Sitting Down with Cara Kleinhaut, Powerhouse CEO Behind Award-Winning Experiential+Digital Marketing Firm, AGENC

If you’re in the events industry, you know that AGENC is easily one of the most celebrated and all-around badass event production companies in the biz. Actually, I stand corrected, AGENC is more than just an event production company, they’re a brands best friend. AGENC is a bicoastal, full service, experiential marketing and design company that truly immerses people into the brand, designing events for digital marketing.  They are experts at telling a story every step of the way. They don’t just do events and they don’t just do marketing – they’re pros at BOTH.

If you’re not privy to the event industry, you certainly have heard of AGENC’s clients and seen some of their noteworthy work which usually ends up plastered all over Instagram, BizBash, Pinterest, etc. Does Target ring a bell? Honest Company? PopSugar? How about Dior, Vanity Fair, Essence Black Women in Hollywood Awards or Rodeo Drive? Have you heard of them? OBVIOUSLY, you have, because these are some of the largest, most well-known luxury and mass brands in the WORLD! That is no joke. Some of these brands have been relying on AGENC for over a decade – if that doesn’t tell you something, I don’t know what does!

Photo Credit: Brandi Gard

I had the honor to spend time chatting with Cara Kleinhaut, the brains and driving force behind AGENC, which was previously Caravents. From our conversation, I can confidently tell you that Cara is a doer, a go-getter, a native New-Yorker, a thoughtful leader who encourages her employees to have creative freedom, an empowering force in the industry, a travel lover, a creative, a mom, a wife, a yogi-addict and an all-around inspiring woman!

I’m all about knowing the journey and what it really took to get there. I see all of AGENC’s stunning visuals on Instagram – but what did it take to get to that point? Disclaimer: Cara explained that there is a HUGE time and effort that is put into maintaining their beautiful Instagram feed – makes sense, because it’s amazing!

Cara started her journey at Sony Music in the 90’s where she was doing it ALL from Grammy parties to large scale conferences. Eventually in 2001, Cara decided that she wanted to go off on her own and do her own thing – go girl! Then came Caravents. Cara admittedly says at that point she had no idea how to run a company, but she certainly knew how to throw events.

SO, you get Cara, you get the events and there you have it: Caravents!

This really resonates with me, because I genuinely believe that if you have the passion and the drive – you can do anything. You just have to begin! Cara made cold calls, landed deals with clients and got on her way. Eventually the team grew with the additions of Erin Sprinkel and Angela Margolis (now of Sterling Social) and it was the forceful trio killing it for a long time, growing Caravents to a massive success.

Cara always knew she would have a bi-coastal company. One major reason is that a lot of her clients have HQs in NYC, and another being her love for the fast-paced drive that NYC offers. Talk about a HUGE benefit to clients, knowing they can work with the same firm bicoastally, and knowing that Cara really drives home that famed NYC hustle within the company culture at AGENC. There is a sense of urgency and importance for all her client’s needs, and they will always get efficiency when working with her team.

Fast forward to 2013 and Cara was obsessing over social media, and not just social, but the connection between social and events. Genius – because she was totally ahead of the game, the foresight is unreal. She knew that if they designed their events in a certain way, with certain colors and experiences, the events would explode on social – great for the company AND the client. This was both impressive and totally ahead of the trend.

Photo Credit: Niki Csányi

At first, clients thought Cara was crazy for wanting to invite random people to their parties vs. traditional celebrities and A-listers. These random ‘people’ are now known as influencers, and arguably the most powerful force in marketing. Clients immediately saw a ROI and began to really understand what Cara had uncovered.

This is when she saw the dynamic in the business shifting early. From that point that it was no longer about the step and repeat or red-carpet entry.  It’s about the experience that attendees are having and how the party makes them feel that really gets people talking and posting. It was no longer about the editor in the magazine, but rather the blogger with the massive following.

From that point on, she had figured out that she had the power. If she put together the right experiential event elements paired with the influential blogger, that brand/client was going to be AMPLIFIED.  No ‘traditional’ PR needed – that was a powerful force to be reckoned with alone. Caravents set out to disrupt traditional PR and said “we can get about 90% of your message out there with experiential events” – and proved it for brands.

