We've been taking a peek at Colorado this week and we asked The Denver Egotist to give us their perspective on the industry in the Centennial State.

Q: What would you say are the bright spots in Colorado advertising right now from the agency side? What about on the client side?

A: Just ten years ago, it was a rarity for agencies here to work for national clients. The big agencies had the big local clients, like The Denver Post, Colorado Lottery, Public Service and others—and those accounts bounced between the local agencies every couple of years. It was very incestuous with everyone fighting over the same turf. 

Today, it’s very different. Nearly every agency, no matter the size, has a mix of local and national clients—and we aren’t forced to overlap as much. The local work we’re doing makes money for local clients, strengthening our economy and feeding money back into our agencies. The national work gives us exposure. It’s a winning formula. 

As for the clients here, it’s no longer a stigma to work with Colorado agencies. It used to be a badge for a big Colorado company to go get a big-name agency in NY or Chicago. Now, there are a lot of strong local contenders that marketing VPs can feel good about using.   

A year ago, Bloomberg Businessweek called Boulder America’s best town for startups. Over the last year, it’s only become more so. Tech is booming here. And instead of just complaining about that huge hole for digital talent in the current landscape, MDC Partners and the University of Colorado actually did something to fill it by creating Boulder Digital Works -- the new school for next-gen digital thinkers. So, we have the tech companies and we’re breeding the talent to help serve them. 

The beautiful weather and outdoor lifestyle don’t hurt either. Once people get a taste, they never want to leave. 

Q: What are some home grown campaigns (global, national, regional, local) that you really dig? Why is that?

A: Sukle has killed it for years on their Denver Water campaign. The heavily awarded FirstBank campaign from TDA_Boulder is also consistently great. Crispin Porter + Bogusky’s, ski tracking app, Epic Mix, is also a massive trendsetter -- integrating technology into a place it never existed. 

Those are three big ones that come to mind. Not only are they executed flawlessly, they delivered on a very big level for the clients.  

Q: What are some Colorado agencies that you would say are under the radar that deserve a brighter spotlight? Why is that?

A: We wrote a piece for AgencySpy last fall that covered a bunch of shops we declared as “who’s next.” These included Legwork Studio, Changethethought and Moxie Sozo. To that list, we’d now like to add Alex Bogusky’s COMMON , Friends of Mine and Rehab. Some of them are new companies, so they’re yet to be fully realized. All of them will soon be household names.   

Q: Who are some up-and-coming stars in Colorado advertising? 

A: It’s hard to keep up with individuals, but there are many. To end 2010 with a bang, we asked the industry people we most respect in Colorado to create a piece, entitled What I Learned This Year. It’s a pretty telling glimpse inside the massive brainpower the square state holds. And these are the people mentoring the up and comers. We get tingly thinking where Colorado will be ten years from now. 

Q: How has the arrival of CP+B positively impacted the industry in Colorado?

A: Crispin believes in supporting the community they’re a part of. Which means, production houses have seen a healthy uptick in business since their arrival. CP+B’s thought leaders are also speaking locally and bringing their ideas to local organizations, like Ad Club Denver. 

Most significantly, CP+B attracts world-class talent to Colorado. Those people fall in love with it here and when they decide to leave the agency for whatever reason, they can’t bring themselves to leave Colorado. So all the other agencies here reap the overflow.  

Q: Why should a young advertising pro consider Colorado for work?

A: The agencies are here, the clients are hiring the agencies here and there are a ton of jobs. The air is clean, the people are laid back and the community is powerfully supportive. It’s a solid package.

Q: What's the best thing about your gig at The Egotist?

A: We’ve created a genuine gathering place to foster local relationships among creative talents, to build up and promote the amazing things that are going on in Denver and Boulder, and to help shift our current infatuation with global citizenry to a more local awareness and mindset. And we’ve successfully replicated it in 23 cities across North America. It feels pretty damn good to have helped bring creative communities together.