Robin grew up in an eclectic combination of locations - Nigeria, Washington, DC, and Martha's Vineyard, but mostly Montana. She went east on a scholarship, and after graduating Magna cum Laude from Yale, headed to New York to try her hand as an artist.

There, she found her way into advertising. Soon, a new discipline, Account Planning, captured her imagination and gave her the opportunity to apply her combination of creative and intellectual talents. As an early American in this British-dominated discipline, Robin had the opportunity to work with some of the best talent in the advertising industry.

After a stint at Chiat/Day, Robin joined Creative star Nick Cohen as Co-Chair of start-up Mad Dogs & Englishmen in 1992. Under their leadership, this strategically-driven creative boutique won awards for both creativity and strategic excellence for clients such as AOL MovieFone, YooHoo Chocolate Drink, Blue Moon Beer, The Village Voice, and The Economist. As a “media neutral” agency before it was fashionable, Mad Dogs was a dot-com darling, and grew to over 70 people. After the dot-com meltdown, Robin diversified Mad Dogs' offering by opening Mad Logic, a Planning consultancy, which came to specialize in insights for media companies. Using innovative high-tech and high-touch research techniques, Mad Logic solved challenges for companies like the LATimes.com, Newsweek, Univision, Sirius Satellite Radio, USA Network, SyFy, and Viacom. At Mad Dogs Enterprises, Robin was proud to be able to train many talented planners who still today work in some of the best agencies in the world.

Robin and Nick closed down Mad Dogs Enterprises in 2005. “Thirteen years is about as long as you can expect a good-sized dog to live,” Nick said at the time. Robin next started Open Mind Strategy, building on the expertise of Mad Logic in the media arena. Open Mind retained clients like USA, SyFy, and MTV Networks, and helped a host of television channels, print companies, and web-based businesses to do more successful business by better connecting with their audiences. Among other achievements, Robin’s team developed the still successful “Characters” positioning that helped USA capture the lead in cable. One of the first research companies to consider consumers as co-creators, Open Mind did over $2 million in sales in its first year, and soon expanded beyond media to experience brands, such as travel destinations and retail brands. During this period, OMS also had the opportunity to team with eatbigfish, helping companies like Cole Haan, eBay, Kodak, and Unilever successfully apply “challenger brand” principles to innovating their businesses.

In 2007, Robin joined kb+p as Managing Partner and Chief Strategic Officer, and OMS became one of kb+p’s specialist divisions. Working across all of kb’s disciplines, Robin was instrumental in winning business from clients such as Wendy’s International, Avon Fragrances, Starz, and Bloomberg, and in developing successful insight-driven strategies for clients such as Panasonic, Kao, Diageo, and Mohegan Sun. Meanwhile, Open Mind helped solve problems for Comedy Central, TVLand, Yahoo!, NBC, and others.

Robin left what is now kbs+p at the end of 2009, and in Fall of 2010 set up Open Mind Strategy as an independent LLC. Recent assignments have included work for Yahoo!, The Food Network, Travel Channel, VNSNY, PBM, USA, several non-profits and a number of advertising agencies.

Robin is a member of the New York Entrepreneurs Organization. She sits on the National Advertising Review Board. She served for over five years on the board of the AAAA’s Account Planning Committee, including two years as Co-Chair. She has been a regular teacher of the 4A’s “Quantitative Literacy for Planners” course, was an Executive in Residence at the University of Oregon’s Advertising Program, and has taught at VCU and the Miami Ad School. She has spoken frequently at research and marketing conferences on strategic development, new media, and teens, has judged numerous award shows, and was named America’s “Iron Planner” by the US APG in 2004, a title so far unchallenged.

Andrew Hafitz has been editing films since 1995. Along the way, he's collaborated with some of the leading directors in the New York independent film scene, including Whit Stillman (Damsels in Distress, 2012; The Last Days of Disco, 1998), Lodge Kerrigan (Keane, 2004), and Larry Clark (Ken Park, 2002; Bully, 2001). Two of his films have premiered in competition at Sundance: Braden King's Here (2011), a metaphysical road movie filmed on location in Armenia, and Cruz Angeles's Don't Let Me Drown (2009), shot primarily in Brooklyn. Don't Let Me Drown went on to win audience and jury at awards at many festivals, including Best Film and Best Editing at the Woodstock Film Festival in 2009. Andy's documentary credits include the street basketball movie Soul in the Hole (1997), directed by Danielle Gardner, and a number of David Schisgall films including the feature The Lifestyle: Group Sex in the Suburbs (1999) and the MTV show "True Life: I'm in Iraq," which won the Edward R. Murrow Award for Best Network News Documentary in 2005. A graduate of Yale University with a degree in comparative literature, Andy lives in Manhattan and Willow, NY, with his wife, Robin.

