Assets and attitude
People are the keystone of our firm and our services. They and their experience are our only asset. Without them, we don’t exist. Some clients think we are sharp, engaging, and flexible. Others believe we are perceptive, friendly, and versatile. You decide.
James McNamara
Managing Director
Responsibilities. Company management and operations, client strategy supervision and creation, day-to-day project management, and creative strategy and supervision.
Nonprofit Background. James has extensive experience in brand strategy development, client management, and the marketing and management of branding and design services.
He repositioned LaPlaca Cohen from a niche arts advertising agency to a full-service cultural field thought-leadership consultancy – setting the firm on its course. James founded and managed the firm’s brand strategy and visual identity practice for eight years. He supervised projects and strategy creation, instituted consulting methodologies and deliverables, consulted on an extensive array of visual and performing arts clients, and trained and supervised staff. He’s particularly proud that two alumnae became marketing directors at two leading New York art museums.
James created the central idea and research focus for the firm’s seminal Culture Track biennial cultural field research study (a deep probe into why and how people choose culture, unseen in other national studies). He managed this ongoing research for its first three iterations.
After this, James was the practice lead for cultural arts at The Partners Design Consultants, an international brand strategy and design studio with a cultural arts interest. He has also held contract marketing and brand strategy positions at Addison Design Company, Saffron Brand Consultants, and Carbone Smolan Agency. James has a 20+ year career in brand strategy and visual identity, and package and industrial design at several other branding agencies.
He has held executive positions as practice head, managing director, and executive vice president / general manager; and staff positions as brand strategist, account manager, and marketing director.
James has presented to the Board of Directors of cultural organizations on branding issues and to cultural field conferences as well.
He has an MBA in marketing and organizational behavior from Boston University and a BA in graphic and industrial design from UCLA.
For detailed information, take a look at James’ LinkedIn profile.
Ian Alden Russell
Strategy Director
Responsibilities. Project research and analysis, synthesis of information, lead on client brand and contributor to creative strategies, support for client presentations.
Nonprofit Background. Ian has extensive experience in cultural strategy, brand strategy, arts programming, and humanities education. With a professional background as a contemporary art curator and a specialist in the cultural heritage sector, Ian has broad international experience leading projects in Hong Kong, Ireland, Istanbul, and across the United States. His most recent engagement was as a Project Development Consultant for the Tate Modern for Tania Bruguera's Turbine Hall Commission.
He also has ten years of experience in the performing arts, touring and performing internationally with the award-winning vocal group Anúna.
Ian has taught and lectured on the application of design and visual communications in the arts, humanities, and non-profit sectors at Brown University, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Harvard University, and University College Dublin.
He has also worked as a strategy consultant with leading brand strategy firms, including Pearlfisher, a brand and package design firm in New York and London, and Sign Salad, a semiotics research firm in London, contracting with international blue chip clients.
Cultural Heritage Background. Ian holds a PhD in the History of Archaeology from Trinity College Dublin, and began his career working with cultural heritage organizations and museums in Ireland and the UK on presenting social sciences via storytelling and leveraging brand narrative. Since then, he has held major fellowships in Public Humanities, Public Art, and Archaeology at Brown University, University of Notre Dame, and University College Dublin.
His books and essays on contemporary art and cultural heritage have been published by Ashgate, Brown University, Cambridge University Press, Cittadellarte, deCordova Sculpture Park & Museum, Lars Muller Publishers, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, Oxford University Press, Routledge, Springer-Kluwer, University of Chicago Press, and Yapı Kredi Publishers.
Ian has been a guest critic at Brown University, Bryn Mawr College, and the Rhode Island School of Design, and he has spoken at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Columbia University, Contemporary Istanbul, Fudan University in Shanghai, China, the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, Harvard University, New York University, Stanford University, the University of Cambridge, and the University of Shanghai.
For detailed information, take a look at Ian’s LinkedIn profile.
Team Resources
Valued Partners
These are resources in our field. We know many from partnering with them directly, or indirectly, from working on the same project at different stages:
Strategic & Facilities Planning
Human Resources
Qualitative and Quantitative Research
Digital | Social Media
Communications
Marketing
Allied Live
CSF Strategy, LLC
Grapeseed Media
Serino / Coyne
SpotCo
Trudel | MacPherson
WiT Media
Audience Development
Capacity Interactive Inc.
CultureThrive
Daniller + Company
DCM
Membership Consultants
Membership Matters
Spark Arts Consulting
TRG Arts
Development | Fundraising
CCS Fundraising
Dunch Arts, LLC
Goodale Associates
Grenzebach Glier & Associates, Inc.
Groves Development Group
Jan Krukowski & Company
The John O’Donnell Company
Phillips & Associates
Shelley Jane Grossberg Development Counsel