Looking Back on 40 Years as a Mad Man

Reflection

By Darby O’Brien

It was 40 years ago — May 1, 1980 — that I started Darby O’Brien Advertising out of a side porch in Holyoke. Charlie Keenan worked with me on copy and concept and Carolyn Harrington handled the books. We outsourced design to Susan Fentin and Kerry Gavin from Brooklyn.

It all started with three clients: A.O. White Clothiers, the Yankee Pedlar Inn, and the Mt. Tom Ski Area.

The staff of three worked at one desk — a cheapo folding table with a tacky vinyl top. The first call we got was from Eddie Fauteaux from A.O. White and the folding table collapsed. Good start.

The inspiration for me to start a business was my great-great grandfather, Daniel O’Connell, who came over from Ireland and started a construction company. All I ever wanted was to build ads as good as Daniel O’Connell’s Sons built buildings, roads and bridges. My father was vice president of that company. 

My father also co-signed the loan from Security National Bank that helped me move the agency out of the side porch and put in a couple real desks. What a risk that was for him, considering it took me five schools and six years to get out of high school. I used to tell my dad, “The longer I go, the smarter I get.”

Al White, the owner of A.O. White, was on the board of the bank and when Wally Burnett, the president of Security National, called for a reference, Al said, “I’d bet my last buck on him.”

 We moved into Baystate West a month later. 

We spent a decade-plus in downtown Springfield. First in Baystate West and then in the historic Stacy Building, where they built the first American gasoline-powered car and where one of our clients, Taylor Street Dental, operates today. 

We had a good run in Springfield. Had a lot of lunches at the Fort and met many great people who became longtime clients and friends, including Brian Trelease, Denis Gagnon and many more. In 1991, we moved to the Village Commons in South Hadley where I designed the playhouse office, met Bill Ochoa, and began another series of adventures.

Just like Daniel O’Connell’s — and one of our best and longest-running clients, Excel Dryer — I’ve been lucky to have the next generation join the business. Joe and Gainer. That’s the best thing that’s happened over 40 years. When I’m gone, they’ll probably sink it. But what the hell.

 A couple of things said about the agency have stuck with me. Peter Rosskothen, owner of the Log Cabin, said, “Nobody will fight harder for a client than those guys.” And Peter Picknelly, president of Peter Pan, said, “They do different good.” 

We’ve always gone over big with guys named Peter.

Hey, it’s always been about the creative. And I’ve always said about the ideas, “They’ll never buy it, but let’s do it anyway.”

It’s a strange time to be celebrating anything right now, but things have always been a little strange with this agency. It’s been a wild ride. But like I’ve been saying from the start, keep your dukes up.

Darby O’Brien is founder and president of Darby O’Brien Advertising.