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Mother LA has a new Managing Director, responsible for leading the West Coast outpost of the independent agency, in partnership with CCO Jed Cohen and Head of Strategy Nika Rastakhiz.

Stephanie Thiel Has Joined Us as Managing Director

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Mother Design Shop is a store in the West Adams neighborhood of Los Angeles dedicated to analog craft in various forms.

A small collection of well-designed things, most of which are for sale in exchange for money or the explicit promise of creative commissions. An excuse to showcase objects and initiatives from our favorite people, as well as products and brands that we have designed ourselves.

Mother Design Shop is a small collection of well-designed things, most of which are for sale in exchange for money or the explicit promise of creative commissions. An excuse to showcase objects and initiatives from our favorite people, as well as products and brands that we have designed ourselves.

Mother Design Shop aims to bring together a wide variety of characters and disciplines, giving visitors a sense of Mother’s creative orbit and influence. The space also functions as a workshop and educational space on occasion.

Where else might one find electronics by Teenage Engineering, surfboards by Tyler Warren, cocktail garnishes and mixers by Filthy, plastic-free gum by Nuud, probiotic soda by Fhirst, soap and skincare products by Nursem, apparel by Mother Design, as well as a curated selection of pre-loved books, ceramic housewares and novelties?

The Shop is open Monday through Wednesday 12p-4p and by appointment

"Mother Design Shop is a portal into our world. It’s a space that will feature a constantly evolving selection of well-designed objects, some created by us, and some created by friends of ours. It’s mostly an excuse to share our love of design with the general public, meet new people, and have unexpected conversations."

#000

Mother Design has a Store in the Office

In their first joint interview, our CCO and Mother NY’s CCO Oriel Davis-Lyons talk to LBB about leading creative on opposite coasts, what independence really demands, and how a shared culture shows up differently in each city — plus how a recent Meta Super Bowl spot became a cross-office collaboration between LA, New York, and London.


Mother Coast to Coast with our CCO

 2026 Independent Agency Network of the Year, "Mother shows it can take unique approaches to complicated categories". 

https://adage.com/events-awards/a-list-creativity/aa-a-list-winners-2026/

The award recognizes our work with Anthropic, EA, Meta, Uber, KFC and more, as well as our 

https://www.motherdesign.com/

https://www.mediabymother.com/

It also recognizes the independent status we hold at scale. No holding companies, no private equity investors. At almost 30 years old, Mother is not for sale and never will be. 

"Nearly 30 years in, the independent agency didn't just prove it could withstand volatility—it showed that bringing its global family closer together could be a growth strategy in itself."

https://adage.com/reprints/2026-a-list-mother/

Mother is Ad Age’s Independent Agency Network of the Year

Oakley Meta is taking athletic performance to the next level in its Super Bowl debut, with our help.

is taking athletic performance to the next level in its Super Bowl debut, with our help.


Against the backdrop of one of sport’s biggest moments, Oakley Meta is bringing a mega roster of talent to the screen, including Spike Lee, iShowSpeed, Marshawn Lynch, PGA Tour star Akshay Bhatia, and Olympians Kate Courtney, Sky Brown, and Sunny Choi. Each talent brings the capabilities of Oakley Meta Performance AI Glasses to life in thrilling, high-energy, and visceral ways, showcasing how they gain an edge to take on whatever they face.

We're Super Bowl Bound with Oakley Meta!

Branded Entertainment/Content - Film (Unscripted): 

 
Partnerships & Sponsorships - Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL): 

We're not in this for the awards, but that doesn't mean we don't appreciate scoring some shiny hardware along the way. This one feels especially good because it marks the first time we’ve ever submitted work from our ongoing collaboration with our friends at SONIC. First time submitting and walking away with two Silvers and a Bronze at the Clio Sports Awards? Yeah, we’ll take it.

Big thanks to the jurors for this recognition and a bigger thank you to our friends at SONIC for trusting us to create such magic.

We Won An Award (3 to be exact)

Because standout performances on the field don’t always translate on camera, SONIC enlisted actor and football fan Terry Crews to serve as on-set acting coach for NIL athletes.

Because standout performances on the field don’t always translate on camera, SONIC enlisted actor and football fan Terry Crews to serve as on-set acting coach.

Behind the scenes, Crews works with the featured NIL athletes to help them bring the same energy, timing, and charisma to their lines as they do to game day—ensuring their performances match the star power of the SONIC Smasher itself.

