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Jim Moran, Managing Partner

Jim Moran, the co-founder and managing partner of branding agency CO-OP, brings 16 years of global experience developing branding strategies in the real estate, entertainment, sports marketing, hospitality and media industries to CO-OP's diverse roster of clients. His focus: strategic, transformative business and marketing initiatives that bring a brand to life for the consumer, while simultaneously defining the company in the marketplace.

A skilled relationship and consensus builder who always keeps his clients' audience and purchasing power in mind, Moran has built lasting relationships with nationally and globally recognized brand names including Johnson & Johnson, Loews Hotel Group, IMAX, Madame Tussaud's, Maesa, A&E television network, National Cinemedia, Screenvision and fitting for a New York-based agency, numerous real estate developers.

CO-OP's recent real estate brand work includes Toren a landmark new residential tower that promises to redefine the Brooklyn streetscape as significantly as its brand has redefined what homebuyers can expect from today's sharpest real estate marketers.

Prior to founding CO-OP, Moran was the managing director NY and group board director for ATTIK, the British branding agency recognized for its irreverent and iconic work for clients including IBM, MTV, Sony, NY1, Comedy Central and HBO, amongst others. During his tenure with ATTIK, Moran built a 40-person NY office and oversaw broadcast branding at the five different global offices. Moran was an instrumental part of the agency's success in the U.S.

Prior to ATTIK, Jim was a senior producer at the internationally renowned broadcast branding agency, Pittard Sullivan. He managed national and international branding accounts for clients like Nickelodeon, The United Kingdom?s SkySports, France?s TF-1, Reader?s Digest, and Bell Atlantic.

Jim started his career as a commercial producer at cutting edge stop motion and cel animation studio, Olive Jar Studios in Boston. He produced national commercials for Disney, Target, Nestle Quik, National Diary Management, Slurpy, Nynex, and Turner Classic Movies.

Throughout his 16-year career, he has given lectures on branding and design nationally and internationally for groups like AIGA, Promax, the Broadcast Design Association, British American Business Inc, and the Tate Gallery in London. His opinions have been featured in 10 branding, advertising and design trade publications. Jim currently or has been a member of ICSC, REBNY, Promax, The Broadcast Design Association, AIGA, The Art Director’s Club, AICP, British American Business Inc, and Promax Pro where he was the East Coast Chair. He had managed teams that have won over 60 creative awards. He has also produced two short films that have premiered in over 30 film festivals and have received 12 industry awards. Jim currently lives in CT with his wife and daughter.

Paul Newman, Creative Partner

Paul, co-founder and creative director, leads CO-OP’s diverse and international creative team. His twenty plus years of commercial art experience in Europe and the US as an illustrator, designer, director, and creative director provide the conceptual catalyst for CO-OP’s branding success. His ability to strategically articulate a client’s business needs via his creative vision has defined CO-OP’s ever-expanding business from entertainment, media and technology to the company’s signature lifestyle branding of hotels, real estate and beauty. Paul’s branding and design experience at CO-OP has included Loews Hotels, IMAX, Johnson & Johnson, Madame Tussauds, Major League Soccer, Toren, One Hanson Place, 101, and Maesa.

Prior to starting CO-OP, Paul was an independent creative director consulting with a number of branding agencies including: Razorfish and ATTIK. He headed creative teams on major network brand launches for PBS, Lifetime, TCM and Travel Channel. Before moving to New York he was the Executive Creative Director of international television branding giant, Pittard Sullivan in Los Angeles, working on key television network re-brands for CBS, ABC, TNT and major film studio campaigns for Sony Columbia Tristar and Warner Brothers. He then moved to New York to launch and head up Pittard Sullivan New York where he led the 20 person team in launching campaigns for more major broadcast players: HBO PBS, National Geographic, Discovery, TLC, CTV (Canada) Sky (UK), Pro Sieben (Germany) as well as brands like Sony, Martha Stewart Living and Time Warner. Prior to Pittard Sullivan, he was creative director for the leading design and effects companies, The Post Group, Unitel and Varitel. There, he worked on music videos for big artists like Michael Jackson, Phil Collins, Prince and Madonna. He also worked on the award winning global ad campaign for Nike’s “Wall” for the 1994 World Cup.

