Our Story

Bemis Balkind’s DNA is firmly rooted in the disciplines of strategic business consulting, design and advertising. The chemistry ignited in New York in 1968 when Steve Frankfurt (President of Young & Rubicam and Advertising Hall of Famer) and Phil Gips (an internationally recognized Yale designer) joined together to create the industry-changing advertising campaign for Rosemary’s Baby.

In 1972, Aubrey Balkind (a Columbia MBA with post graduate studies in Architecture) joined his partners and the agency began to add corporate, financial and technology clients to their growing entertainment base. An office was opened in LA in 1987, focusing on entertainment, and in San Francisco in 1991, servicing technology clients. In 1997, Aubrey received the Ernst and Young Industry Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

In 2002, the agency’s center of gravity moved from New York to Los Angeles and, under the leadership of Peter Bemis (recipient of the rarely awarded Hollywood Lifetime Achievement Award), changed its name from Frankfurt Balkind to Bemis Balkind.

From traditional to new media, the agency’s core mission has never wavered – “use the power of creativity to involve audiences in newly created cultural memes”. The majority of our assignments require launching new products whether movies (Black Swan) or real venues (The Getty). In fact, we are equally at home with David Lynch and Merrill Lynch. On a macro level, we have helped launch new industries such as premium cable (HBO), 24-hour news (CNN) and sports (ESPN) and even internet-delivered financial services (Goldman Sachs).

We work in an environment of personal and functional growth which, in turn, enriches our culture and expands our capabilities. Every day we strive to help our clients create wealth in the broadest sense of the word. Every moment is a new opportunity.