Over the past decade, Republic has evolved from a boutique post house into a dynamic creative powerhouse with editorial, production, and design studios at the forefront. As the industry continues to adapt, Republic has not only expanded its capabilities with cutting-edge technology and a talented new team but also maintained its intimate, collaborative atmosphere that creatives cherish. AdChat DFW had the pleasure of chatting with Keith James, Partner and Co-founder at Republic about the company’s latest projects, strategic hires, and vision for fostering a stronger creative community in Dallas.
AdChat DFW: What significant changes has your business seen this past year?
Keith James: As a company that started out as a boutique post house about ten years ago, we’ve always been focused on growth. Today, with our editorial, production, and design studios leading the way in our market, we’re looking for new ways to further integrate our studios and take Republic as a whole to the next level. The recent rise of in-house production is a good reminder that independent shops like ours must continually evolve and elevate our offerings to stay competitive.
This year, in addition to doing more client direct work, our growth centered on adding new technology and new talent. Expanding our rosters diversified our playbook, and new gear made our team more efficient and in-turn more creative. Through all this growth, we’ve strived to maintain that intimate boutique feel so that Republic stays a space that creatives want to hang out at. We’re one of the few companies in town that offers shoot, edit, and design services all in one physical place, and as more and more agencies consolidate and embrace work from home, our space has evolved into one of the few locations in town where creatives can work while also connecting with each other. We’ve embraced this new responsibility with more hosted events, lunches, happy hours, and other opportunities to support our market.
AdChat DFW: What capabilities have you added recently?
Keith James: On the production end, we recently teamed up with our table top director Josh Blaylock and bought a SISU Cinema robotic arm. It’s a high-end motion control rig that runs smooth at both high and low speeds and is extremely intuitive. Josh has gone through training on it so he’s able to program and adjust moves on the spot, and basically get a ton done in a short amount of time.
On the flip-side, a basic iPhone has become a big player for us as we’ve also started a new content creator division – it’s a trusted group of artists who understand the trends, and can quickly knock out social content often shooting and editing on just a phone.
On the post side, both our edit and design studios have hit their stride with streamlined Firefly, MidJourney, and Runway ML workflows for our generative AI projects. That’s a constantly evolving arena we’re really focused on keeping both our artists and producers on top of. Most importantly, whenever we talk about new tools, we always keep in mind that they are just tools – it’s the artists that drive our company.
AdChat DFW: Who are some of the new additions to your team?
Keith James: This has been a really active year for us from a recruitment standpoint. Andrew Ryan Shepherd joined our director roster this spring after shooting a gorgeous JSX campaign for us. He’s an amazing cinematic storyteller who crafts real, honest narratives.
Also on the production side, Sarah Mead, who we brought on last year to help boost our social presence and assist our Production EP, Brian Hwang, now heads up our new content division. Over in editorial, in addition to bringing on a former E.P. in Michael Wagner to help bolster our producer offerings, we added two new cutters – Kristin Yawata, a phenomenal documentary-style editor who recently moved to Dallas from LA. and just completed a festive holiday spot for Gorjana…
…and Jake Schwartz, a comedy specialist from Chicago who’s completed a great deal of high-profile work with celebrities like Will Ferrell, Seth Rogan, and Brian Cranston, cut a hilarious campaign for the last World Cup, featuring John Hamm.
On the design side, Jackson Armstrong, a former Reel FX’er, joined our team this summer. He’s so talented – pretty much a one-man design studio with an incredible ability to blend technical complexity and artistic beauty.
AdChat DFW: What are some of your latest projects?
Keith James: We’ve been busy! Our design studio just wrapped a several month long project for this year’s AICP SW sponsor reel. It’s just captivating to look at.
They are also in the midst of another big spot for Charles Schwab that will finish in January – this is their fifth spot we’ve completed for them over the last year or so. All the spots in the campaign are a perfect blend of intricacy and gracefulness.
Over in production, Andrew Ryan Shepherd just completed a big package for The Salvation Army’s Thanksgiving Red Kettle Kick-off campaign featuring Lainey Wilson.
Josh Blaylock, who’s been going non-stop with brands like Subway, Frito-Lay, Cane’s and Tropical Smoothie, also just completed a complex liquid shoot with our robot for a new HTeaO launch. Shaddai Berron’s been one of our busiest editors – she had two Super Bowl spots this year – including a really fun one for Tropical Smoothie Cafe – and just cut Andrew’s Thanksgiving Salvation Army campaign.
We also have a hilarious Progressive spot that Andy McGee just finished for Dieste. It was featured in Ads of the World and focuses on nervous talking lamps – you just have to see it.
AdChat DFW: What’s next for Republic?
Keith James: From an infrastructure standpoint, we’re looking at adding some additional studio space to support production and more specifically our content division. But on a broader scale – tying back to your first question – we’re focused on expanding our community leadership and reminding agencies and advertisers the mutual benefits of a community of strong independent production houses.
We’re really lucky to have Brian Hwang in his role as the President of AICP Southwest. It not only keeps us informed on what’s working and what’s not working nationally, it also gives us a larger platform to share what has made us successful in our market. Big cities like Dallas need strong independent houses to both support local work and raise the bar of what’s being produced. Houses like ours offer real mentorship—unlike project-to-project freelance work—so the whole community grows stronger. Every job that a client brings to us is a long-term investment, helping Dallas’s creative scene keep getting better for everyone.
As Republic continues to grow and evolve, the team remain committed to pushing creative boundaries and nurturing a collaborative environments to fuel innovation. With their remarkable new talent, cutting-edge technology, and a dedication, Republic is well-positioned to lead the charge in shaping the future of production in Dallas.
