It’s always fun to introduce people you love to one another. Each month, we feature a member of our Root + River studio so you can better get to know them. Studio Partners are individual professionals and companies we have developed fabulous working relationships with and to who we relish referring our clients and friends. They support the Root + River beliefs and standards and are believers in intrinsic branding.

THE HUMAN: Anthony Ferrara, Oxy.co

THEIR ROOT BELIEF: We believe creativity is a human right.

WHAT HE OFFERS: Anthony, his business partner Jamison Hill, and their team of outcome-focused designers, product strategists, and marketers offer a breath of fresh design. They partner with venture-funded entrepreneurs, startups, and agile teams with product design and marketing asset needs. These needs include web software, mobile apps, websites, and branding. Simply put, the Oxy team regards software as a powerful tool with seemingly endless practical applications – a tool that is capable of solving the most basic to the most advanced problems facing mankind.

HOW LONG WE’VE WORKED TOGETHER: 4-5 years (!)

HIS THOUGHTS ON PERSONAL BRANDING: “I have been a freelancer since I was 15-years old. My personal brand is my brand.”

WHY WE LOVE HIM: Talking to Anthony is soothing. He has a gentleness of spirit and a way of pausing before answering. In this life of overlapping comments and competing screens, a conversation with Anthony is like hitting the hold button – a breath you didn’t know you were going to take but where you find yourself calm, listening, interested. He is earnest and talented. And wired in a way similar to us. He shares, “I have a knack for not wanting the (work) relationship to be purely transactional. I want to be their friend. I want to help their wife start their clothing business. I want to be helpful.”

YUMMY DETAILS: Anthony was only 15-years old when his mentor, Brent Spore, took him under his wing. Brent was the leader of Anthony’s church youth group. A proud early adopter of the Mac computer (his username is still “Iboughtamac”) he ran the sound system and made videos for the church. These activities and talents caught the attention of Anthony, and Brent generously shared his Dropbox where he would record his screen. Anthony absorbed it all. Brent, “gave everything and he expected nothing. I try to reciprocate that.”

As a teenager, he became aware of brands and used that knowledge and exploration as personal expression. “My cases for my iPhone, my backpack, things I wore, I was aware of a designer-centric approach to making products. People would compliment me and that led to talks about art or visual design.” It became a way to connect with others. 

Connection was, and is, the goal. It is that connection that allows the truth and what is truly desired to be revealed. “That internal dialogue, the one in your head?” asks Anthony, “When you have someone invested in the relationship, you can have that dialogue out loud to see how it sounds, how it works. I want to work with someone I like, someone with common interests. Because I’m motivated to work with them, to trust them, to know what motivates them. Because if we get excited and we share a common interest, I feel like they can trust me better with the ideas in their head, and I can be trusted to bring about their vision.”

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