Today we’d like to introduce you to Maggie Winters & Zach Goodwin.
Hi Maggie & Zach, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
This January began with the need for a fresh start. The agency’s name represents that feeling of fresh optimism when the whole year stretches out before you, and you’ve got nothing but ambition and hope. We live for the optimism of a new beginning and refuse to do things the standard industry way just because that’s how it’s done.
We chose to build our agency in Washington, D.C., a city known for politics but not always for world-class advertising. We wanted to change that. Our goal is always to cut through the typical industry fluff and layers to get straight to the work, delivering big-brand awareness and top-tier production craft without requiring eight-figure budgets.
We’ve welcomed teammates from all over the country to DC to join This January — from New York, LA, Texas, Boston, and many other states. We’re longtime Washingtonians, and we’re certain that you don’t have to be in New York or London to produce world-class work that moves the needle.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It definitely hasn’t been a perfectly smooth road, but we’ve looked at every hurdle as an opportunity to get creative and learn something new about the kind of agency we want to be.
One of our first learning moments was opening in early 2020, and, well, you know what happened that year. But opening just before the world shifted allowed us to establish one of our core philosophies, which is to cut through industry fluff and focus on tangible results. We found that this became even more relevant as clients began looking for more agile, high-quality alternatives to traditional ad agencies.
Being based in D.C. has also given us a unique opportunity to help build a small and strong creative community. Because this isn’t a traditional ad city, the talent pool is smaller, but we’ve turned that into a strength by being intentional about attracting top-tier talent and hosting events to make D.C. a destination for world-class creatives. It’s forced us to be more than just an agency; we’re proud to be a growing hub for the local creative scene, both at the agency and across our local community.
Finally, we’ve used the typical industry suffer-fest as a blueprint for what not to do. We’ve learned that you don’t have to put a team through hell weekend after weekend to get elite results. By prioritizing a culture of kindness and respecting our team’s time, we’ve proven that a healthy environment actually leads to better, more competitive work.
Overall, every challenge has essentially just refined our mission: to do world-class work without the traditional agency ego, and in the beautiful city of D.C.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
The name of our agency is This January, an indie ad agency that aims to build next year’s biggest brands. Our name signifies a fresh start for clients who need help solving their biggest challenges, and who want to truly grow this year to be ready for the next. It’s also a mindset that most people have when they want to start fresh in the new year, like “This January, I’m going to start my journey to accomplish this important goal of mine.” We felt like it was a good way of showing how brands whose mindset was to reach their goals this year could tap us to be that partner to help them do exactly that.
We work with some really amazing clients both locally here in the D.C. area, including the International Spy Museum and Destination DC, along with national and global clients like Lufthansa, Nike, American Airlines, The Motley Fool, The Chief Network, Gumi Yum, Khalifa Kush, and many others.
Our team is made up of about 22 fantastic, talented people here at the agency, ranging from creatives, to strategists, producers, designers and more. We’re so fortunate that we’ve been able to continue growing each year, bringing on really amazing and creative people into the fold.
We’re also proud to be one of the few creative agencies here in D.C., and love fostering the creative community here across the city. Recently, we launched our first artist residency program called NOOK, and selected a local D.C. artist named Parsa Afsharjavan who will soon start developing new work out of our DC HQ.
We also love hosting the Creative Department Happy Hour each quarter, which brings together local art directors, writers, filmmakers, agency account managers, producers and media buyers all in one place.
We’re also proud members of the AIGA and AAF local DC chapters. And lastly, we’re also involved with The Breakfast Club DC, which takes place every other Thursday, and welcomes anyone within our community to meet and network, and focus on different topics of discussion each time.
So, it’s safe to say we love being involved and meeting people across our local creative community.
What’s next?
Looking ahead, our goal is to continue building a world-class creative powerhouse in a city often overlooked by the advertising world. We’ve always aspired to be the Wieden+Kennedy of DC and create a senior-led, independent agency that offers elite craft and strategy without the ego or bureaucracy of a giant holding company.
We aren’t interested in growth for growth’s sake; we’re interested in depth. This means doubling down on our fluff-free model to get straight to the results that move the needle for our clients.
We’re also leaning into the future by aggressively experimenting with AI. By de-stigmatizing these tools, we ensure our team is ready for a future where high-level creative thinking is the ultimate differentiator.
And beyond the work, we want This January to be a catalyst for the local community. Through our events across the community like The D.C. Breakfast Club and creative happy hours, we’re focused on making D.C. a true destination for top-tier talent. We want to prove you can build a formidable, competitive business while maintaining a culture of kindness.
Ultimately, we’re planning for a future where our success allows us to create broader value, whether through mentorship or social causes. We started with the optimism of a blank slate on a January morning, and as we look forward, that sense of endless possibility is stronger than ever.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thisjanuary.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisjanuary_/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thisjanuary/posts/?feedView=all
