Andrew Essex's profile Styled comma

Andrew Essex

CEO & Founder of Plan A

Jan 2018 — Present

CEO & Founder of Plan A, former CEO of Tribeca Enterprises, and founding CEO of Droga5. Award-winning journalist and cultural editor at such publications as The New Yorker, Details and Salon.com, among others.

About Me

Andrew Essex is the Chief Executive Officer of Plan A, a creative holding company based in NYC and frequent consultant for multiple CEOs and CMOs in myriad industries. He is the former CEO of Tribeca Enterprises, the parent company of the Tribeca Film Festival, and founding CEO of Droga5, a world-renowned creative agency, which was acquired for a record multiple by William Morris Endeavor in 2013 and sold again to Accenture in 2019.

A highly creative strategic executive with 30+ years in marketing, media, technology, events, content, business development, hospitality and M&A, Andrew is a proven entrepreneurial leader and culture builder with multiple exits, high-profile turnaround experience and world-class relationships, skilled in recruiting, retaining and managing talent and overseeing complex P&Ls, and a rainmaker with an extensive track record of generating high-margin revenue, crafting compelling narratives and operating complex enterprises in competitive markets.

Andrew is a frequent public speaker on media, marketing and monetization strategies and sits on the boards of The AdCouncil, iPic Entertainment and Plus Pool. He is the Chair of the NYC Mayor’s Creative Council, and a former advisor to the White House American Office of Innovation and the Wharton SEI Center for Advanced Studies in Management. He serves as an angel investor and advisor to top disruptive companies and prominent unicorns.

He is also an award-winning journalist and cultural editor at such publications as The New Yorker, Details and Salon.com, among others, and has been a television commentator for ABC, CNN and CNBC. He is author of “The End of Advertising: Why It Had to Die and the Creative Resurrection to Come” and co-author of three books: "A Very Public Offering: The Story of the Globe.com,” “Chasing Cool,” with former Barney’s CEO Gene Pressman, and “Le Freak: An Upside Down Story of Family, Disco and Destiny,” with producer and musician Nile Rodgers.


Experience

Advisor at Glasswing Ventures

Oct 2020 — Present

Board Member at Ad Council

Oct 2019 — Present

Board Member at IPIC

Nov 2018 — Present

CEO at Tribeca Enterprises

Jan 2016 — Dec 2017

New York City, NY

CEO at Droga5

Jul 2006 — Jul 2015

New York City, NY

Editor at The New Yorker

Jan 1994 — Jan 1998

New York City, NY


Operator can advise on

Domain Expertise Advice

Advice based on years of experience, knowledge and understanding of marketing, media, technology, events, content, business development, hospitality and M&A.

Mentorship

Providing guidance, knowledge, and connections to aid in advancing your career.

Business/Product strategy

Help determining the direction of your business and what you want it to look like in the future as well as defining what you hope to accomplish with your product, and how to plan to do so.

Why book a 1:1 meeting?

Operator is a platform that enables anyone or any brand seeking advice, support or feedback to connect one-on-one with a curated group of leading marketers and communications specialists via video consultations. Operators are seasoned leaders with years of experience in marketing and communications across all industries. The Operator service removes barriers that have historically existed between top experts in the field and individuals looking for seeking guidance for project guidance, advice, inspiration and so much more. Individuals can browse Operators profiles, which include their bio, meeting rate and calendar availability, and can book and pay for a 60 minute meeting. Once the booking is confirmed, a calendar invite and meeting video link are automatically sent to meeting participants.

FAQ

What is Operator?

Operator is a platform that enables anyone or any brand seeking advice, support or feedback to connect one-on-one with a curated group of global leaders, one video call at a time.

Who is Operator for?

Operator is for any individual or brand that is seeking domain expertise advice, business strategy guidance, mentorship or support from our curated group of leading marketers and communications specialists.

How is Operator different than the Publicist marketplace?

Operator was created to support individuals who are looking for advice, support or inspiration from Experts. Operators share guidance but they do not produce any tangible deliverables. While brands can hire talent from Publicist platform for strategic support, The Publicist marketplace is geared towards brands who are looking to hire talent to execute on specific projects or deliverables. The Publicist marketplace and Operator offerings are complementary. With Operator, individuals and brands will gain valuable insights and get specific guidance on anything from how to scale a business, to what it is like to run a marketing and communications team and so much more. Once they’ve received advice, they can go to the Publicist marketplace and search for talent to execute on new initiatives.

How it Works

01

Browse

Individuals browse Operator’s profiles and rates

02

Payment

Individuals pay for the meeting using Stripe and are not billed until 24 hours before the meeting

03

Invitation

Once the meeting is accepted, Operator sends calendar links & meeting details to participants