About - Must Be Something : Must Be Something

Hello, we are Must Be Something

Must Be Something is an independent, full-service advertising agency based in Portland, Oregon.

We’re also a resource to rely on as you tackle your communications challenges, whatever form they might take.

We can work with you to develop and execute solutions of all sorts—an advertising campaign, a product launch, a website, a strategy or research exploration, a brand manifesto, content creation, a social media campaign or anything else that might come up.

We work with big global brands and small local businesses. And we collaborate with other agencies, whether they’re an AOR or an internal creative resource.

We treat each endeavor with the same care and handling, deploying a core team and pulling from our deep roster of collaborators from across all sorts of disciplines who join us on an “as-needed” basis.

Our approach keeps us flexible, scrappy and pretty much ready for anything.

Who we are, like actually in reality.

Andrew Schafer

Andrew Schafer spent 9 years at Wieden+Kennedy before jumping ship to start Must Be Something with Jed. He’s led brands like Levi’s, Starbucks, Target and Dodge/Chrysler and he spent the 10 previous years at Chiat/Day working on Apple in both the UK and Los Angeles, California.

Jed Alger

Jed Alger started Must Be Something with Andrew Schafer 6 years ago. Before that he spent thirteen years at Wieden+Kennedy as a writer and creative director, and another five years freelancing all over before starting the agency. He has worked on all sorts of things, including Microsoft, Facebook, Google, Target, Nike and Starbucks.

Sarah Starr

Sarah Starr honed her design chops over four years at Johnson & Wolverton, before moving to Wieden+Kennedy where she coaxed major initiatives to life for clients as diverse and demanding as Verizon, Dodge, Chrysler, Starbucks, Nike. She is simultaneously the raw power that drives MBS and the glue that holds us together.

Margie Risciotto

Margie Risciotto is the future of MBS. Margie grew up in Portland and attended the Pacific Northwest College of Art where she received a degree in Graphic Design. As a designer, she lives to create brands and identities that use their messaging in a culturally impactful way. She’s the newest member of MBS and her honesty and outspoken nature keeps us all on our toes.

Sean Donnell

Sean Donnell has been bringing products and people together for over two decades, starting with the iconic brands Lib Tech and Gnu snowboards, then moving to Wieden+Kennedy and Razorfish. He has created nearly every kind of communication, traditional and digital, for clients such as Nike, Microsoft, XBox, Electronic Arts and Bing. Energy, enthusiasm and a boundless love of shapes and colors are the hallmarks of Sean’s vibe.

Barney Schafer

Barney plays an essential role on our team. He is the ultimate warmer of laps, hassler of mailmen, seeker of crumbs and all around lifter of spirits at MBS. Good job, Barney.