Good news:

It’s easier than ever to target your audience with a message.

Bad news:

It’s harder than ever to compel them to act.

We rectify
the latter.

Simply put, Calaveras creates exceptionally motivating concepts that are the beating heart of all successful marketing efforts, including:

Branding / Strategy / Websites / Digital Display / Social Media / Video / Email / Traditional Media

About our name.

Calaveras are the symbolic skulls focal to the Mexican and Central American "Day of the Dead" tradition. These festivities are a celebration of individual life. We believe every brand has a life, too. And it's our job to make it worth celebrating.

Yes, that’s what we believe.
But we’re not alone. Because our clients believe it, too.

Leadership

Experienced, yet curious. Highly creative, yet strategic. Collaborative with you - yet demanding of ourselves. That describes the leadership at Calaveras. And why clients turn to us to help lead their efforts in new and better directions.

Dave Kwasnick

Partner / Creative Director

There are two types of creatives: those who like to wear black and those who enjoy doing the work. Dave is the latter. He’s also a seeming contradiction, employing a rational, strategic approach to create singularly exceptional (and effective) work throughout his career. Dave started as a writer before rising to the ranks of associate creative director, strategist, creative director and executive creative director. Calaveras is his second experience owning an agency. Dave has had the privilege of working with many national brands at agencies in Minneapolis, Chicago and Pittsburgh. He’s the recipient of numerous national and local awards, as well as an inductee into the AAF Pittsburgh Advertising Hall of Achievement. An avid birder and lover of history, Dave enjoys annoying his wife and two children with facts about both.

Matthew Axeman

Partner / Creative Director

Matt hungers to create visually stunning, supremely effective work. But don’t let his executions fool you. Matt’s truest talent comes into play long before images take shape on a page. That’s because he excels at divining human insights and developing them into the core concepts that galvanize consumers into action. Matt’s thirst for creative perfection has led him to master a wide array of skills, from 3-D animation to UX design. A lifelong auto enthusiast, you’ll find Matt pushing the limits behind the wheel or under the hood when he’s not working.