Meet Andy Sullivan

Andy Sullivan has recently joined our fast-growing Los Angeles team as VP of Business Development. He is equipped with a colorful history in the music and entertainment industry, which eventually evolved into building digital websites and brands. And even though Andy has worked on some exciting projects with world-famous musicians and artists, he has kept himself grounded with a firm understanding of how to solve real-world business challenges with design.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I’m from a small town in the Midwest — Winchester, Indiana with a population of 5,000. I’ve always loved music - do you know those ‘Close and Play’ record players for children? My mom told me that even at two, I would literally wear them out.

In high school, I took drum lessons, was part of the high school band - the whole bit. And then in college, I would book concerts, and that’s how my career launched. I would speak to agents who were booking the shows, and eventually interviewed with one and moved out to Los Angeles to work for Triad Artists Agency, which eventually was acquired by William Morris Agency (now WME). In true industry form, my career started in the mailroom and through perseverance, I moved up.

What would you say is one of your “pinch me” moments working in music?

When MTV was doing a special in 1995 for the opening of the Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas, Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols bought me a drink because it was my birthday. It was one of those moments where I thought, “Wow - this is pretty cool.” I was also able to go to Paisley Park for a Prince special that was shot by the company I was working for, which was an amazing experience.

How did your career evolve from music to digital?

I worked for the founder of a company called BoxTop Interactive — his name was Kevin Wall and he produced tent-pole music events (such as Live Earth), and he was an entrepreneur. We leveraged our entertainment contacts and started building websites, which we would host in his basement. These are the wagon trail days of the internet!

Eventually, we were acquired by a company called iXL, which was a dot-com roll-up with 18 offices around the world. After that, I moved onto R/GA and then Blitz. Finally, I’m here at Edenspiekermann!

What drew you to Edenspiekermann?

I was immediately drawn to the interesting history of Erik Spiekermann from MetaDesign to Edenspiekermann and to the great work we are doing today. There’s also the collaborative and friendly culture at the agency, which can be a rarity to come across.

We’re able to do a lot with a lean staff and have a firm understanding of what our clients need, which is very exciting to jump into.

What do you like to do for fun?

I have a son who is a sophomore in high school and a daughter who is a sophomore in college so it’s always fun to explore music with them from different genres. With my son, I’ve introduced him to some classic bands like The Beatles, ACDC, The Police — there was a year where we would listen to Sgt. Pepper exclusively on his way to school.

My daughter is on the dance team at her college in Portland, so we’ll watch the basketball games where she dances. Portland is a really fun city, and we recently took a road trip to drive her car up there. Together, we’ve been listening to Keane and Sara Bareilles, so that’s kept me up to date on pop music.

What’s currently in your Netflix queue?

I am not much of a binge-watcher, but my wife and I binged on Narcos, which is a great show. I’m more of a sports and news kinda guy.

I understand you have a bucket list. Can you share?

I have many things on my bucket list, but here’s four:

• I want to take a selfie with Will Ferrell. For the past ten years, at least once a month someone has approached me to tell me I look like him.
• I want to see the Northern Lights.
• I want to visit all the continents; I’ve been to North America, Europe and Asia.
• I want to visit all the global Disney parks.

What’s the favorite place you’ve visited?

Tokyo - it was incredibly interesting and the people were so friendly.

Do you have a favorite brand?

Nike - I think it’s an aspirational brand that has gone outside of sports to really resonate with consumers.

Do you have a favorite album or band?

That’s a tough question, because I have favorites in every genre and at different times in my life. I’ve grown up listening to the classics such as Rush, The Police, Def Leppard and Led Zeppelin, and now I’m listening to artists such as Sara Bareilles, Keane, and a lot of EDM.

Any last words?

I play well with others.

On a serious note, I would say that I’m a poster child for perseverance, which is a trait that has served me well throughout my career.

Thanks Andy and welcome to the ESPI team!

Andy was interviewed by Hina Khan for the Edenspiekermann Los Angeles office.