How Rise New York & Partners rose in the industry with award-winning creative

Delayed success

Reinspired, he and his brother, along with Andre Holzmeister, Partner & Creative Director, founded Rise New York & Partners. With the vision of using the “magic of creativity for business,” they struck out to build a differentiated agency. “If you were looking for an instant success story, this isn’t it.” The team struggled their first year to win pitches, using their networks to get in front of anyone they could. Inspired to see creativity rise again, they landed their first client and got to work.

The team found their sweet spot of creativity and innovation in ‘scale-ups’, solving for growth with their artistic lens. Putting ideas first, the team builds a campaign around a story to make the headlines – and from there, plans the media and performance.

Vidigal said: “We make young brands relevant, emerging brands attractive and established brands modern… we don't select the size.”

The nimble team flexes with their clients, scaling up with their network of partners, and providing unique solutions for each of their clients, which include Riot Games, Microsoft, New Balance, and most recently, Endeavor Global.

Rising to fame

2022 was the first year that Rise NY & Partners build a strategy for their own recognition. Having proved their work with clients, they wanted to take on the global stage. Their goal – The Drum.

"When we first started the agency, we knew The Drum was a goal of ours, it always has been," adds Vidigal.

Using a modest project, the team knew they could create award-winning work. In the skyline of Florianopolis, the tech hub of Brazil, Floripa Square was the FIRST 3D and largest billboard in Latin America. Looking to earn publicity for the new tech installment, the team got to work.

The idea: NFTs were hot, but not everyone knew how they worked. Rise used its global network to curate a showcase of NFT art to broadcast to the city, with a shoppable link. Spotlighting both the billboard and the artists, the partnership quickly garnered media attention across the nation.

Achieving global recognition

The NFT artists included one from Ukraine, who used their sales to support the Ukrainian fight for freedom. Witnessing the power of this great work, they entered The Drum Awards. This hyper-local activation – one billboard to promote itself – was seen around the world.

As they waited for another campaign to launch in Times Square, sitting in Shake Shack, Pedro started shouting with the news they were shortlisted – and immediately booked a flight to London for the awards festival.

Recognizing the best campaigns, companies, and people, Rise’s five entries led to five shortlisted nominations: Public Awareness Campaign of the year, Campaign of the Year – Not for profit, Creativity for good, OOH Local Campaign of the Year, and OOH New Approach Award.

What followed was one highly commended Campaign of The Year – Not for profit and two awards in OOH Local Campaign of the Year & OOH New Approach Award.

Coming home with two Drum trophies at the most-watched marketing award show in the world was a highlight for the agency, proving with industry recognition that their work was impactful.

The Drum Awards hosts dubbed Rise New York & Partners and Floripa Square the “Most excited award show winner”, as the team’s enthusiasm at the awards festival was palpable – visible to those in the room and those watching the show in all parts of the globe.

Pedro sits with two Drum trophies next to his desk, as he plans their next big project. Exciting news lies ahead, as their award-winning work and global recognition have opened doors and sparked conversations. The agency has lots of great work on the horizon (literally).

You might see for yourself, at The Drum’s next awards show, closer to home with the America’s show held in NYC this June.

We make the work famous, and the people behind it famous too. Enter today for The Drum Marketing Awards.