SONIC Presents: Terry Crews School of Acting for Athletes

 about his background, his creative inspirations and recent work he's admired.

"My mom is the most brilliant, creative mind I know. She was an art teacher. And for as long as I can remember, she always encouraged me and my siblings to express ourselves creatively. I spent my childhood drawing, reading, writing, painting and attempting all sorts of arts and crafts projects she’d set up for us." 

Jed Cohen of Mother L.A. on Understanding What People Are Trying to Say

We announced the completion of our renovated 15,000-square-foot office in the city’s historic West Adams neighborhood.

We spoke with the LA Times about our new office space in West Adams, and the journey to create it alongside our design and architect partners. 

“In designing Mother L.A.’s new space, we wanted to authentically capture the architectural language of both the surrounding neighborhood and the city’s evolution”

We Completed Our Renovation of Our Office in Historic West Adams Neighborhood

CMO Ryan Dickerson discussed a Grillo’s partnership and ad shoot that involved over 2,000 real pickles as briny foods win Gen Z and Gen Alpha’s favor.

Sonic's CMO Ryan Dickerson discussed a Grillo’s partnership and ad shoot that involved over 2,000 real pickles as briny foods win Gen Z and Gen Alpha’s favor.

"The Mother team was awesome. They were like, “Let us cook. We’ll get back to you in a week. We think we can really blow this thing out.” And of course, they came back with some concepts, and “Pickle the World,” where we landed, was one of those. It was just so over-the-top freaking ridiculous."

Don’t hold the pickles: Sonic’s CMO on going all-in on dining trend

Now in our eighth year in the city of dreams, we're on a mission to cement ourselves as one of the top agencies on the West Coast. To help our CCO, 

Rastakhiz joins Mother from Anomaly LA, where she has been for the last eight years, most recently serving as head of strategy, working across the agency's Coca-Cola and General Mills portfolio, as well as pillar accounts like Starbucks and Liquid IV. Before Anomaly, Nika worked at Droga5 and Publicis New York, leading brand planning across various categories, from COVERGIRL to Cadillac.

“I can't believe how lucky I am to join Mother at this inflection point in their story. I'm not joking—a bird **** on my head right after I accepted the offer. On my actual head. With enormous gratitude for the existing foundation, I can't wait to help carve out the unique and prominent role that Mother LA can play for existing and prospective clients, the Motherverse, and the creative talent pool in this city.” - 

Say Hello to Our New Head of Strategy

We're opening a new kind of Titty Bar for Mother's Day this year for the moms who reallyyyyy need a night out.

 is place for new moms to find community, get breastfeeding advice, and have adult conversations that don’t involve Ms. Rachel. 

Titty Bar Website 

We’ll have mind-blowing mocktails that don’t require a pump n’ dump, lactation experts, and good ol’ fashioned gab. This is good vibes, great atmosphere, and networking bundled together.

Entry is free, but donations to our nonprofit partner, birthFund, are encouraged through this 

Donate

BirthFUND’s mission is to address the maternal healthcare crisis in America by making midwifery more accessible. The U.S. maternal mortality rate is 10x higher than that of other high-income countries, and the risk of death for black women is astronomically higher. By creating a healthier and happier environment for moms, they’ve brought joy back into the birthing and postpartum experience.

 by Wednesday, April 30, and bring your little plus one and/or a friend.

RSVP

The Titty Bar

The burger is basically America’s national food, and yet so many burgers disappoint. The Sonic Smasher is the burger we deserve — it may just become our nation’s Smashional burger.

Burgers are America’s unofficial national dish, but the quality at most fast food restaurants doesn’t live up. Hockey puck patties. Microwaved buns. Soggy lettuce. Meanwhile, the price they charge is only going up. People have been overcharged and underwhelmed. 

Sonic believes America deserves a better burger - one with the quality of a premium burger and the cost of a fast food burger: The Sonic Smasher, the Smashional Burger of America.

