OKRP launches Putney, an independent Black-owned production company

Putney
Aubrey Walker and Elena Robinson

Leading independent Chicago agency OKRP is launching Putney, an independent production and content studio to be owned and led by current agency Head of Production Elena Robinson and ECD Aubrey Walker, making Putney a Black-owned company.

Putney is designed to create culture-defining content that blurs the lines between advertising and entertainment with work that is relevant to all markets. It will leverage a wide array of creative resources, with special emphasis on drawing from BIPOC companies and talent in production, design, entertainment, art, and tech to deliver original ideas and executions to brands, products and services that want to connect with today’s marketplace with more intentional content.

“For some of our long form content the team at Putney is dedicated to making things that matter to people. We’re out to grab the eyeballs of the disinterested and the distracted, and stop them in their tracks, using a fluid approach to talent partnerships” explained Elena Robinson, CEO of Putney. “In that way we are building Putney on the Hollywood model of putting long term projects into development with specific talent attached, with the goal of attaching high-caliber talent to innovative brand content. ”

Putney was born as an employee-led initiative at OKRP following the murder of George Floyd by its Black and BIPOC employees who wanted to use their creative powers to do something that made an impact. The energy spread throughout the agency everybody wanted to get onboard. Putney’ first initiative was the creation in 2020 of Black Shop Friday, a 501C3 organization that supports and connects the many Black-owned shops and businesses in Chicago and beyond through a program that enables consumers to ‘Shop Black’ on Black Friday. It was supported by Target in 2021. The name Putney is inspired by the 1969 satirical comedy film Putney Swopes, about a Black advertising executive.

“Our vision with Putney is to deliver dope creativity through work that represents our culture,” explained Aubrey Walker. “Black Shop Friday proved that by harnessing the power of our voices, we could change minds and move people to action. We know there is demand for a culturally fluent agency that runs on ideas and influence and that is what we are building at Putney.”

OKRP has made DEI an agency imperative for many years. It created Camp OKRP five years ago to bring more Black talent into the industry and its model was the foundation of the BLAC Internship program, of which it is a co-founder. Putney will be 60% Black. OKRP is 24% Black, 37% BIPOC and 53% Female. Its diversity data is published on its website.

“Creating Putney is both a further commitment to equity and a statement about creativity,” said Tom O’Keefe, CEO of OKRP. “The simple truth is that diversity of talent and thought makes our work better just as it does our culture.”

Elena Robinson, OKRP’s current head of production, becomes CEO of Putney. Her resume includes everything from Cannes winning brand work to integrated production work with Energy BBDO, R/GA, and Leo Burnett. Starting her career on the TV side with the Oprah Winfrey led series, Brewster Place, Elena has sat in nearly every seat of the production table from full-service agency, to vendor with Wayfarer Entertainment, to start up digital, event activation and everything in between. She will continue to oversee OKRP’s production needs as she transitions into leadership at Putney.

Aubrey Walker was named ECD at OKRP in 2020. The veteran copywriter and creative leader previously worked at such agencies as Carol H. Williams, Burrell, The TRUE Agency, Globalhue, commonground, GMR, MKTG and FCBX before starting his own independent freelance consultancy. He will continue to consult with OKRP clients while performing as ECD for Putney.

Putney is introducing its voice to the marketplace with a series of podcasts, titled The God Particle, hosted by Aubrey Walker, featuring a wide variety of Black leaders across the business, arts and entertainment spaces. The series includes conversations with Carol H. Williams, founder of Carol H. Williams agency, fine artist Charly Palmer, Detavio Samuels, CEO of Revolt Media, photographer Parrish Lewis, Julian Gilliam (aka LOGIK) artist, designer and influencer in the NFT space, Jon Desir, executive producer of Optimus Post and Tynesha Williams, ECD at 3am, Hollywood’s premier film & TV release shop.


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