We are an agile creative team of collaborators headquartered in Detroit, living across the USA, and working wherever our curiosity and our clients take us.
OUR GOAL IS TO PRODUCE QUALITY CREATIVE IN SERVICE OF THE COMMUNITIES WE LOVE.
DON'T DO GOOD, DO BETTER: A MANIFESTO
We’re scrappy. We have initiative and insight and guts.
There’s no challenge too big or too small to inspire us.
We believe our “competitors” are just collaborators we haven't met yet.
We’re independent and proud knowing the buck stops here. We own our own successes and failures.
Experience? We’ve got it. Tech companies, luxury brands, ad agencies, public policy organizations, design agencies, real estate developers and media publishers have nurtured us along the way… and now it’s our turn to pass it on.
We believe strong creative comes from strong strategy. We nerd out on data.
Our mission is to shine a light on the people and organizations that bring us together. Kumbaya, y’all!
We never want to stop learning.
We say: “Don't do good. Do better.” Good is a known entity. Better is often unknown until you dig deeper. It’s personal.
We’ll stay curious until the end.
We love a good story. TELL US YOURS.
OUR STUDIO LEAD
Ashley Davidson is a writer, photographer, filmmaker, and creative director. She launched Citizen in 2017 with the conviction that there's an alternative to the traditional ad agency model: one where collaborators form a nimble community, where members team up to produce quality work across the clients and media that engage them the most, while expanding to explore individual interests; sharing tools, knowledge, and resources for the mutual benefit of all.
For Ashley, community bonds have always been at the core of her work. Since childhood, she has felt the power that a nurturing community can have in shaping one's future. Her unique upbringing inspired a natural interest in exploring the ways that family can form outside of bloodlines, and through her exploration, she realized these connections are typically forged through shared values.
Guided by this understanding, she started her career in urban planning and design, working to restore blighted downtowns across the United States. She was drawn to the stories of the community members, their hometown pride, and the ties that bound the most diverse among them. This curiosity eventually led her to pursue a business degree in Milan, focusing on luxury, experiential and symbolic goods – the things we consume to demonstrate identity and attract our tribe – and now resulting in over 15 years of experience in advertising and storytelling for “communal industries” including fashion, automotive, hospitality and tourism. These are the industries that create and sustain communities around the world.
Ashley’s content work spans from experimental formats across social channels, to scripted commericals and documentary work that uncovers the true values of the individuals and organizations profiled. She has led content development for a national tourism campaign highlighting the stories of community leaders and small business owners across the country, and has served as Creative Director and Director on dozens of award winning campaigns and films. She led the development of social and lifestyle content for the relaunch of Lincoln Motor Company, and created and helmed the first Brand Publishing Lab for WPP Group. Her brand identity, design, and content work has been recognized by UNESCO, and awarded Effies, Lions, Webbys, a Clio, film festival laurels, and Vimeo Staff Picks. She has spoken widely at industry events, institutions and universities, including SXSW and the London Film Festival.
Ashley is co-founder of The Broad Exchange, a global professional organization dedicated to advancing the interests of women in the creative fields, now more than four thousand members strong. She currently resides in Detroit where she leads her creative studio and has opened a couple of community gathering places: a restored neighborhood bar and a new coffee shop.
OUR INSPIRATION
We get excited by a lot of cultural influences, and here are some that have really stayed with us.
OUR STORIES
When we're CURIOUS and INSPIRED, we like to share it.
The project RESEARCH that's lit us up.
The PHOTO ESSAYS we've shot while on the road.
The CONVERSATIONS we've collected while casting.
The FILMS we've made in the off-hours and from the cutting room floor.
The TRAVEL GUIDES we've built through local recommendations while on production.
The STORIES we've found and the MAGIC we've uncovered while working, learning, and playing.
We put it all on CITIZEN STORIES.
OUR STUDIO ECOSYSTEM
We partner with clients big and small to bring each unique vision to life through strategic brand design and content work.
We publish our own independent articles, documentaries, and photo essays.
When we learn something new, we like to share it with you.
We’re always excited to meet new collaborators and potential clients!
Have something in mind?
NEWSLETTER
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