“We truly believe America deserves a better burger. Consumers are having to shell out more and more money for the same old sad, assembly line burgers that have been sitting under heat lamps, and it’s a real problem when sit-down restaurants are offering better burger deals than fast food chains. We introduced the SONIC Smasher last year to give people something better, a premium cheeseburger at a fast-food price, and we’re proud of the highly positive responses we’ve had from guests since it launched,” shared 

Ryan Dickerson, Chief Marketing Officer at SONIC

. “Whether you’re already a SONIC Smasher fan who wants to get it again at an extra delicious price, or you’re a cheeseburger connoisseur who hasn’t yet tried it and needs to be convinced, the SONIC Smasher is waiting to upgrade your burger game.”

here

Introducing the Smashional Burger of America

Katie Mackay-Sinclair, Chris Gallery, Felix Richter and Teri Miller are elevated to global team, leading the Mother Family of agencies into the future

Mother has announced a newly formed global partnership group, the next generation set to lead the Mother Family of agencies. Approaching 30 years in business, and proudly remaining independent, the new operating group is tasked with stewarding Mother towards the next 30 years. The group will work with and report into global CEO Michael Wall and Mother’s founder, Robert Saville.

 (Global Chief Client Officer) who both joined Mother in 2022; and 

 (Global Chief Strategy Officer), who have been with Mother for almost their entire careers, and have led the evolution and successes of the London office over the past eight years. They will retain their existing responsibilities alongside their new global roles.

Michael Wall, Global CEO said: “This is a world class team. And they are proven and high quality practitioners for Mother."

"We believe that there has never been a better time to be a truly independent creative agency that is focussed on its clients, genuinely cares for its people and can act with clarity, speed and at scale in today’s marketplace.” 

Felix Richter becomes Global Chief Creative Officer, the first in Mother’s history, and will be working closely with the CCO’s across Mother’s offices in Berlin, Los Angeles, New York and Shanghai, and continuing oversight of London’s creative output.

Felix joined Mother as CCO of the London office in 2022, after 11 years at Droga5 in New York. He has brought great creative momentum to Mother, winning multiple back-to-back Agency of the Year titles, including International Agency of the year from Adweek in 2024. Mother London’s most recent work for Uber, KFC and IKEA, amongst others, has been heavily lauded.

Teri Miller becomes Global Chief Client Officer and is also promoted to US CEO, reflecting her role in transforming and growing Mother in New York and Los Angeles. Teri joined Mother in 2022 as US President from 72andSunny. In her three years, she has been pivotal in Mother’s growth. In the past year alone, there are 11 new clients, including Electronic Arts, General Motors, BlackRock and General Mills.

Katie Mackay-Sinclair and Chris Gallery have been at Mother for 17 and 16 years, respectively, originally joining as strategists. They made the transition into leadership as Heads of Strategy, before becoming Partners of the London office and are responsible for Mother’s longest-running, most effective and creatively renowned client relationships there. As part of the global team, Katie is elevated to Global Chief Brand Officer and Chris assumes the role of Global Chief Strategy Officer.

With a dramatic rise in client interest in independents with global capabilities, Mother is doubling down on working together across offices and the Family of agencies, building on what they are already doing for clients including Uber, Google, Dow Jones, Blackrock, Electronic Arts and more.

Mother’s entrepreneurial spirit has seen them birth, support and co-create a best-in-class integrated offering, through the growth of Mother Design in both the US and UK markets, the successful launch of Media by Mother, as well as investment in independent creative businesses 

SuperBloom House

Run Deep

Small World

Founder Robert Saville said: “We have spent the last two years planning the next chapter in our Mother story. And like all our decisions it comes down to people. People who believe in the values and ambitions of Mother."

"Teri, Felix, Katie and Chris are wonderful, talented and principled leaders who will help our brilliant people build on their incredible momentum and push Mother to new levels all around the world. Because, let’s face it, our industry needs a strong Mother now more than ever.” 

Mother Elevates Next Generation of Global Leaders

Mother has announced the promotion of Executive Creative Director, Jed Cohen, to take on the role of Chief Creative Officer for the Los Angeles office.

Mother, has announced the promotion of Executive Creative Director, Jed Cohen, to take on the role of Chief Creative Officer for the Los Angeles office.

Jed joined the agency in 2022 and has been a key contributor to the growth of Mother’s business in Los Angeles. From being part of the team that defended the Sonic Drive-In business, to bringing in new clients from heavy hitting brands like General Motors and Electronic Arts—as well as a confidential new CPG client—winning 4 for 4 of his last pitches and doubling the agency’s client roster in the last twelve months. 

“I’ve been here three years, but on a daily basis I’m reminded how fiercely the idea of independence runs through Mother. It doesn’t just mean we aren’t owned by a giant holding company. It means we’re free to create things we love that build our client’s brands, and build a culture that cares about creativity and our people in equal order. The only thing that matters to me is creating the agency I wish I’d always worked at. And the chance to get to do that here is the honor of my career.” 

