Ad Executive Leaves AC&R; for Costa Mesa Firm

Gary Cunningham, senior vice president and creative director at the Irvine office of national advertising firm AC&R;, has jumped ship to become a partner with an Orange County shop.

Cunningham plans to join Costa Mesa-based Roberts/Mealer/Emerson on Wednesday. The firm will become Roberts/Mealer/Cunningham on Jan. 1, dropping the name of James Emerson, who retired in June.

AC&R; was Cochrane Chase, Livingston & Co. until about a year ago, when it merged into AC&R; Advertising Inc., a New York-based agency. Cunningham said the change in corporate culture is the main reason he is moving after 16 years with the same shop.

“AC&R; is completely different from anything that Cochrane Chase ever was,” he said. “There’s no home control anymore . . . (and) too much stress on profitability rather than doing great work.”

Roberts/Mealer/Emerson is a 38-year-old advertising and public relations firm with about 20 people and has yearly billings of “less than $10 million,” according to Jack Mealer, chairman of the firm.

Roberts/Mealer clients include Magnavox and Emerson Electronic.

Mealer said he expects that Cunningham will attract a number of new clients and hopes that the firm will increase its annual billings to $20 million within three years.

AC&R; has 70 to 80 employees and West Coast annual billings--including the Los Angeles, Irvine and San Diego offices--of $80 million to $100 million.