Dave Barnett

My adventure began without formal qualifications, starting in retail before discovering advertising through a local newspaper. This path led me to Universal McCann for seven formative years. Growing frustrated with big agency opacity, I worked at smaller shops before co-founding December19 with Dan Pimm. We built our agency on radical transparency when the industry was heading the opposite way. Our philosophy of "doing the right thing" wasn't just idealism – it became our competitive advantage, redefining client relationships in media planning and buying, and proving effectiveness and ethics can thrive together.