As we hoped, more information on the AKQA situation we reported yesterday has come to light.

We told you about a creative director at the agency who walked out when some of his team was let go. Well, the mystery addie is Jerome Austria.

He'll be setting his laptop up at Wieden + Kennedy NY as a CD. We just hope that with all that solidarity flowing, Austria didn't forget his Lion when he walked out of AKQA.

The move apparently had something to do with ECD Lars Bastholm, "who reportedly is horrible at managing people and does nothing but send cool web links and take credit for work he had no part of."

More after the jump...a lot more.

continued...

SpyWriter and I were chatting, and as you may recall, she's not so keen on posting layoffs these days. While I'm no happier to post them, the news still needs delivering. So with no further adieu,

"AKQA NYC Layoffs Yesterday. All seniors; Project Managers, Tech Managers, Creatives — 7 total. Upon hearing 1 of his sr art directors was walked out — Creative Director (responsible for a recent 2008 Cannes silver cyber lion) packed up his laptop and joined the others in solidarity. Move have quit; all the good creatives. Recent streak of losing 8 of 8 pitches the cause. AKQA NYC — done New Managing Director from DC running office now — dweeb"

That came in yesterday. Another AKQA tidbit came in today, marking more confirming the layoffs — on top of the aforementioned.

"akqa let go 5 or more people yesterday including project managers and lower level creatives"

By a rough count, that's more than 50 or so addies that have lost their jobs in the last week alone, from a number of different agencies. That might not sound like a lot, but add that to 30 here and 45 there from the last month or so and you've got a trend.

It's summer, financial plans are being reworked, and the economy sucks. Someone send us some good news, please. Oh, and in case you haven't heard what Tribble's reporting, check this out.

WE HEAR THAT... Da Frog is making a play into serious digital work. So far the agency has been keeping it pretty traditional, experiential, viral, and sometimes underground but with the recent edition of David Bryant from Digitas and once of DraftFCB, something had to pop off.

The water cooler is rife with rumors that StrawberryFrog has landed an account that is heavy on social media and digital capabilities. They apparently defeated agency of the year, AKQA, for this major client last week. What in the world...????

Can someone please cough up who the client it is? Merci.

AKQA is busy playing shuffle board wit their managing directors. Guy Wieynk, its British-born New York MD, will head over to the European operation to take the reigns. D.C. office head Jason Whiting will now be heading up New York and the nation's capital, as well. Additionally, Stuart Sproule now will oversee Shanghai as well as San Francisco as Managing Director West. Spreading it a little thin, no?

The shop has also hired a head of measurement and evaluation. Does that sound like a made-up job title or what? AKQA is looking to expand its offerings in data analytics and statistical analysis, so you know, they needed some kind of figurehead. The head of M&E will be Simon Ricketts of the Guardian News & Media where he was data analysis manager responsible for development and management of the analytics platforms across GNM properties.

[source]

Ok...not exactly -- but they have launched a new division -- aptly named "AKQA Film", to create, distribute and sponsor digital programming and content.

I'll be run by Emily Bull, the Head of Production, and merge the existing broadcast and motion graphics teams.

Previous AKQA film projects include ‘Tipping Pot' for Pot Noodle and ‘Unflinching Triumph' for Red Bull.

As well as creating content for its clients, the new team will also produce and sponsor independent films and creative projects.

You heard it here kids -- tune up those screenplays, get some new headshots done and get your agent on the phone -- there is a new kid in town.

basically they seem to be trying to create a new name for a division of stuff that already exists -- but from a digital agency perspective. Think taking Fallon's "BMW Films" and being able to run that project from a digital agency side as opposed to having to go to a broadcast shop.

Roar. AKQA has opened its entry gates in their search for Future Lions. Check out their slick website and Sonic The Hedgehog-esque mascot to go with it, here. The online submission form doesn't go live until April 1st, but don't you want to be prepared? The task is to "shake up the advertising world literally redefining the medium and the message." Easy peasy, no?

The AKQA London office engaged in a "walk to work day." The video, complete with soundtrack, shows their small push for green living. We asked you guys if your agency was even a little green. The good:

"I work for an office of JWT and they are definitely trying to practice what they’re preaching. They supplied each of us with a re-usable water thermos and a coffee mug to get rid of all the paper and plastic cups throughout the agency. They also posted signs all over the place to tell people how they can save energy and be less wasteful. Sure, the agency has other problems like any other shop does, but they seem to be taking the “green” thing seriously from what I can tell."

"I hate to think how many trees are chopped for a single presentation. Every agency I have ever been with in NYC had both recycling bins and garbage bins and they both ended up in the same place at the end of the day: the trash."

"The last agency I worked for ONLY stocked the kitchen with white styrofoam cups. Being the semi-granola, big-mouthed fool that I am prompted me to send an email inquiring about a possible switch over to re-usable cups, or in the least, replacing the cup stash with plastic dixie cups in an effort to cut down on our carbon “footprint.” Mind you this was week 2 of working at this agency. Boy was that a nightmare… I almost instantly received emails left and right from all dept.’s warning me of the ramifications of the email I had just sent out, something regarding the president of the company “having a thing about his cups.”
That was the most specific response I received until a few days later the president decided to do a “reply all” (hitting the entire agency) with the quip, “hasn’t someone told the new guy about my cups?”

Later it turned out he had some unworked out OCD issues, one of which being that he could only drink from styrofoam cups, and therefore felt it necessary to make it an “unwritten company policy” that the cups were to be used if you did not provide your own. My guess was so that he didn’t feel like some sort of “special case” if he showed up to a meeting being the only one sporting his styrofoam cup of water + styrofoam cup of coffee (he was also unable to have one without the other… yet another trait I would later learn).

That should have been a red-flag right off the bat, but I was too busy trying to brainstorm with the rest of our team about how to promote one of our clients as being a “Green, Eco-Friendly Home."

AKQA was named digital agency of the year by AdWeak. Okay. Sure. The Cult of Ajaz, whose powers are supposedly as intense as a religious leader, which keeps people in the firm, have had a stellar year. Well, except for Andrew O'Dell, who was president of the interactive shop's flagship and ECD P.J. Pereira who departed the flagship office of SF to form their own agency. It's been described as a "post-digital" shop. What do you think "post digital" means?

And also, Martin Cedergren, the executive creative director of AKQA Amsterdam, left the agency to join creative shop 180 Amsterdam last week.

AKQA was the very long shot in our Digital Dead Pool (someone had to do it). We congratulate the agency on weathering what could of been some stormy seas with its addition of new services and companies (analytics, SEM). We also pointed to the danger inherent with navigating integration plans, which often fail to bring shops together and spur strong creatives to bail. So, hmm... Is this a Crispin syndrome where the agency also functions as an incubator for top talent or is top creative leaving because the agency has swerved away from its original small office mentality and mission? We'll see...