Fingerpaint opens New Jersey office

Fingerpaint has opened the healthcare agency’s fifth location, situated in Morristown, N.J. The first office in that state, it joins other locations in New York, Pennsylvania, Arizona, and Ohio.

Mark Willmann, a seasoned health and wellness advertising leader, heads the office. Willmann joined Fingerpaint after a stretch as president of McCann Health NJ. Prior to McCann, he was the managing director and director of scientific integration at McCann Torre Lazur. Also part of the New Jersey team are Nick Megjugorac, Ph.D., who was executive VP, head of strategic services at McCann Health NJ, and Tracy Blackwell, who was executive VP, managing director at McCann Echo prior to overseeing strategy at Fingerpaint for the past 18 months.

“This seasoned leadership team has built and run agencies, as well as led strategy, science, and creative teams and worked in R&D on the client side, making them an unstoppable force that’s uniquely poised to take on any challenge that arises in today’s dynamic healthcare environment,” says Bill McEllen, head of Fingerpaint’s Saratoga Springs, N.Y., office. “With combined experience that spans virtually every category – from rare disease to blockbuster brands – they’ve launched more than 100 brands between them and contributed to countless award-winning campaigns.”

“We’re absolutely thrilled to join Fingerpaint, which has established an amazing reputation in the industry,” Willmann says. “The opportunity to build an office from the ground up where the team can do its best work is something we’re excited to be a part of. The unique Fingerpaint culture, the prospect of an independent agency, and, the chance to join forces once again drew us to this opportunity to expand Fingerpaint’s footprint to the Garden State.”

The New Jersey office opening came at about the same time Fingerpaint moved its Arizona offices to Phoenix. The new office space, located at 3131 East Camelback Road in Phoenix, spans more than 12,000 square feet, which more than doubles the size of the previous location in Scottsdale and enables the agency’s Arizona staff to increase from 30 employees to 60.

“Fingerpaint’s growth story began at inception and it really hasn’t slowed down,” says Michelle Olson, who leads Fingerpaint’s Phoenix office. “Our new space in Phoenix puts us in the middle of the action and it gives us a little more elbow room..”

Fingerpaint, which agreed to a nearly eight-year lease on the Phoenix space, expects the steady growth the agency has experienced to continue into the foreseeable future. The full-service Phoenix office houses the agency’s West Coast advertising team, as well as Fingerpaint’s teams that focus on film and entertainment, public relations, and brand journalism.

“This year has been another record-breaker for Fingerpaint so far, punctuated by milestones like these,” says Ed Mitzen, Fingerpaint’s founder. “We can’t wait to see how the team grows into its new space.”

The move to Phoenix comes just months after Fingerpaint purchased 395 Broadway, the location of the flagship Saratoga Springs office, for $9 million.