“It’s Giving Graduation Day Energy”: Exploring Circonflex’s New York Expansion
A move many years in the making, Montreal-based music agency Circonflex has expanded into the US with the opening of a New York office.
Aided by CEO and founder Paul-Étienne Côté, the launch of Circonflex’s fourth studio – alongside Montreal, Toronto and Paris – is being led by two senior hires, head of production Keith Haluska and executive creative producer and music supervisor Jennifer W. Fife. Boasting extensive experience at MassiveMusic North America and SixtyFourMusic respectively, their combined expertise will be a boon to the agency in the days to come.
“I feel amazing; ecstatic, even,” says Paul-Étienne. “But let’s be honest, is anyone ever truly ready for New York? It’s not just the greatest city in the world, it’s also the birthplace of modern advertising – the very beginning of it all. Stepping into it feels less like a next step, and more like a ceremony of becoming. Honestly, it’s giving graduation day energy, like life is just beginning again. Or maybe it’s a whole new chapter?”
To find out more, LBB’s Jordan Won Neufeldt sat down with Paul-Étienne, Keith and Jennifer for a chat.
LBB> Keith, Jennifer, what does joining Circonflex mean to you, and why was it something you were interested in doing?
Keith> After Paul-Étienne explained how Circonflex operated, I was immediately interested. This is truly a boutique music agency. At my previous companies, we couldn’t provide VO, record, and final mix, so this is a welcome addition. I love getting back to the basics and doing ‘the work’, which became harder and harder to do after working at an ‘acquired’ company. I’ve been through two acquisitions (at Elias and MassiveMusic), and each time, it destroyed morale and culture. We hear about it more at agencies, but it is true at all of the companies in our universe… just look at The Mill. When an entity is ‘bought out’, it isn’t because the acquirer is seeking that culture, they simply want to make more money, so the layoffs begin, the culture erodes, and morale enters a death spiral.
Circonflex is the opposite of that! Paul-Étienne is a composer and an artist – he has something to say and knows how he wants it to be said. He’s assembled a fantastic team in Montreal, Paris and Toronto, and I’m happy to now be a part of it.
Jennifer> Like Keith, I was eager to return to my roots: collaborating with a close-knit, highly-creative group that prioritises quality and craft above all else. I was especially drawn to a team that embraces new music technology and isn’t afraid to build innovative audio solutions from the ground up, even within tight constraints. That’s the environment where I do my best work.
Paul-Étienne and Keith have also entrusted me with the title of executive creative producer, which means a great deal to me. My background has always bridged the creative and business sides of music, and I’ve found my strength in uniting the two. From playing classical flute, studying music composition, and tinkering with modular synths, to managing bands, negotiating music licenses, and navigating the fast-paced world of ad agency production, my diverse experience finally feels like it has a meaningful throughline.
LBB> Paul-Étienne, when we spoke a few years ago, you mentioned this being an eventual goal for the company, and now it’s finally happened. So, what made now the right time for this expansion?
Paul-Étienne> I'm glad you remember! I wasn’t just talking nonsense, you know. But things take time. So. Much. More. Time. Than you think! And just when you finally feel it’s the right time, it ends up being the worst time ever!
I had spent a year-and-a-half searching for and interviewing top-level candidates. I asked around, networked, met people, and finally, I found the perfect duo. They signed their contracts – hi Keith and Jennifer – and literally the next day, president Trump announced tariffs, which meant Canada started boycotting the US!
Meanwhile, I had just registered a business in America and hired my first team. I mean, talk about perfect timing, right? But then, I sat down with the team and told them that my trust in their creativity and intelligence was stronger than the tariffs (and stronger than the wave of hate being stirred up between our two countries at the time). We all agreed: the US-Canada beef wouldn’t last long, but Circonflex would.
LBB> Building on this, you previously expressed that if you did launch in New York, you’d probably want to move there to help facilitate things. Will you be spending some time across the border, or are you leaving things up to Keith and Jennifer?
Paul-Étienne> I actually gave the idea a lot of serious thought. I visited over a dozen places across Manhattan and Brooklyn! But, in the end, I’ve decided to wait. I’m just not quite ready to make that move yet.
With that said, surprise, I did just sign a lease in Toronto! So, I’ll be spending a lot more time there. While that might sound like a bit of a plot twist, there’s a clear rationale behind it. Specifically, I’ve come to realise there are two key differences between how things work in Canada versus the US.