- Jed Cohen, Chief Creative Officer, Mother LA.

“Jed is the heart and soul of Mother in LA. Under his leadership, he’s rallied the agency to new heights in our next chapter of work and wins by putting people first." 

"You would be hard pressed to find anyone in this industry that loves our business of advertising as much as he does. His joy in what we do is contagious for all us practicing Jedheadz.”

 - Teri Miller, Partner & President, Mother USA.

The appointment comes at an exciting time for Mother LA as they onboard several new clients and hires in the last few months. They started the year with multiple projects in production around the world, their first work is about to break for several new brands, and some of the best creative yet is coming for both Postmates and Sonic. Next month they will move into their new, larger offices in Los Angeles’s West Adams neighborhood.

Jed joined Mother from TBWA\Media Arts Lab, where he created work for Apple. While there, his work was nominated for an Emmy, and he was named one of Adweek’s Top 100 Creatives in Advertising. Prior to that, he was a Creative Director at 72andSunny, where he created award winning work for Sonos, Call of Duty, Coors Light, ESPN’s Sportscenter@ Night, Carls’ Jr. and National Geographic. His work has been recognized by Cannes Lions, D&AD, Clios, the One Show, Andy’s and Webbys. He also co-wrote 

, a short film that premiered at the Tribeca Film festival.

Growing up in South Africa, Jed moved to Miami with his family at the age of 12. He won a radio contest to write a commercial for a piano company when he was 16, which made him realize that people actually got paid to make ads, and has been on that path ever since.

Adweek covered his appointment and talked to him about why there has never been a better time to be an indie agency 

Mother Promotes Jed Cohen to Chief Creative Officer of Mother Los Angeles

According to a 2024 study by Drive Research: Only 9% of Americans kept their resolution throughout the year.

People pick being more fitness-minded as their resolutions. But, people quit their resolutions (according to the data), and finding time to work out is hard when life gets to life-ing. Not anymore, though, thanks to our new product, Reodorant.

Reodorant is the ultimate fitness hack for fitness hacks: a body odor-scented deodorant. Reodorant makes you smell like you worked out without actually working out, matching the naturally occurring body odor of weightlifters, runners, cyclists, and Pilates enthusiasts.

It uses pheromones secreted by athletes to create the illusion of an active lifestyle — enhancing perception without increasing performance. Because in our health and wellness-obsessed culture, being perceived as fit is arguably more important than actually being fit. And for faux fitfluencers donning yoga pants and lying about taking GLP-1 meds, there’s one dead giveaway: they may look fit, but they don’t smell fit.

Reodorant is for anyone tired of keeping up with the societal pressure of constantly needing to work out. So, to the full-time working parents who can't get a second, the caregivers, and the burnt-out students...Reodorant is here for you.

Order yourself one or a few, while supplies last: 

order now

Reodorant brand sizzle

Reodorant: The Scent You've Always Had (Sometimes)

" This is more than a literal statement; it is a declaration of commitment and ambition to positively impact the future through creativity. It doesn’t just mean doing good or purpose-driven work, it is deeper rooted in everything we do, how we behave and interact with one another, our clients, the industry, and how the work we create shows up in society at large.

With the next generation always at the top of our minds, we jumped at the opportunity to sponsor the digital category of the 2025 US Young Lions competition. The next generation of our industry has their fingers on the pulse of culture and are the tastemakers.

A big thank you to our friends at National CineMedia for the opportunity to be part of this year's competition. 2025 marks 10 years of NCM’s role as U.S. representative and the first since NCM’s launch of the U.S. Lions Community.

The US Young Lions competition is open to all creatives aged 30 and under in the advertising, marketing, and media industries. Our colleagues Yi Chen, Gustavo Dorietto, and Jed Cohen are looking forward to the submissions. Registration closes on January 17.

Mother Sponsors Young Lions' Digital Category

We’re thrilled that Mother was part of one of the hottest pitches of the year and has been awarded GM’s Buick account.


From the start of the pitch process, we shared a similar energy, ambition and collaborative spirit with the Buick team. Together, we hope to create a fresh and vibrant platform for a fast-growing brand that operates by a different marketing playbook and exudes a deserved confidence in its vehicles. It feels like an assignment was made for Mother. Read what 

General Motors Adds Mother in LA to Creative Roster

Ryan Dickerson, who recently took over marketing for the chain, describes its new marketing approach, including appealing to price-sensitive consumers.

