Bill Oberlander is Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of OBERLAND, where he combines his creative talents with his passion to make the world a better place. The agency, recognized as an Ad Age 2018 Small Agency of the Year and named a 2019 Ad Age Agency to Watch, merges a Madison Avenue pedigree with fearless social advocacy. As CCO, Bill leads the creative for the agency’s for-profit brands and nonprofit organizations - a list which has included the ACLU, Uber, The Guardian, Blue Man Group, The Nature Conservancy, Keep America Beautiful, St. Baldrick’s Foundation, The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), New York Institute of Technology, The Ad Council, the Robin Hood Foundation, Velcro Companies, Strong Roots, EY, March of Dimes and Rutgers University. Before launching OBERLAND, Bill served as Director of Communications, Marketing and Events at the Robin Hood Foundation. During his stint there, he created the marketing for the Concert for Hurricane Sandy Relief, the “Fight Poverty Like a New Yorker” brand campaign and the Robin Hood Investors Conference, which altogether raised hundreds of millions for charities across New York City. He’s won numerous industry awards during his career for culture-impacting campaigns created at Kirshenbaum Bond + Partners, Ogilvy, McCann and JWT. He introduced the nation to pop-culture icon Wendy “The Snapple Lady,” helped turn Target into “Tar-Jay” and transformed the cell phone into a fashion accessory with the simple words, “Hello Moto.” Bill also served on the Ad Council Creative Review Committee, has been a jury president of the AICP Next Awards and is a Past President of the Art Directors Club. He regularly speaks at universities and industry panels about the responsibility brands have to contribute to society beyond profit to shareholders. Most recently on stage at Cannes Lions Festival in 2019, Bill shared stories about the untold discrimination and biases found within the halls of agencies today.

After racking up more than a dozen national and global awards for cause marketing and driving social change through traditional, digital, social, and mobile campaigns, Drew Train set up shop as Co-Founder and CEO of OBERLAND, which he launched with Bill Oberlander. Before this, Drew started the social-good practice at JWT New York, called JWT Ethos. In that role, Drew worked with corporate, nonprofit and public-sector brands that play a role in driving change on the big-picture issues society faces. By leading an integrated team, Drew leveraged the potential of CSR strategy, communication planning, branding, and advertising to create positive, lasting change. Prior to opening JWT Ethos and OBERLAND, Drew learned his craft through extensive work on global, corporate brands like HSBC, Verizon, UPS, Puma, Lufthansa, and Tiffany & Co. in the US and Shanghai. Drew was instrumental in helping grow Services for the UnderServed into one of the most influential and impactful nonprofits in New York City. And, as National Campaign Co-Chair, he molded the #IWillListen campaign for the National Alliance on Mental Illness of New York City (NAMI NYC) into a powerful call-to-action to eliminate the stigma against mental illness. Drew serves on the Board of Directors for Summer Infant, Inc. (NASDAQ: SUMR), a global leader in premium infant and juvenile products, as well as on the Board of Directors for NAMI NYC. With a B.A. in Economics from the University of Richmond, he resides in Navesink with his wife and three children.

As a Copywriter writer and Chief Creative Officer for over 20 years, Lisa has managed agencies with upwards of 200 people, working across multiple clients and brands that are monolithic, large, small and teeny. In addition to being a prolific writer and integrated thinker who can do both humor and heartstrings, Lisa’s a particularly skilled presenter and ‘big” thinker’ with an excellent pitch record who’s able to quickly get to the core of a cohesive brand idea across digital, social, TV . Lisa was named one of the 30 most creative women in advertising by Business Insider and was listed as one of the top 27 creative leaders in the country by Adweek. Her work won nearly every major industry award in every color including Cannes, CLIO, One Show, ANDY, D&AD, CA and Effies. In her spare time, Lisa has taken her dogs, Schmutzy and Plop, to the highest levels of international competition in the sport of dog agility, becoming the 2 time Westminster Agility Champion and representing the United States team at the Wold Agility Championships. She’s a board member of Time's Up Advertising and cherishes being a mentor to women in advertising and seeing them rise up the ranks. She’s also a big fan of kindness. As she likes to put it, “Good things seem to follow it.”

As Managing Partner and Chief Strategy Officer at Oberland, Kate (she/her) brings together cultural trends, human truths and media behavior to move brands forward. Kate has over 15 years experience identifying breakthrough strategies for some of the world’s most successful brands including American Express, Oreo, Sony, Toyota and Lincoln Center. Motivated by “what’s next”, Kate’s passion is shaping strategies to fit the growing demand for brands that do good. She’s also passionate about connecting younger donors with non-profits by understanding digital behaviors, consumer motivations and bridging generational barriers. Kate developed her deep expertise in consumer, media and brand insights leading insights and planning groups at award-winning agencies, Lippe Taylor and 360i. Prior to the agency world, she spent eight years in brand consulting at Hall & Partners, working in the London and New York City offices. Originally from Minnesota, Kate now calls New York City home, with seats at the dinner table for her daughter, son, husband and Boston Terrier dog named Bronx.