It was around 2015 when Cara realized that her company had naturally evolved into something much larger than just Cara and just events – they were doing so much more. A huge beauty launch for Target really made Cara realize this. The event went off without a hitch and generated MILLIONS of impressions. The company had managed everything from the guest list to the event design to the decor to delivering the metrics & ROI and what made the amplification of the event possible. It was digital and experiential marketing through events. From there, she knew she would need to build out her team to ensure that she had the talent behind her to compete with an ad agency and be a full-service marketing or PR agency to clients.

Left Photo Credit: Wes Tarca; Right Photo Credit: Paige Jones

Honestly, it’s both genius and FASCINATING to me. People are not paying attention to ads – consumers want organic, live experiences and trust influencers like their best friend – it’s more personal and tangible. In today’s market, a live experience lasts SO much longer than an ad in a magazine – and AGENC kills it every time! They ensure these live experiences are PHENOMENAL – and they’re now a marketing agency that also specializes in events vs. a traditional marketing company needing to outsource event production.

“I’ve never been more excited to be in the business than right now, it’s the most exciting time that I’ve seen. I remember in 2010 when people were starting to question the relevancy of event doing events” – Cara Kleinhaut

As we’ve already covered, AGENC has a breadth of clients from Target to Dior – both vastly different brands. So how do they really ensure that the brand values are being portrayed correctly? They immerse themselves into the brand in every way and really get to know the ins and outs.

Cara credits her team for being both incredible and talented and is proud that they’re able to have so many repeat clients. It’s a point of pride for the company – being able to grow together with their clients. From the Creative Director to Digital to Sales, her team are chameleons because their clients run the gamut – and it’s their responsibility to bring that to life in a live setting.

Consistently producing jaw-dropping stunts such as the Cosmopolitan campaign with Bare Minerals that placed a bed in the middle of Times Square on National Sleepover day can be a high order. I gain my inspiration in work from companies such as AGENC that are consistently going against the grain and pushing the envelope.

Photo credit: bareminerals.com

But where does AGENC, the leading force in experiential events marketing, get inspiration from?

The answer – the world around you! Cara specifically focuses on travel and immersing herself in diverse cultures, experiences, art, museums, antique fairs, design shows, international art shows, Designboom, My Modern Met, Cool Hunting, etc. Basically, the answer is EVERYWHERE. She’s always keeping her eyes and ideas open for new concepts to produce cutting edge concepts for her clients. That my friends tells you – she’s totally killing it and really doing what she’s passionate about in life.

Photo Credit: Sarah Gardan

The more I talked with Cara, the more I was inspired by basically everything she’s created with AGENC . What made me respect her even MORE was the fact that she empowers her employees to be their best and to take care of themselves always. With a flexible work from home policy, unlimited PTO, a super competitive maternity leave policy, and flex working hours (if you need to take a yoga class in the morning, come in a little late) – just be sure you’re getting your work done, no micro-managing. The events world can get very intense, and she realizes that, so she wants to be sure her employees are doing well.

Even better, women have ALWAYS had their moment at AGENC . In Cara’s words…

“That’s been who we are from day one…It’s not about women are having their moment, women have had their moment here from day one. It’s who we are and who we have been…it’s not a policy, it’s not something we have to go out of our way to say or do.”

Cara admits that she’s been incredibly lucky to be in environments where women can really thrive. Give women the tools to be successful and they will shine!

But how does Cara take care of herself? You guys are well aware of my obsession with health and wellness, you know I had to ask! Cara is a girl after my own heart, because she credits Pilates for allowing her to stay strong and says she’s being doing Pilates for over twenty years! Kundalini Yoga is also an everyday practice for her – impressive to say the least. She credits this for having a clear mind and centering her to keep a clear head in business. A farmer’s market junkie, she’s also obsessed with eating healthy and calls the wellness trend her guilty please – right there with ya girlfriend!

On the topic of wellness – Cara says she thinks it’s here to stay in the world of experiential marketing. Whether it’s a photo installation that reads your aura or yogis opening up at rock festivals, or a crystal installation – she doesn’t see this going away.

And you know what else won’t be going away? The continued success of AGENC  – be sure to follow along with them on their remarkable journey @weareagenc – trust me, you won’t regret it.

xoxox

Alysia (Purely) Pope