Young Executive #2 in “The Pursuit of Happyness.” (No, Will Smith is not on my Christmas card list.)

“Why did you start this agency?”

I wrote a piece to answer that exact question! “5 Reasons I’m Starting a New Agency.”

Having my own shop was a dream for a long time. Growing up, both sides of my family had their own business (farming on my dad’s side, dry cleaning on my mom’s side.) After 30 years, I feel like I finally know enough and have a clear vision for how I’d like to spend my remaining work years.

And that global pandemic thing was a bit of a wake-up call, wasn’t it? Not only did it help clarify how and where people want to work, it also lit what-are-you-waiting-for fires in a lot of bellies. Mine included.

My hope is that Agency SOS will have a real impact on people’s lives. Not in an abstract “increasing shareholder value” sort of way (although that’s important too). But in a highly personal way, with a focus on the individuals we work with and for. 

In this model, “impact” is solving a problem for a brand manager so they can spend more time with their kids. 

It’s making sure a superstar performer is well-compensated for the quality of their output, not just the hours they clock. 

It’s pointing a potential client to another agency because they can help them more than we ever could.

It’s about crafting a way of working that supports the rest of your life, not the other way around.

“Is it working?”

It feels like we are on the right track. (You can watch our monthly recaps:  Month 1 | Month 2 | Month 3 | Month 4 | Month 5 | Month 6 | Month 9 | Month 12 | Month 15 | 2 Years )

But we are a work in progress! If any of this sounds interesting to you, get in touch and let’s talk about how we can work together to make it happen. 

– John

“John is the most strategic and collaborative creative partner I have ever worked with. A true partner to the business who not only delivers best-in-class creative, but passionately works through your business challenges and your creative strategy with you every step of the way.”

— Kate Guthrie Adams, Sr. Marketing Director, Black Forest & Fruit Snacks Portfolio @ Ferrara

“John is everything you could want in a creative director: professional, collaborative, strategic, and always hilarious. I had the pleasure of working with him on a few fast-paced projects, and thanks to his amazing leadership skills we were able to exceed our client's expectations. He's the rare type of creative that delivers engaging work that also responds to the client's business objectives.”

— Emily Brody, Product Marketing @ Figma

“There are not many creatives out there with John's skill set. He is a creative, first and foremost, so he brings highly original thinking to the table and can distill disparate ideas into the one idea that matters and that people need to rally around.”

— Andy Grayson, Directory of Strategy @ Arts & Letters Creative Co.