Our Story
“ Mike & Dea founded The Factory as an agency that works with instead of just for our clients ”
Echo::Factory was created by two ad-industry veterans who wanted to do things differently. Better. Dea came from a Southern California agency where she was the chief creative director, managing the direction of accounts that ranged from automotive to fashion. Mike was running a photography studio that created images for some of the biggest names in the business.
Mike & Dea founded The Factory as an agency that works with instead of just for our clients.
Our Difference
When it comes to working with clients, our formula is simple. We combine what you know to be true about your industry with what we know about advertising and public relations. And, we work with people and products we like.
“ We offer ourselves to our clients, as a platform to success ”
We strive for honesty in everything we do. From our relationships with our clients to the work we produce to our commitment to doing things in environmentally and socially responsible ways. We work to be credible. Whether its delivered with formality, frankness or fun, we want our sincerity to be apparent in everything we do.
At Echo-Factory, we don’t just offer services, we offer ourselves to our clients, as a platform to success. And while sometimes we’re just a short boost to the next level, more often we build our clients a ladder that gets them exactly where they want to be.
The Workers
Robots are great - but every factory needs workers, and we have some of the most talented in the business. Plus, as you can see from the true-to-life renderings below - they’re quite the lookers.
Michael Schaffer
aka “Goldfinger”
Principal / Getter Donerer
Secret Power: Being Awesome In Every Situation
Catch Phrase: “I’m just Mike.”
Nemesis: Long Phone Calls
Dea Goldsmith
aka “Deablo”
Principal / Creative Genius
Secret Power: Lighting fires under creative asses
Catch Phrase: “I’ll sleep when I’m dead.”
Nemesis: The Clock
Mustafa Abou-Taleb
aka “The Moose”
Project Manager / Job Shepherd
Secret Power: Infusing the office with insane energy
Catchphrase: “Cool points for everybody!”
Nemesis: The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Ray Pustinger
aka “The Oracle”
Principal / Business Understander
Secret Power: Minibike Wheelies
Catch Phrase: “What you need to do is…”
Nemesis: Unchecked Checkboxes
Andrew Hoehn
aka “Word Fairy”
Writer / Web Geek
Secret Power: Paralyzing people with his wit
Catch Phrase: “Think about it.”
Nemesis: Inappropriate Ellipses
Sydnee Elranger
aka “Squidnee”
Copywriter / Bookie
Secret Power: She knows ALL the words. ALL OF THEM!!!
Catch Phrase: “My name is Sydnee and I’m a bibliophile” (“Hiiiii Syd-neeee”)
Nemesis: Opposers of the Oxford Comma (aka, lovers of ambiguity, anti-conventionalists, and wrong). She just calls him Andrew.
Carl Custodio
aka “The Wall”
Designer/Mad Illustrationist
Secret Power: Bending design to his will
Catchphrase: “Do it.”
Nemesis: Low Res Jpegs
Denise Wolf
aka “The Heat”
Designer / Thought Specialist
Secret Power: Unleashing storms of creativity
Catchphrase: “You have the right to remain silent.”
Nemesis: Bad ideas
Roni Ingraham
aka “The San Francisco Treat”
Trafficker / Card Shark
Secret Power: Materializing ice cream cake out of thin air
Catchphrase: “Oh my Gaaawhd!!!”
Nemesis: The Two-Legged Egyptian Moose
Sarah Zwack
aka “Zwack Attack”
Project Manager / Regulator
Secret Power: Playing good cop/bad cop
Catchphrase: “Get back to work. Please”
Nemesis: Coffee without a straw
Larry Schaffer
aka “MacGyver”
IT Manager / Fixer
Secret Power: Making The Bits Flow
Catchphrase: “Have you tried rebooting?”
Nemesis: The End User
Sandra Schaffer
aka “The Sommelier”
H.R. / Number Wizard
Secret Power: Transforming numbers into paychecks
Catchphrase: “Give me your timesheet.”
Nemesis: Wine In A Box
