Location: Hartford
Duration: 10 years
Key Players: Chad Turner, Jameson Luasiewicz, Jason Cheshire, Steve Malloy
Key Clients: UConn Athletics, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Hartford Restaurant Group, Moe’s Southwest Grill, Nutmeg State Federal Credit Union
When/how was the agency born?
In 2004, Chad Turner and Jameson Lukasiewicz started GO media out of the spare room in Chad’s house. Chad being the designer at the time, and Jameson’s background being in sales, both had experience in marketing – it was a natural fit. Art Director Jason Cheshire had worked with them at the Hartford Advocate in the late 90’s and early 2000’s, so it’s probably safe to say the idea had been brewing for some time before 2004.
Why do clients hire you and not another agency?
There are plenty of great agencies out there. When someone hires us it’s because we’re the right fit. When our ideas gel with their goals and vision we get hired. Sometimes that’s not the case and that’s ok because, when that initial chemistry happens, it usually means we’re going to get along great on a personal level. That enhances the collaboration while keeping the stress to a minimum.
What makes your process unique?
We’re an open office. Meaning, there are no cubicles. We’re barely sectioned off into departments. And that’s how we collaborate. A good idea can come from anywhere and anyone at any moment. So having an open office encourages constant open dialogue.
Plus, we believe there are no bad ideas, so everyone is encouraged to share their thoughts during a creative session. These small ideas can ignite something in someone else and it steamrolls from there. It has proven extremely effective for us.
Why Connecticut?
Chad and Jameson are both Connecticut natives. That sums it up.
Describe your ideal client.
Trusting. Open-minded. Knows the value of marketing and the work, time and effort it takes to produce the level of work they’re expecting.
Describe your ideal employee/team member.
Passionate to a fault with their only redeeming quality being talent. Right now we have to kick people out of the office at 8 and 9 o’clock at night. Practically pry them away from their computers with a crow bar. We don’t ever ask them to stay. They work hard because they’re passionate. We couldn’t ask for any more than that.
How do you “give back”?
We belong to a great small community; the Park Road District in West Hartford. We work, eat and live here. Therefore, we try to support it as much as we can. We’ve joined their committees and associations and try to contribute as much as we can to improving the neighborhood.
Who are your favorite partners/vendors?
We’ve been using a number of vendors for years now, even back to the Advocate days. Some here locally, some out of state. Having known them for so long makes it incredibly easy to get work produced.
Where would you like the agency to be in 5 years?
In 5 years, we probably don’t want to be that much bigger. We’re a family now and we’re very careful whom we bring on board. We’ve been lucky, in the fact that we have some really great people here. If we can keep that streak going, wherever we are in 5 years will be a good place.
What is unique about the culture of the agency? The physical space?
The majority of us have never been involved with other agencies, so that makes us unique. We’ve figured out what works best for us as we’ve grown. And what works best for us is always being improved and refined.
As far as the physical space – we’re dog friendly. We currently have a new golden retriever puppy in the office named Molly Jane and a few other dogs that visit periodically. We’ve built some of our own furniture to fit our space and we have a rooftop deck where, y’know, we like to have an occasional beer together.