Lee’s background in film, art and Spanish brought her to NYC in 2005 to freelance with an eclectic group of independent documentary filmmakers. Eventually, Lee’s creative drive was challenged by the reality of paying rent in Manhattan, so she shifted gears and joined Open Mind Strategy as the business coordinator and research project manager. The creative environment at Open Mind Strategy was a great match for Lee’s skill set and a unique opportunity to gain greater knowledge of qualitative research process and strategy assignments. After 2 years, Lee joined the brand planning team at kbs+p, where she became a junior planner for Wendy’s, Capital One and Starz. In 2010, Lee reunited with Open Mind Strategy as a thought partner, researcher and project director. At OMS, Lee has worked with a variety of clients, including Syfy, Yahoo!, USA Today and the Food Network.

Leah was born in New York City and grew up in Seattle, Washington. She could not wait to get back to New York, and as soon as she had the chance she moved east to attend Barnard College. She graduated with a Bachelors Degree in cultural anthropology, culminating in a senior thesis that explored consumer behavior and marketing of intimate products. During her time at Barnard, she also worked as a receptionist and assistant in the admissions office, which included giving tours of the college.

Upon graduation, Leah searched for ways to make use of her anthropology education. After volunteering for a science-education non-profit, followed by a brief stint in accounting, Leah found her way to Open Mind Strategy, where she is very excited to exercise the anthropological part of her brain and assist in any way possible.

Kirk believes that people are the best source of inspiration for strategy and creativity, and that all brands should position themselves in the most humanly relevant way possible.

Kirk has 13 years' experience as a brand planner and qualitative researcher across a broad spectrum of product categories, working with brands such as Hasbro, Delta, AOL, Discovery Channel, ConAgra Foods, Sprint and Canon Cameras at leading advertising agencies such as JWT, Grey Worldwide, BBDO, and Saatchi & Saatchi.

With OMS, Kirk has helped drive consumer insights and brand strategies for MTV Research, MSNBC, The Food Network, and Travel Channel.

Marjorie’s marketing, communications, event and development expertise is a result of almost 20 years of passionate commitment to building brands and helping corporations and organizations maximize their potential. Having worked as an advertising executive, marketing and communications consultant, strategist and executive director, Marjorie understands the multifaceted efforts needed to create innovative programs that yield success, and has the know-how and can-do attitude to achieve the impossible.

She is known as a “mini SWAT team” who can handle whatever challenge is put to her, with a smile. Through her work with Open Mind Strategy, Marjorie has served clients ranging from MTV Networks and NBC Olympics, to the Visiting Nurse Service of New York.

Marjorie has a BS in Marketing and Management from SUNY Albany. She spent her advertising days at Ogilvy & Mather Direct, Kobs and Draft, Deutsch, Kirshenbaum Bond and Partners and Mad Dogs & Englishmen, dabbled in the dot-com revolution at zUniversity, and started her non-profit career in 2001, working on such issues as gun violence prevention, health, and child protection.

She recently launched Swim Free, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the health improvement of children and adults through swimming, is a Red Cross volunteer and has done triathlons to raise money and awareness for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Marjorie currently resides on the upper west side of Manhattan and enjoys yoga, travel, and time at her jewel box by the sea in Montauk.

After a twenty-two year childhood in Texas, a brief stint in San Francisco and seven wonderful New York years, Mandy finds herself in Chicago.

Mandy’s a true researcher with an unconventional mind. She’s fascinated by what comes out of people’s mouths and is dedicated to creating methodologies that uncover audience, brand and category truths. To her, a solid strategy may be wicked or it might be wild, but it works because it hits people’s hearts.

Apart from OMS, she’s strategized at giant agencies with giant clients (McCann Erickson, General Mills, avisbudget) and teentsy agencies who specialize in non-profiteering and international brand launches (TURF, The College Board, Weleda).

She’s rejoined OMS to be with like-minded storytellers.

Nora comes from a multicultural background, speaking six languages and having studied in top universities in Europe. She settled in New York, finishing her studies as a film major at The New School. She started her career in video journalism and documentaries, and has worked with top ad agencies and research companies in the New York City area.

Currently, she is a video producer, shooter, editor, and graphic designer in the research field, creating video for companies that want to be inspired by bringing their consumers to life. Naturally, with documentary film and journalism experience, her shooting style is documentary-like, and her shooting vibe is unobtrusive on the set, allowing her to capture slice-of-life moments. Her unique flexibility allows her to wear many hats and solve problems across the map quickly, effectively, and logistically.