TORONTO—Two former Dentsu employees have launched their own interactive production company called Lollipop. Creative director Michael Gramlow and executive multimedia producer Amanda Loughran launched the agency as a sister company to Crush, a directorial collective and production outfit in Toronto. The pair worked at Toronto ad agency Dentsu for three and four years, respectively, before branching out on their own.

Lollipop specializes in online creative services and interactive development. It will work in cooperation with Crush and its partner firms, which include Sons and Daughters Film Production, Panic & Bob Editing and colour correction shop Notch.

“[Crush is] kind of the cream of the crop when it comes to what they do in the production world,” says Gramlow. “It’s a great partner for us because it also gives us the opportunity to create content through them. It’s more efficient for an agency. Instead of going to two or three different agencies when doing interactive projects, [clients] can come to one.”

They decided to start Lollipop despite the state of the economy because of the current demand for interactive services. “While marketing budgets are being cut from other media, there’s definitely been much more of a shift to interactive. And with that comes a need for people who can do a great job at it,” he says.

Gramlow officially joined the agency as creative director on June 15, while Loughran, who assumes the title of executive producer, began setting up production and landing projects in May.

With a background in interactive and knowledge of what customers need, Lollipop will set itself apart, says Gramlow. He and Loughran are currently working on a few initial projects together without the help of a design team. “As we get through these first couple of projects, we’ll figure out where our needs are,” says Gramow. But one thing is for sure: “We’ll always use freelancers because we are project-based.

“There’s going to be ups and downs in flow but at a certain point, we’ll have a base of full-time staff.” Gramlow says Lollipop offers different levels of expertise and service depending on the needs of their clients, which range from site building and online advertising to interactive installations. “What we excel at is taking ideas and bringing them to life in a really compelling way.” Contact: WeAreLollipop.com