Throughout his 20+year career, Paul currently or has been a member and judge of AGIA and Promax BDA. He has designed or creative directed teams that have won over managed numerous creative awards including: Emmy, BDA, Telly, CA and International Webby. Paul graduated from the Kent Institute of Art, England with a BA in Illustration and graphic design. He’s an avid football (proper kind) fan and player – you can catch him still turning on his magic near his home in Larchmont, NY.

Simrit Brar | Sr Design Director

Simrit Brar is most known for bringing a new sensibility into poster design of the world’s largest film producing country, India (Bollywood). She is credited with designing the print campaigns for nearly 50 features including the Oscar nominated ‘Lagaan’. Some of her work is now in the permanent collection of the Victoria and Albert museum in London. In 2002 she won the highest film award in India for Best Publicity design. Prior to that she headed a design team at Contract, a J Walter Thompson agency in Bombay, and designed for non-profits, television promotion, publishing and branding. In 2003 she moved to New York to explore her interest in motion graphics and animation during a Masters at Parsons where she is also an adjunct faculty. More recently, Simrit spent a few years working with the multi-disciplinary firm Smart Design where she headed projects ranging from packaging design systems to interface design for products. Her client experience includes Microsoft, HP, Glaceau, HBO Films, Turner Classic Movies, Star TV, ABN Amro Bank, In-Orbit (Raheja Group), The National Gallery of Modern Art, and Cadbury. Simrit holds an MFA from Parsons New School of Design and a BA from the prestigious National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad India. As Senior Design Director at CO-OP, Simrit leads the creative team in all design branding accounts.

Rupam Patheja Account Executive

Rupam has been a part of the CO-OP team in the role of an Account Executive since July 2008. Her enthusiasm and combination of creative and strategic approach is parlayed into each project she works on. Prior to working for CO-OP, Rupam worked as Marketing Manager for a real estate development firm and managed multiple international award winning luxury residential and hospitality projects in Philadelphia, Atlantic City and the British West Indies. Rupam has a strong foundation in branding which has developed over the years from her internships at J Walter Thompson and KnightRider, education Penn State University (Bachelors in Marketing), work experience and personal interest in the branding industry. 

Jason Pineres • Account Executive

Jason joined CO-OP in October 2007 as an Account Executive specializing in superior client and campaign management. He has experience in both B2B and B2C environments across various industries ranging from telecommunications, technology, real estate and corporate document solutions. Jason managed accounts for CO-OP ranging from consumer branding accounts like Toren, The NYObserver, and Devonshire House to corporate brands including BFC Partners, Dermot Company, and SDSProcida. Prior to working with CO-OP, Jason worked in both New York and San Francisco for the largest independent B2B marketing agency in the UK managing both domestic and international campaigns. His clients included Google, Cisco Systems, Sun Microsystems, Avaya and ING Real Estate. While Jason also has prior experience in the financial and legal worlds, he has truly found his calling in the branding industry.

Kriston Rucker, Senior Brand Strategist

Kriston brings 15 years of brand strategy and naming expertise to the CO-OP team. He was formerly the Director of Verbal ˇˇBranding at FutureBrand (the brand consultancy within Interpublic) and a founding partner of St. Aubyn, a New York-based branding agency where he was a brand strategist and the lead positioning and naming creative. Kriston has extensive experience working with clients of many sizes and in many industries, and is as adept at developing smart brand strategies as he is at capturing those strategies through creative brand ideas and trademark names. His positioning and brand strategy experience includes companies such as AOL, Philips, IMAX, UPS, Texaco, Telef¢nica, Qwest, Bronx Museum of the Arts, Wells Woodwork and The Devonshire. He has created new corporate and product names for companies including AOL, Cablevision, Kodak, Philips, Kaplan, Mall of America, Bayer Schering Pharma, NestlÇ Waters, Unilever, Consumer Reports, Syngenta, Empire Blue Cross, Scholastic, Newell Rubbermaid, Bank of America, and Johnson & Johnson. He also co-founded the US Air Guitar Championships and is a producer of the documentary Air Guitar Nation.? Kriston holds a B.A. in English and Spanish Literature from Wesleyan University and an M.A. in Spanish Literature from Columbia University. He is fluent in Spanish.

Neves Rodriques, Kylie Emers, Matt Orminski, Kriston Rucker