Chris Plehal is an award-winning writer and creative director who uses his powers for good. He has worked with brands such as Google, YouTube, Macy’s, Diageo, Kellogg’s, JetBlue, Chevrolet, and many more. His work has received Cannes Lions, One Show Pencils, Clios, Effies, Webbys, and a place on his mom’s fridge. Chris is the author of “Yes Virginia, There is a Santa Claus,” an animated holiday special that airs annually on CBS. Chris has also written content for the Travel Channel, Cartoon Network, Food & Wine, and Headspace. During the height of Covid, he recreated the entire “Lord of the Rings” trilogy with LEGOs to raise money for Partners in Health. He lives with his wife, son, and dog in Philadelphia, where it’s always sunny.

Esteban Izquierdo (he/him) is an award-winning creative director from Ecuador. With stints at Meta, VMLY&R, FCB, Digitas and more. At Meta, he helped create platforms for the underrepresented communities and with Intel he helped hacked one of the biggest video games to create awareness about e-waste in gamers. His campaigns have snagged Cannes, Clios, Effies, and a Tribeca X award. When he's not creative directing, Esteban revels in his real treasures: a wondrous wife, a 6-year-old dynamo, a 4-year-old giggler, and an 11-year-old pup.

Jeff (He/Him) is a Group Client lead with over twenty years of agency and brand side experience working across the categories of music, fashion, sports, and consumer packaged goods. He’s worked on award winning cultural-influencing campaigns at MTV, BBDO, Kirshenbaum Bond + Partners, the Arnell Group, and with Spike Lee, as managing director of SpikeDDB. When off the clock, he’s a film, music, and sports fanatic living in Brooklyn with his wife, Melisa, youngest daughter, Dylan and his labradoodle, Ruby.

Ronni brings about 10 years of both healthcare and consumer advertising experience, most recently coming from a digitally driven start-up agency. From a meal reimbursement app for patients undergoing CAR T-cell therapy, to providing oral health education to children globally with the Colgate Bright Smiles Bright Futures program, Ronni has been involved in innovative and socially driven initiatives throughout her career. Combining her background in fine arts, client management skills, and love of details, Ronni has made a home in the realm of account management. As a native New Yorker, Ronni has never been to the Empire State Building, but will have a heated debate about where to find the best Shanghainese soup dumplings in the city.

Lili is a Managing Supervisor with 5 years of experience and a passion for putting together the pieces of the puzzle. She is eager to cultivate relationships and a pro at wearing many hats. She comes to us from BBDO, where she played a pivotal role in spearheading several high-profile, big-budget omni channel campaigns. Lili's approach to account management is defined by her emphasis on effective communication, meticulous process management, and a dedication to fostering creative, out-of-the-box solutions.

Rossana (she/her) is an Italian Project Manager based in New York, with a unique perspective due to her international background. Before moving to the Big Apple, she lived and worked in Turin, London, and Berlin, enriching her career path with diverse cultures and work experiences. She is passionate about advertising and creativity and she is committed to creating and supporting meaningful work, ensuring the smooth execution of all projects from start to finish. She is an excellent communicator and a creative problem solver, able to speak the language of the creatives and get everyone moving in the right direction. Rossana comes to OBERLAND with prior experience at Razorfish, where she worked with notable clients like Church and Dwight on Arm and Hammer, Rephresh, Replens, First Response and Flawless. She loves to travel but is scared to fly. She likes taking pictures, especially of her french bulldog Lea. She is a dance teacher. She bakes delicious cakes.

As a Senior Project Manager, Liz (She/Her) brings a decade of media and advertising experience to OBERLAND from a broad range of production and project management roles. She started her career at Time Inc., where she worked on photo production for Real Simple and post-production for their full suite of brands. At Munn Rabôt, Grey, and StrawberryFrog, she managed integrated advertising campaigns for a long list of clients, such as NYU Langone, Bessemer Trust, Taltz, Northwell Health, Prudential, Truist, Afterpay, and more. Liz is also a founding member of Aperture Connect, a photography non-profit in NYC.

