Marc Williams, President of Williams & Helde, inherited a rebellious streak against authority—and a legacy that started on a hot summer’s evening in 1969 when his father and Ed Helde decided to start an agency rather than search for work. Fifty-five years later, the shop is still standing, still independent, and still allergic to blending into the algorithm. Williams & Helde doesn’t write Super Bowl commercials. They don’t obsess over conversion metrics. They do something stranger and more valuable: they make brands that people actually prefer and choose. From Sonicare to Helly Hansen to Bay Liner boats, these aren’t one-campaign relationships—they’re 20-plus-year partnerships rooted in trust.
How It Started: Artist Meets Mathematician
Marc’s father was an artist and painter. Ed Helde was into mathematics. They couldn’t find advertising work, so they decided to create their own shop instead. Two men with radically different minds building an agency that values both creative spark and structural thinking. Marc inherited that DNA and went to art school convinced he’d never work in the family business. Then at 23, he got tapped to art direct Bay Liner boats—and spent his first couple years flying 100 days a year taking pictures of boats across open water. It was a masterclass in how agencies build lasting client relationships.
What They’re Known For: The Brands That Matter
Williams & Helde has built an unusual portfolio. Outdoor brands, active lifestyle companies, and one unexpected jewel: dental professionals. Sonicare has been a client for over 20 years. Helly Hansen: two decades. Bay Liner boats: roughly 30 years. These aren’t one-campaign relationships. The outdoor space attracts brands that share a rebellious spirit, but it’s the care that keeps them coming back. Long-term client loyalty isn’t luck—it’s the outcome of brands that people actually like.
Core Strengths: Brand Preference and Design
Marc calls it “devanilization”—pulling brands out of the beige homogeneity that swallows everything. The real strength is brand preference: that middle of the funnel where people move from aware to actually liking you. Williams & Helde doesn’t do Super Bowl writing. They don’t obsess over SEO conversion. They use design and PR to get people to prefer your brand, to remember it, to choose it. In a world of endless options, preference is power—and that’s where they live.
Why Independence Matters: The Freedom to Run It Your Way
When Marc’s father retired to Mexico in 2003, he handed the agency to Marc with a simple instruction: figure it out. Marc bought it and never looked back. Being indie isn’t just a business model—it’s philosophy. It allows you to operate how you actually want to operate. Marc has always had a rebellious streak against authority, and running his own shop means he answers to no one but his clients and his team. Small team, big ambitions. The freedom to work on what matters, to say no to bad fits, to build long-term relationships instead of chasing quarterly metrics. That freedom shows in the work.
Why Brands Choose Them: Trust, Likability, and Stickiness
Williams & Helde’s mission is simple: be the most trusted resource. The 20-year client relationships aren’t accidents—they’re proof that Marc and his team care about whether a brand matters five years from now, not just whether the campaign ships on time. They invest in likability. They fight against invisibility through design and strategy. And because they’re independent, they can take risks that bigger shops won’t—the kind of risks that make brands actually stick out. Clients stick around because they’re working with people who actually like them.
Why Talent Joins: Batteries Charged, Ideas Welcome
The pitch is honest: come work on brands you actually like, at a place that won’t grind you down for 70-hour weeks. Marc believes in recharging batteries—in coming in fresh and making a clean swing. There’s no prestige hierarchy, no endless approval loops. You bring ideas, you push forward, and you get to breathe. The mentality is called ABL—Always Be Learning (and as Marc jokes, Always Be Cobbling). It’s not a program. It’s a mentality. Class subscriptions, time to think, space to grow. An agency culture built around the understanding that the best work comes from people who are genuinely interested in getting better.
Weirdos, Misfits, and Underdogs by Design
“Definitely underdogs. Definitely misfits. Definitely weird.” That’s Marc’s read on his own shop, and it’s also his secret ingredient. Williams & Helde has never blended into the algorithm because they’re allergic to being normal. Success came from honoring that strangeness, from hiring people who didn’t fit the mold, from building a culture that celebrates the outsider perspective. In a world of optimization, they chose oddness. And it worked.
Looking Ahead: Brands Worth Watching
Marc owns an INEOS Grenadier and thinks they’re leaving money on the table marketing-wise. He’s also watching Tom’s Shoes—intrigued by the mission-driven model and curious about where they could push it further. These aren’t clients (yet), but they’re the kind of brands that catch Williams & Helde’s eye: companies trying to do something real, trying to matter, trying to resist the pull toward irrelevance. That’s who they want to work with. That’s who Marc is interested in.
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