Public Domain

What Public Domain does

Public Domain is a privately held, boutique creative studio founded in 2018 and operating from the United States with a deliberately small core team (stated headcount band of 1-10 employees) that scales with each engagement. The studio positions itself around mission-aligned creative work spanning brand strategy, campaign development, web design and development, 3D rendering, and documentary-style storytelling. Its client roster is concentrated among large enterprises and nonprofits with environmental, social, or progressive mandates, including Samsung, Mercedes-Benz, Northwell Health, OceanX, VoteAmerica, and the ACLU. The studio has produced a series of high-profile, award-recognized projects rather than a recurring software product, with deliverables ranging from a Facebook chatbot (Ask For A Raise) to a 3D-printed amphibious prosthetic (The Fin) to brand ecosystems and websites for OceanX.

The studio monetizes through project-based professional services engagements rather than recurring SaaS, licensing, or media revenue. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; engagements are structured as custom creative partnerships with enterprise clients. Technology assets include a custom CMS deployed for the OceanX website, 3D visualization of the OceanXplorer research vessel, and the chatbot product for Ladies Get Paid/Payscale, which used Payscale's API for real salary data. Distribution leverages earned media and major outlet placements (Today Show, WSJ, CNN, Time, Mashable, Forbes, Fast Company, NYT) and partner-brand channels, such as Mattel/Matchbox retail for the Mercedes-Benz No Limits toy car, which reached over 40 countries.

Public Domain's operating model is founder-led by Rob Colucci (Creative Director) and Zack Roif (Co-founder, Adweek Top 100), with no disclosed institutional investors, parent company, or external funding rounds. Recognition includes Cannes Lions Grand Prix and Gold, One Show Grand Prix and Gold, D&AD Graphite Pencil, and Time Magazine Invention of the Year (for The Fin). The company is operating actively as of the 2026-dated website, with a multi-year OceanX engagement publicly in progress.

Name

Public Domain

Legal name

Public Domain

Website

https://publicdomainagency.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Public Domain is a boutique US creative studio (founded 2018, ~1-10 employees) producing mission-aligned brand campaigns, websites, and multimedia projects for enterprise and nonprofit clients including Samsung, Mercedes-Benz, Northwell Health, and OceanX.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Creative Services / Brand Strategy

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (541810), Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418), Public Relations Agencies (54182)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

PR, Reputation Management & Earned Media Platforms (BPAMALAO)

Keywords

• Creative studio services
• Brand strategy development
• Social impact campaigns
• Advertising campaign creation
• Web design development

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Creative Agency Services: Project-based creative studio engagements producing campaigns, brand development, website design/development, and strategic partnerships for mission-aligned clients. Revenue derived from client projects across multiple verticals.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Public Domain is a creative studio that develops brand strategy, advertising and social impact campaigns, websites, 3D-rendered content, documentary-style video, and bespoke digital tools for mission-aligned enterprise and nonprofit clients. Work is delivered through project-based engagements spanning consumer-facing products, digital platforms, charitable initiatives, and physical product prototypes. The studio sells creative direction and execution as professional services rather than packaged software or products.

