Experiential Agency Cogs & Marvel Expands Leadership Team in San Francisco

Cogs & Marvel, the Dublin and San Francisco-based brand experience agency, welcomes creative director Jamie Shaw as leader of its creative department in the US. A passionate and progressive thinker, Shaw has spent her career helping brands to better define their values and translate them into memorable moments in physical spaces.

Shaw joins Cogs & Marvel in its San Francisco office, further expanding the 12-year-old agency’s presence there - even as it continues to strengthen its global reach from its Dublin headquarters. For years, the agency has worked with the world’s biggest brands including Google, Facebook, and Twitter. 

Known for creating experiences that can tap into the heart of a brand conversation, Shaw was most recently responsible for the highly praised San Francisco pop-up experience That Lady Thing, created through local agency Eleven. Designed to raise awareness for International Women’s Day, the installation used modern women’s issues like the pay gap, sexual harassment, and gender disparity to inspire an array of colorful and affecting interactive experiences. The pop-up generated west-coast attention as well as global coverage from BBC, The Guardian, SF Chronicle, Time Out, and many others. The activation donated proceeds from merchandise sales and onsite fundraising to the National Women’s Law Center.

Prior to Eleven, Shaw worked with global powerhouse brands like Google, Apple, Levi’s; startups like Tile and Glow; as well as boutique lifestyle brands like Olly, Mod, and Urban Remedy. A multifaceted creative, she started her career as a copywriter and eventually developed an interest in designing physical experiences while working on “future of retail” concepts at creative studio Autofuss (which was eventually acquired by Google in 2013). Shaw hopes to bring that same love for transformative experiences to the SF office. 

“Cogs & Marvel has the chops to build anything anywhere on the planet with amazing efficiency and enthusiasm. Their goal, and mine, is to create experiences that inspire authentic engagement,” Shaw said. “Smart, forward thinking brands understand that today’s audiences are too savvy to be sold to. People want to recognize a brand’s values as their own and connect in more relevant, resonant ways.”

Along with Shaw, Cogs & Marvel has also brought on Autofuss-alum Brendan Keenan as Director of Business Development & Marketing. Keenan will be tasked with expanding the agency’s relationships with US-based brands and agency partners. His background includes time spent leading account teams at world-class agencies like Goodby Silverstein & Partners, Wieden+Kennedy, and Venables Bell & Partners. “Jamie and I have been fortunate enough to work at some of the top creative shops over the past many years. We’re anxious to bring that same level of thinking to a world-class outfit that can execute,” Keenan said. 

Cogs & Marvel’s US CEO Roisin Callaghan adds, “Our team has always prided itself on identifying the most creative ways to produce world-class experiences for our clients. Now that we’ve established a foothold in San Francisco, one of the most innovative cities on earth, we’re excited to continue to push the boundaries of creative storytelling. With their respective backgrounds at some of the best agencies in the business, Jamie and Brendan are a natural fit to help us continue to raise that bar.”