Archer Malmo is a creative agency founded in Memphis in 1952, and is one of the largest agencies in the region. Experts in brand development, product promotion, and advertising, a-m has worked with startups to national franchises.
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Director - archer malmo ventures / Founder - ignite memphis & undercurrentpatrick woodsPatrick has been in Downtown at Archer Malmo for five incredibly fun years. Working with passionate fun people, he’s now heading a-m ventures, the firm’s division involved with all things tech and startup. What is a unique perk of working Downtown?“I work with a lot of startups, and I’m in the perfect spot for them. Having StartCo one block away is ideal because I get to directly interact with the people in the accelerators programs. Sometimes it’s hard to track folks down, whether that’s through text or a phone call. But then we’ll run into each other at Tamp & Tap or Café Keough and have that conversation over coffee and it’s extremely productive. We’re able to get work done in a casual way. These things just happen in Downtown and not really anywhere else.” What are the benefits of living and working Downtown?“It’s sort of incredible to not have to deal with traffic! I’m not behind the wheel that often, and I’m doing stuff that matters. The quality of life is very high here in Downtown. I get my groceries from local places on the way home which is convenient, and I walk or ride to work and getting exercise without even thinking about it. I’m spending less time in my car and more time interacting with people. My extroverted personality loves being here because there’s always something to do and people to meet.” In what ways has being Downtown aided ‘Undercurrent’?“Undercurrent has been going on for over two years, and we bring in diverse, creative people from every single metric you can imagine. The new people to the city and life-long Memphians both come to make connections, and having those events Downtown is always very successful. Our goal is to create a consistent experience with no name tags or speeches, but an event where people can buy into the idea of making genuine and engaging relations in the city. The downtown Undercurrents always go on later because the community here likes to have a good time. It’s no coincidence." What about ‘Ignite’?“Ignite is an event that gives people the platform to tell their story that they wouldn’t have had before. That could be something creative they’ve seen or accomplished, or an important issue they feel should be talked about among the community. Downtown is the place for Ignite. People can come together and see what they are doing and how they’re making a difference in Memphis. There’s no better place to do that than in the heart of the city.” What is your work environment like?“Archer Malmo is one of the best places to work at because we’re all friends. We have group chats and joke around with each other. It makes it easier to work hard and get projects done when our environment is fun. Being Downtown is key to that because we can go outside of the office and walk to everything Downtown has to offer. We go to happy hours, Grizzlies and Redbirds games, awesome restaurants; it’s just normal to us, and it’s great.” Do you have a favorite item in your office?“My ping-pong paddle is my favorite thing. I’m a huge ping-pong player, and it’s perfect because we have a table downstairs in our office. I also have a trophy we won at South by Southwest, so that’s the icing on the cake.” |
Downtown is a connected community of collaboration. Whether that means professional networking, career development, meet ups for beers after work or creative collisions on the street, Downtown is filled with outlets of inspiration and motivation.