Savvy Creative Agency | A New Era for Savvy Events

Let Us Reintroduce Ourselves: Meet Savvy Creative Agency

The truth is, at Savvy, we’ve never just been event planners. We’ve always been designers. For over a decade, our clients have been trusting us with the growth of their businesses, families, and ideas. Because they know that we are innately able to take a thought or a vision and make it a reality. We’ve gone through quite a transformation throughout our 13 years in business, but these skills and relationships remain the same. But now reaching the next level. This is why it seemed only fitting to do a total rebrand. We’re excited to introduce you to Savvy Creative Agency! 

As a Black-owned, woman-led business, we know what it takes to rise above adversity and achieve success despite societal roadblocks. Against all odds, we’re now working with some of the top companies in the world to tell stories and design immersive brand experiences daily.

Our business has transformed, and with that, so has our team, our projects, and our clients. We’re serving in a greater capacity than ever before. So, if you’re new here, today we’ll give you a little taste of where we started. And if you’re one of our OGs, we’ll explain where we’re going during this new era for Savvy Events. Either way, we’re glad you’re here, joining us for this momentous time for Savvy! 

How We Started: Savvy Events…

Now, let me just start by saying, business ownership is never linear or simple. My fellow entrepreneurs get that. But this blog is going to share the ultra-simplified version. Otherwise, we’d be here for days!

After doing my first internship post-grad from Howard University at Zagat Survey in NYC, I felt that entrepreneurial spark. But it didn’t quite happen yet. It was when I started leading events at a university that I felt called to the industry. So, with that initial spark and events background, I launched Savvy in 2009 to expand on my talent for crafting immersive experiences for brands, corporations, and individuals alike.

For years, we were hired by companies like La Roche-Posay, Hewlett Packard, Virgin Atlantic, and more to plan epic events that made big branding impact. Then, after over 10 years of expansion, the pandemic reared its ugly head and threatened to tear it all apart. But we wouldn’t let it.

The Pivot…

So, in March 2020, when the pandemic wreaked havoc on our world, the events industry in particular, we put our heads down and got to work, as we do. 

We thought about new ways to apply our innate skills. 

We started with drive-by social events and brand activations that were super trendy when everyone was craving connection from afar. 

Then, I started a major effort to create a course for aspiring planners wanting to start or uplevel their event planning business. But having a 2-month-old strapped to me and a 4-year-old running around because childcare during the pandemic was impossible, a cohesive brain dump of my skills was nearly impossible with the constant interruptions. 

Cue the fall of September 2020. The events business was still impossibly struggling; it totally tanked. And y’all, this is where God comes into play.

My husband had gotten laid off, no one was producing events, and we just looked at each other and said, “What in the world are we going to do?” 

Then, right at the moment, we needed it most, I got a referral in the form of an email from a Manager of Events & Publicity for Netflix. She asked if we offered custom mailers, as they wanted to send one out for the premiere of a new Netflix Original. 

Now, y’all know what we do best at Savvy is get creative and make it happen…even with a newborn in my arms, and boxes taking over our tiny 2 bedroom townhouse.

That will never change, and this situation may be the pinnacle of our approach. 

While we had cultivated incredible gifting experiences for events in the past, we hadn’t thought about offering it as a solo service before. What happened next was the start of the next chapter.

The Next Chapter…

Long story short, we did the damn thing. In the middle of the living room in our two-bedroom townhouse with two young children during a global pandemic, we did the damn thing. 

We created a celebratory box for the premiere of Dick Johnson is Dead. My uber-talented graphic designer crafted a box design that allowed for a hidden compartment where we stashed mason jars of cake with Dick Johnson’s head on a stick (a special request from the team for social engagement), holding it all in place. Read the blog with the whole story here…

Once the project was done, we snapped a photo of me holding Joshua, my youngest, with all these big yellow boxes taking over the living room. Then, my husband Lawrence, now COO, dropped them all off at FedEx. 

Since that, we’ve done over 50 mailer projects for some of the largest and most well-known companies in the world. 

This serendipitous referral has grown an entirely new arm of our business and has helped us expand Savvy into a business that is beyond my wildest dreams. It’s also the inspiration for our rebrand and where we’re going next. 

Where We’re Going as Savvy Creative Agency…

Now, before you get worried, we’re not giving up events. It’s our roots and will always innately be a part of who we are as an agency. But we’re done playing small. 

We are now a full-service experiential creative agency—new name, new services, and new trend-worthy projects. 

The rebrand to Savvy Creative Agency is our future. It better reflects our ability to create and design with impact in any form. Our talented team is stepping into our ingenious creativity and power. And we’re going to make a big splash in this beautiful world with unrivaled brand activations and experiences and events to remember. We are sure of it. 

Ready to come along for the ride?  Let’s get started.

Yours in Excellence, 

DeNeitra