As a multidisciplinary strategy director, Matthew challenges his teams to see through the perspective of the people they are trying to reach. At agencies like Grey and MullenLowe, he helped brands as varied as AARP and Applebee's earn attention, connect with new audiences and grow. He's particularly enthusiastic about strategy when it means contributing in some way to the greater good. Outside of work, he loves running, Pedro Almodóvar and washed rind cheeses.

Emma (she/her) is a native New Yorker who’s made the transition to the dark side (New Jersey). She joins OBERLAND as a Senior Strategist, after immersing herself in the world of beauty at Gotham (part of McCann Worldgroup). Starting out in analytics, Emma’s always trying to figure out what makes people tick and finding the throughline from insight to strategy. When she’s not asking a million questions, you’ll find her hanging out with her rescue pup, doing yoga, or obsessing over the latest pop culture phenomenon.

Camile (she/her) is a social media expert based in Atlanta, GA, with over five years of experience in the healthcare, transportation, food and beverage, and entertainment industries. Drawing on her background in journalism, she has honed her skills in crafting compelling stories that extend beyond social strategy. Her passion for storytelling is the driving force behind effective social media campaigns. Throughout her career, she's had the opportunity to manage global social media accounts and work with notable clients such as The Centers for Disease Control, Johnson & Johnson, and Volvo Trucks, to name a few. As a social analyst, she is skilled in analyzing data and metrics to derive valuable insights and inform strategic decision-making. When she is not immersed in social media, you can often find her on the vibrant scene of Atlanta, trying a new restaurant, traveling, or at home playing with her two dogs

Kate (She/Her) is a media professional who comes to OBERLAND from the agency world, where she spent four years working for brands at Colangelo & Partners and R\West. She brings public relations experience and a passion for social and environmental issues. She started her career working on TV shows before moving to food, wine, spirits, and fashion brands. She enjoys working on a creative team toward a shared vision. As a native New Yorker, she’s often walking her dog around Brooklyn and searching for good coffee and pastries.

Arnau (he/him) is one of the first employees at OBERLAND, and has been an integral part of the agency’s growth. He earned his design chops at Pratt Institute where he received the Outstanding Merit Award, and has continued to hone his craft while leading and inspiring a team of designers at the agency. Arnau is an invaluable asset in helping clients define their visual identity with systemic rigor and stunning beauty, across every medium.

Laura (she/her) is a multi-disciplinary designer and artist hailing from the coast of California. Her dedication to effecting lasting social change through design is communicated through her branding, creative strategy, UI, and motion graphics work. Before joining Oberland, Laura devoted her creative energy to non-profits, small businesses, start-ups, and health & fitness brands throughout California and NYC. She currently holds a BS from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and completed her design education at Shillington, NYC.

Anika (She/Her) is a graphic designer and illustrator hailing from Kolkata, India. She recently earned her BFA in graphic design from the School of Visual Arts, New York with the Rhodes Family Award for Outstanding Achievement in Design. Her determination to create intentional and purpose-driven work expresses itself in a way that is personal in lieu of performative, and she aspires to display that determination through her designs at OBERLAND.

Adriene (They/Them) is a trans non-binary designer from NYC. With a background in TV and film development, Adriene always considers story in their approach to design. As an alumni of SCAD and Shillington School of Graphic Design, Adriene loves illustration, performance art and art history. Adriene most recently completed a certificate program at NYU Tandon for User Experience and Emerging Technologies Design.

Kyle Sims is a film director and commercial editor from Buffalo, NY. He graduated from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts in 2018 with a BFA in Film/TV. His short film Our Boy premiered at the Slamdance Film Festival in January 2020, and was awarded the Wasserman Directing Award at the 2019 First Run Film Festival. His latest film Galapagos stars Catherine Curtin and premiered at the Aspen Shortsfest in April, 2023. In the commercial realm, Kyle has edited broadcast and digital content for major brands such as Kohl’s, PetSmart, Pandora Jewelry, and Just For Men. As an analog photography loyalist, Kyle develops his own film and carries a fleet of vintage cameras everywhere he goes. He is also a collage artist and loose-leaf tea fanatic, with a growing collection of original foreign film posters.

Carina (She/Her) is a copywriter who comes to OBERLAND from freelanceland, where she spent two years working on a number of brands at award-winning New York-based agencies Walrus and Terri & Sandy. She is passionate about addressing the social and environmental issues of today through purposeful storytelling, and will probably ask you if you’re wearing SPF 30+ on a sunny day.

Frank (he/him) comes to OBERLAND with a wealth of financial services experience spanning nearly 25 years. His most recent role was the Chief Operating Officer of the Wealth Management Group at Jefferies. As Chief Operating Officer, Frank’s role is to ensure that all our agency runs smoothly and our internal operations are as good as our client operations.