Product overview

Public Domain is a creative studio that operates as a project-based agency rather than a traditional software product company. Their work encompasses discrete campaigns and initiatives including: the Ask For A Raise chatbot for Ladies Get Paid/Payscale that helps women negotiate salaries using API-sourced real salary data; OceanX creative campaigns including website development and brand partnerships; the Merch Aid not-for-profit platform connecting designers with small businesses; The Fin 3D-printed amphibious prosthetic for veteran amputees; and the Mercedes-Benz No Limits toy car campaign. These projects span digital tools, creative campaigns, charitable initiatives, and product development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• OceanX Creative Campaigns Multi-year creative engagement developing campaigns, brand ecosystem, and a custom-built website with 3D visualization of the OceanXplorer research vessel for OceanX, a non-profit ocean exploration organization. Work includes licensed partnerships with Tiffany's and Crayola to promote the ocean exploration mission.
• Merch Aid Platform A not-for-profit platform (originally launched as a Shopify storefront) that paired leading designers with mom-and-pop businesses to produce custom merchandise, directing 100% of profits back to the participating small businesses during the COVID-19 lockdown. Achieved top 5% of all Shopify stores during April–May 2020 and raised over $500K.
• Ask For A Raise Chatbot A Facebook chatbot developed for Ladies Get Paid and Payscale that helps women develop salary bargaining skills and build a case to ask for and receive a raise, using real-time salary data piped in via API integration with Payscale. Reached 100k+ users and generated 110M media impressions with $0 paid media spend.
• The Fin Prosthetic A first-of-its-kind 3D-printed amphibious prosthetic developed through cross-industry collaboration with Northwell Health (and prosthetic scientists, 3D printing experts, and aerospace engineers) to enable veteran amputees, including Marine Dan Lasko, to swim again. Recognized as a Time Magazine Invention of the Year.
• Mercedes-Benz No Limits Campaign Women's History Month "No Limits" campaign for Mercedes-Benz in partnership with Matchbox (Mattel), transforming racing champion Ewy Rosqvist's car into a toy car for girls now sold in over 40 countries, accompanied by a classroom lesson plan deployed across 26 U.S. states. Named a Top Social Campaign of 2019 by Forbes.

Quantifiable outcome

• $500K+ raised for small businesses through Merch Aid
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Tiffany'sflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreative partnership selling strategic concepts to Tiffany's for promoting ocean exploration mission. Part of OceanX creative partnership framework.
• CrayolaflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreative partnership selling strategic concepts to Crayola as part of OceanX creative partnership development. OceanX brand and mission content licensed for commercial partnerships.
• Matchbox (Mattel)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerPartnership with Matchbox to transform Ewy Rosqvist's racing car into a toy car for girls, sold in over 40 countries as part of Mercedes-Benz No Limits campaign.
• PayscaleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPI partnership providing real salary data to power the Ask For A Raise chatbot, helping women build cases using actual compensation data.
• Northwell HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCross-industry collaboration between prosthetic scientists, 3D printing experts, and aerospace engineers to develop The Fin amphibious prosthetic for veteran amputees.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• R/GA: Creative agency known for technology-driven, product-led campaigns and custom digital experiences (chatbots, immersive sites); overlaps with Public Domain on cross-disciplinary work like The Fin and Ask For A Raise.
• Wieden+Kennedy: Largest independent creative agency, recognized for partnering with mission-driven challenger brands (e.g., Nike, Patagonia) on award-winning purpose work; directly comparable operating model to Public Domain.
• Anomaly: Independent creative shop known for challenger brand strategy and earned-media campaigns; overlaps with Public Domain in approach to enterprise clients seeking differentiation through creativity.
• 72andSunny: Independent, culture-led creative agency known for brand purpose work and Cannes-level campaigns; closely comparable boutique peer competing for the same kind of culture-shifting enterprise briefs Public Domain pursues.
• Mother: Independent global creative agency with a strong track record of earned-media-driven, culture-first campaigns for progressive brands; a close functional and stylistic peer to Public Domain.
• Droga5 (Accenture Song): Acclaimed creative-first agency (now part of Accenture Song) known for culture-impacting campaigns and Cannes Grand Prix wins; benchmark peer for Public Domain's award-driven positioning.

Emerging players

• GUT: Fast-growing independent creative agency with strong Cannes credentials and a challenger-brand portfolio; comparable trajectory to Public Domain as a smaller, award-driven alternative to network agencies.

Broad incumbents

• Ogilvy: Global advertising and PR network with deep purpose-marketing practice; competes for the same mission-aligned enterprise briefs that Public Domain targets, but with significantly more resources.
• BBDO Worldwide: Top-tier global advertising network; competes against Public Domain for the same enterprise brand briefs at much larger scale, typically with broader integrated offerings.
• Dentsu Creative: Global creative network from Dentsu; competes for enterprise creative briefs, often as incumbent on the parent company's broader media and account relationships.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/public-domain-agency

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Public Domain