Inspire late last year announced Dickerson’s promotion to Sonic CMO. He had served as VP for retail and e-commerce in Inspire’s Commercial Group. Ad Age recently caught up with Dickerson to learn how Sonic is speaking to a wide range of consumers, why the chain stayed with Mother after conducting an agency review last year and how the relaunch may change the brand’s media mix. Read the interview with 

Sonic CMO on its new campaign, changing media approach and why it stuck with Mother

As comedians took over LA this May, Mother Design delivered graphic design with a punchline for organisers Netflix.

For the festival's 2024 edition from May 2-12, Netflix partnered with design agency Mother Design to create a fun, irreverent visual identity fitting for the comedy extravaganza.

Because of the festival's impact in Los Angeles, supporting local comedy venues and giving back to the LA community, Mother Design focused its efforts on ensuring the design and tone of the new visual identity felt uniquely Angeleno.

Mother Design's identity for Netflix Comedy festival is uniquely Angeleno

Joey Johnson and Shelby Tamura, creative directors at Mother LA, speak to LBB’s Addison Capper about the magnetic force of their similarly ‘weird and dark’ sense of humour.

Joey Johnson and Shelby Tamura love making work that makes people say, ‘what the f*** I love that’.


The creative duo – affably now known as Jelby – first met in 2021 while working on the Coors Light account at DDB Chicago before joining forces with Mother LA as creative directors. They shared a similarly ‘weird and dark’ sense of humour and were into a lot of the same shows, movies, creative work, Pokémon cards, and, importantly, found themselves challenging a similar set of ideals within the industry.

Jelby Make Work That’ll Make You Say, ‘What the F*** I Love That’

Jed shares 3 ways to put yourself out there and create meaningful relationships, when the last thing you feel comfortable doing is networking. 

Jed does not enjoy networking. He loves people and learning about their stories, but networking for networking's sake? Forget it. It is also why he's the perfect person to give advice on how to network. And why adding random people you don't know on LinkedIn doesn't count! Read what he has to say on 

Jed Cohen's Advice on How to Network (when you hate networking)

Postmates partnered with Mother LA and Nexus Design Studio to show the pleasure of food.

No one went hungry during the making of the Postmates “This Is Your Brain on Food” campaign, with takeout orders of hot chicken, soup dumplings, boba tea and more crave-worthy dishes inspiring the creative and fueling the workday.

“It was one of these beautiful research projects where we just got to eat a bunch of delicious food,” said Biz Anderson, strategist at agency Mother L.A.

The Delicious Story Behind Postmates' Trippy Ads

Mother making bear blankets for soon to be mothers!

The team at Mother LA spent some volunteer time over at the Good + Foundation to spread some cheer and help out families in the community. With supplies donated by the Mother team, we made personal Blanket Bears each with their own custom note. 

Mother LA has had a good partnership in the last year, participating in the Good+ back to school supplies and children’s health month drives and donated upwards of 200 products for them to distribute to their partners and families. We also helped prepare 50+ bundles of clothing for distribution to kids in need. To find out more on how to donate and volunteer please follow the link 

Mother LA & Good+ Foundation Help Out for the Holidays

, “Sonic Drive-In has retained Mother as its creative agency of record following a review first reported in July.” Welcome back home, Sonic.

We retained Sonic. Ad Age reported, “Sonic Drive-In has retained Mother as its creative agency of record following a review first reported in July.” Told you! Welcome back home, Sonic.

Sonic Retains Mother as Lead Creative Agency

President and partner of Mother Industries speaks to LBB’s Addison Capper about creating a place where the most creative people in the world want to work

In five minutes, Mother’s president, Teri Miller, touched on her ambitions for the agency, her favorite projects to date, and what’s to come. Read more at 

Five Minutes with Teri Miller, Mother's US President

We looked around and realized we needed someone with Marianne’s skillset, which led to her becoming Mother USA’s Chief Community & Communications Officer. While she’s building our community of alumni, friends and family, she’s also leading our PR and Comms function.

As Chief Community & Communications Officer for Mother USA, Marianne will focus on building Mother’s community of alumni, friends and family in addition to leading the PR and Comms function.

 explains her appointment and role in more detail. 

Stephanie Thiel Has Joined Us as Managing Director

9.28.26

Marianne Stefanowicz is Mother’s first Chief Community & Communications Officer

Mother Design has a Store in the Office