It all started on a scaffold on Federal Hill

As college guys, brothers Rob and John Walsh spent summers renovating double- and triple-deckers on Federal Hill in Providence before returning to school cross-town at the Rhode Island School of Design and Brown University, respectively. Technically, our ad agency wasn’t formed for another decade or so, but the seeds for Rob and John’s creative partnership were planted during those summertime rehab projects.

So how did we go from fixing up rental properties to becoming trusted storytellers for iconic Rhode Island brands and global technology corporations? Once upon a time, we had creative positions at big New England agencies – Rob as a graphic designer and John as a copywriter. We loved the work, but not the layers. So we decided to start a firm that is more Renaissance in spirit, collaborative in practice, and nimble in execution. Our goal: make it easy for clients to get great work.

For more details on our firm’s Federal Hill roots, read John’s op-ed column, “Following in Papa’s footsteps.”

Robert Walsh

Rob founded Walsh & Associates in 1989 after stints as a designer, art director, and creative director at agencies in Boston, Portland, and Providence. A creative Renaissance man, Rob is an accomplished graphic designer, photographer, production whiz, display builder, and illustrator – all this from a guy who received a degree in landscape architecture from the Rhode Island School of Design. But as Rob says, good design is good design, whether you are creating web sites in WordPress, building Constant Contact email blasts, composing photos… or planting trees.

John Walsh

John joined Rob at Walsh & Associates after holding positions as copywriter, copy chief, and creative director at a 60-person Rhode Island ad agency. John excels at helping clients get at the essence of their brand or product story, infusing their content with the right voice, the proper positioning, and the key competitive advantages. With proven copy techniques, he translates client insights into words that become powerful brand assets – in ads and web sites, annual reports and radio spots, social media campaigns and RFP submissions. A graduate of Brown University, John has written a monthly Op-Ed column for the Providence Journal since 2013. 

Kate Curnow

Kate, account manager, provides strategic counsel, media planning, and project management services to the agency’s consumer, business-to-business, and non-profit clients. She is instrumental to the development and execution of communications programs for South County Health. Kate’s marketing expertise was honed at top international agencies, including Arnold Worldwide, Leo Burnett, J. Walter Thompson, and Grey Advertising, and she has headed up communications efforts for blue-chip brands such as Ocean Spray, Talbots, Kellogg’s, Diet Pepsi, Pantene, and Rolex. A native of Toronto, Kate holds degrees in history and physical education from the University of Western Ontario as well as a diploma from the Canadian Institute of Advertising.

Carla D’ Ercole

Carla, office manager and account/media coordinator, is the voice of Walsh & Associates. Yes, we answer the phone when you call and fortunately for us, it’s Carla’s friendly voice that you hear. She is key to our ability to respond swiftly to client requests – equal parts problem-solver, project facilitator, and schedule minder. She also serves as account and media coordinator on our larger accounts. Carla began her career at Gilbane Building Company. She is a graduate of Community College of Rhode Island and the Sawyer School, and attended Rhode Island College.