Brand33: A Brand Agency with a Brand Story of Its Own

From the Desk of the CEO

Brand33 was born in the spare bedroom of a modest apartment in Gardena, California—a half-mad dream cooked up by two guys who clearly hadn’t read the odds. That was 36 years ago. Since then, through twists, turns, sales, reboots, and reincarnations, it’s become a small but mighty global branding agency with offices in Los Angeles and Chicago.

We are a focused, nimble, obsessively strategic band of brand obsessives. Our mission? Helping you turn your business dreams into reality—preferably without losing your mind in the process.

So... Why “Brand33”?

You’re going to ask. Everyone does. So let’s just get on with it.

Back in 1988, when the agency first came to life, it bore the founders' names—a badge of honor. But in 1996, the pair sold the business. Capitalism called; they answered. Nothing wrong with that.

Three years later, one of the founders bought it back. And this time, something shifted. He’d come to appreciate not having his name on the door. Because deep down, he knew: it was never about one guy. It was about the collective. The team. The gang. Always had been.

Around that time, a curious thing happened.

One of their major clients—a national restaurant brand—swore by a Feng Shui master and a numerologist to pick their store locations. Now, our founder wasn’t exactly lighting incense and studying the zodiac. But he figured, Hey, if it works for them…

So, in came the numerologist. An afternoon of staff interviews followed—names, birthdates, birthplaces, times of day—fed into an arcane calculator powered by mystery math and an even thicker reference book. Finally, she scribbled something on a scrap of paper, pushed it across the table like a fortune in a Chinese cookie.

It read: Brand33.

Why did it click? Nobody could say. It just did. Clean. Simple. Memorable. And hey, reverse-engineering a good origin story after the fact? Always easier than you’d think.

Turns Out, 33 Was Always There.

Only later did the strange coincidences start to surface. One founder’s first beer? Rolling Rock—famously cryptic “33”embossed on the back of the bottle. He played 3-years at what started as a Division 2 college but downgraded to a Division 3 football career. (Not all 3’s were particularly enjoyable.) Oh, and his third child? Born on 03/03/03.

Cosmic? Coincidental? Who knows.

But it stuck.

What It All Means.

In the end, Brand33 is more than a number, or a name, or a numerologist’s whim. It’s a symbol of who we are: a team that evolves, adapts, remembers its roots, and insists—against all odds—that work should be serious, but never joyless.

After all, the universe is weird. Might as well have some fun while you're in it.

—
Michael Dean
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