Firstly, in the US, there's a pretty clear line between music houses and audio houses. But in Canada, the two often overlap – most music houses also function as audio houses. Without diving too deep into the weeds, it's totally viable in the US to operate solely as a music house, without the infrastructure or services of a full-blown audio house. The main distinction? Audio houses typically have physical studios, while music houses often don’t. So, while you could argue that Circonflex NY is primarily a music house at the moment, that wouldn’t be entirely accurate either.
Secondly, audio work in the US is increasingly remote. I’ve seen creatives based in Austin working with agencies in New York, clients in Seattle, and voice talent in Chicago. It’s all incredibly distributed. In that kind of ecosystem, it’s rare for everyone to be under one roof anyway.
These reasons are exactly why expanding our Toronto studios made sense; they’ll anchor our remote audio work. From now on, most of our recording sessions will be run remotely, from Toronto. In fact, already, Keith and Jennifer are collaborating closely with our Toronto team, which is great. I’m so happy about that!
LBB> What made Keith and Jennifer the right talents to lead this new branch of Circonflex?
Paul-Étienne> Finding creative minds who genuinely wanted to collaborate was essential. In advertising, the exponential power of a strong team is everything, and that’s exactly what I was looking for.
What made it even more special was how we all chose each other. Keith chose Jennifer and I. Jennifer chose Keith and I. And I chose them both. I love when that kind of alignment happens – when everyone’s intention is symmetrical and mutual. It feels like magic. I mean, when someone like Keith – who’s worked with the most successful music company in the world – says he wants to work with you, your response is simple, “Same here!” And when someone like Jennifer – who led the most client-referenced sonic branding project ever (yes, I’m talking about Netflix!) – says she’s in? I just thought, ‘Wow, I’m so lucky she’s on our team!’.
At the end of the day, we’re all experts in the field, but Keith has a New York accent, and Jennifer has a Texan one. Add in a French-Canadian accent, and what you get is: the Circonflex accent! What I mean is, their deep understanding of the American market was essential. They helped shape, refine, and translate Circonflex’s voice, so it could speak fluently on both sides of the border.
LBB> What does all of this mean for the future of Circonflex? And collectively, what are your main aims and ambitions for this new branch?
Paul-Étienne> First things first, I believe in watching and learning. The truth is, the market is doing just fine without Circonflex. New York is thriving, it’s having a blast, and let’s be honest, we weren’t exactly invited to the party!
But here’s the hope. In two years? We get a shot at something big. In five years? We’re working on something cool every month.
The truth is, I have no idea what year eight will bring. But I do believe we’ll be a real part of New York’s creative ecosystem. Like any sports league, the roster changes, some players leave, new faces show up, and new stars rise!
LBB> Outside of your partnership with Toronto, will the New York team be working fairly independently? Or will there be consistent collaboration across offices?
Jennifer> I was drawn to Circonflex by both the exceptional talent and the genuinely welcoming people, so I’ll be jumping at every opportunity to collaborate with our other studios. That kind of cross-team creative energy will only strengthen our work here in the US, and help set Circonflex apart in this super competitive landscape while establishing our own unique style here in the States. And honestly, it’s just fun – these are truly great people to work with.
LBB> Musically speaking, how will you be adapting Circonflex to the new market?
Keith> Fortunately, everybody speaks music. Good composers can work anywhere. A film hires one composer to write one score; it isn’t localised because it doesn’t need to be.
We need each market that we’re in to know about us and be curious. If they watch our previous work – even if the voiceover is in French – they’ll hear the talent that we have at Circonflex.
LBB> Finally, what sort of impact do you hope Circonflex will have on the future of the US market?
Jennifer> I want to contribute in every way I can to the evolution of branding and advertising, and to help our world grow by championing bigger ideas and bolder creative risks that pay off and inspire others to do the same. I also hope to see more space for exploration around music and sound-driven ideas, and more opportunities for all of us, across all the music companies, to show the full range of what we’re capable of.
But that starts small, with close, empathetic collaboration with our clients and a commitment to delivering standout work, no matter how modest the brief. The day I’m consistently seeing weirder, wilder, more adventurous creative requests come across my desk, I’ll know I fulfilled my mission in life.
