At Birthday, There鈥檚 Always a Reason to Celebrate
鈥楤orn in New York, Comfortable Anywhere鈥 is the mantra behind the New York creative collective, Birthday. Founded in May 2024 by Corinna Falusi, former partner and chief creative officer of Mother New York and Ogilvy & Mather New York, in partnership with Jamie Standen and Erik Norin, the collective was established to disrupt the traditional agency model and act as an extension of a brand鈥檚 in-house team to bolster creativity and solve problems proactively.
Collaborating with 鈥渢he people at the heart of a brand鈥, at just nine months old, Birthday has already worked with clients including Mercy for Animals at Climate Week NYC and Hinge, showcasing its versatility and ability to work with different brands catering to their unique needs.
Describing the collective as 鈥渁nti-process鈥, Birthday considers itself a true creative partner. Combining external expertise from its team of independent creatives, strategists, and producers with the detailed knowledge and understanding of in-house brand teams, the process forgoes the 鈥渆xtra baggage鈥 of a traditional agency model and prioritises work that stands out and resonates whilst being creatively sustainable.
To find out more about the collective鈥檚 journey so far, and 鈥渢he magic that happens when the right people come together鈥, 天美棋牌's Abi Lightfoot caught up with Corinna.
天美棋牌> Corinna, thanks for taking the time to speak with us. To begin, what have been some of your highlights from Birthday's story so far?
Corinna> We鈥檙e only nine months old, and everything still feels like yesterday. We quickly went from 鈥淪hall we do this?鈥, to shooting our first global campaign in Stockholm鈥攁nd we haven鈥檛 stopped since.
Some highlights that come to mind: winning our first pitch against traditional agency networks; throwing 100 freelancers the holiday party they deserve; being closer than ever to the creative work鈥攁nd to our clients. And always having an excuse to buy cake.
Of course, the biggest highlight of all: it鈥檚 working. When we launched Birthday, we were excited to start a creative collective that would operate in a different, unlayered, and more creatively sustainable way.
天美棋牌> When you spoke to 天美棋牌 a couple of years ago, you said that "The issue is the process. How do you get that idea out into the world, still intact?" Does Birthday's model help you navigate that journey and, if so, how?
Corinna> Absolutely. Birthday is anti-process in a sense. We reject the wasteful, time-consuming layers often found in traditional systems. Our way is more sustainable because our team鈥攎ade up of independent creatives, strategists, and producers鈥攊s constantly evolving, tailored precisely to each brand, brief, and creative opportunity. This allows us to scale up for clients like Hinge and Allianz while remaining accessible to NGOs and start-ups.
When it comes to the journey of an idea, the biggest obstacles often come from the system itself. We don鈥檛 have those systems. We don鈥檛 have an internal hierarchy. We work directly with decision-makers. The foundation of every relationship is a shared ambition to create something great鈥攁nd in that regard, we have the best clients.
We also have the privilege of being invited behind the scenes. Calling yourself a true partner to brands is a clich茅 in advertising, but when you work alongside clients at the very heart of their business, the difference is undeniable. With Birthday, it鈥檚 no longer us and them鈥攖here鈥檚 only us.
Take our work with Hinge, for example. They protect the idea as much as we do. Every idea feels collective, shared. And that鈥檚 what makes the best ideas.
Above, Hinge, 'The Moment I Knew'
天美棋牌> Mergers of huge companies are becoming regular news in the industry. What do you think that says about the health of the traditional industry model 鈥 and do you consciously think about Birthday as something that stands in opposition to that trend?
Corinna> I鈥檓 not surprised that the traditional model is re-evaluating itself鈥攕o many of our clients say they don鈥檛 want to work with an agency anymore. But agencies generate ideas, just like Birthday does. So what is it that clients are rejecting? It鈥檚 all the extra baggage鈥攍ayers, process, and inefficiency.
This is an exciting time for free-spirited, independent creatives and collectives. We chose our name because, at our core, we鈥檙e optimists. We believe in people, in ideas, and in the magic that happens when the right people come together.
天美棋牌> How do you articulate the benefit of bringing external perspectives to in-house creative teams?
Corinna> It鈥檚 funny to think back to hearing the term at agencies: 鈥淲e have to sell the idea.鈥 That phrase alone reveals the problem鈥攎isalignment and mistrust from the start. Too often, there鈥檚 an arrogance in agencies, a belief that they know better than in-house teams or brand departments. But that鈥檚 not true, and it鈥檚 not what in-house teams need.
The people at the heart of a brand鈥攆rom CMOs to in-house teams鈥攌now their brand better than anyone. They have deep, firsthand knowledge, built from the inside out. What they need isn鈥檛 someone telling them what to do, but a partner who brings a valuable external perspective. Someone who sits beside them, not across from them. Someone who helps shape a collective vision鈥攚ithout agendas.
天美棋牌> When it comes to the kind of creatives that you're looking to add to the Birthday Collective, what sort of skills or experience are you looking for?
Corinna> Our motto鈥攏o layers, no politics, no nonsense鈥攁pplies to our side of the equation too. In our model, every role is critical because there鈥檚 no excess, no wasted effort. If you鈥檙e working on a Birthday project, you know you鈥檙e playing an instrumental role.
I guess that鈥檚 the kind of creative we鈥檙e looking for.
天美棋牌> We're speaking at a time when AI seems to be the biggest topic in the industry. To what extent do you use the technology in your work, and does the conversation around AI leave you feeling broadly excited, or broadly concerned?
Corinna> AI is, of course, omnipresent in what we do. We鈥檙e curious and excited about its potential to augment creativity鈥攜es, AI tools assist our creatives and ideas. But creativity itself is not just a tool. Human ideas will always be the foundation of everything we do.
In a way, AI-generated creativity will be amazing鈥攂ecause it will push us to make our creativity even more human.
天美棋牌> Finally, the you told us that the gift of a chainsaw 'changed your life'. Can we ask how 鈥 and is it still as important to this day?!
Corinna> The chainsaw was about a moment in my life when I needed to change everything鈥攖o cut things up. It was the perfect tool for breaking free, for letting go of restrictions. The ultimate liberation.
Now, years later, I鈥檝e graduated to being a sausage maker. It鈥檚 less about destruction and more about creation鈥攁bout making something others can enjoy, too.
