SAN MARCOS, Calif.; May 3, 2006 – Attracted by the Southern California climate and lifestyle, members of the creative class are transforming San Diego North into the region’s creative center.

Full-service firms like JDS Video & Media Productions, Inc., a video production and multimedia solutions company in Escondido; NYCA, a 38-person strong advertising and branding agency in Encinitas; and (W)right On Communications, a corporate communications consultancy in San Marcos; have chosen North County as their base of operations and, as a result, are raising the creative bar in their own backyards and for the entire region.  

Diane and Scott Strand, principles of JDS Video & Media Productions, Inc.; Michelle Edelman, Vice President with NYCA; and Julie Wright, President of (W)right On Communications; joined Gary Knight, president & CEO of the San Diego North Economic Development Council, to shine a light on the opportunities and challenges facing the communication, marketing and public relations business cluster in North County.

“Until three years ago, I did business in Los Angeles exclusively,” explains Diane Strand. “I was attracted to San Diego for the lifestyle and great environment as well as the business opportunities.”

While Wright also pulled up stakes and relocated from Canada to San Diego six years ago, Edelman is a very recent transplant recruited by NYCA from Chicago.

Scott Strand described the pull that brought these diverse creative types to San Diego North as a ‘maverick spirit.’ The result is that the majority of creatives in San Diego are very independent and more likely to hang their own shingle or get onboard with an experienced agency team than join an in-house marketing department. And this results in many smaller firms dotting the region.

This trend also produces an increased need for San Diego companies to retain outsourced marketing services because it makes attracting or recruiting an adequate in-house team difficult, even for the largest companies. And for the smaller to mid-sized companies that make up the bulk of businesses in the region, financing an in-house team is out of the question.
“San Diego North is the kind of place you come to work because it’s where you want to live,” explains Knight. Edelman agrees, “In the Chicago agency world, you must live to work because you can easily be replaced by the copywriter next door.” Diane Strand notes that “People here are willing to work hard to prove themselves and make an impact because they don’t have the worker bee mentality that you have in the Los Angeles agency world.”

One trend that Edelman has found surprising since beginning work at NYCA is the frequency of partnering between San Diego’s smaller agencies. Now, like Strand and Wright, she sees that it is a very useful business practice.

“Partnering gives us the flexibility in terms of the skills needed to service everything from a $20,000 account to a $20 million account,” explains Edelman.

An adverse trend noted by the group was the tendency for several of San Diego’s biggest brands to seek creative talent outside of the county. “We’re very concerned about it,” says Edelman who cites Petco, Sony and the San Diego Zoo as examples of companies using Orange County of L.A.-based agencies. “San Diego based agencies could easily serve these San Diego companies.”

Another challenge is false assumptions: “Technologists think their cool gizmo is enough to create a market. Non-profits think because the work they do is important, people will donate. Entrepreneurs think they can turn their marketing on and off like a faucet,” says Wright.
“Businesses in North County need to understand that good marketing is a process that begins with planning and strategy and continues, over time, to produce results,” says Knight. “They also need to recognize that the region has outstanding talent in a variety of specialties that can help them grow their business.”

About JDS Video & Media Productions, Inc.
JDS Video & Media Productions, Inc. is a full-service video production multimedia solution company that provides solutions for businesses in video, multimedia, marketing, advertising, training and client services. Diane Strand is majority owner of JDS Video & Media Productions, Inc. along with partner Scott Strand. Clients include Cal State San Marcos Extended Studies, Americover Inc., Datron World Communications, Palomar College, Neurocrine Biosciences and Hay House. For more information see www.jds-productions.com

About NYCA
NYCA is a deeply experienced marketing team of strategic planners, creative conjurers and media mavericks. Based in Encinitas, the agency is focused on growth through inspired ideas. Client companies include TaylorMade-adidas Golf, Kyocera Wireless and The San Diego Union-Tribune. For more, see www.nyca.com.

About (W)right On Communications
Established in 1998, (W)right On Communications is a full spectrum communications firm headquartered in San Diego’s North County with a second office in the World Trade Center in Vancouver, British Columbia. (W)right On provides integrated marketing, public relations and strategic consulting services to a diverse client base across a variety of industry sectors in the southwestern USA, Pacific Northwest and Canada. Clients include Palomar Pomerado Health Foundation, North County Division of BIA, Yulex Corp., Sensoria Corp., Chuao Chocolatier and Grand Pacific Resorts. For more about (W)right On and what its clients have to say, go to www.wrightoncomm.com

About the San Diego North Economic Development Council