Anniversary marks new agency ownership.
TBC’s CEO Nichole Baccala Ward. Photo courtesy of TBC.
Baltimore-based creative agency TBC today announced three major milestones: the agency’s 50th anniversary, the transition of agency ownership to its CEO, Nichole Baccala Ward and the retirement of co-founder Allan Charles. Ward is the first sole owner of the agency in its 50-year history.
Although her sole ownership is new, TBC’s CEO has been with the company for more than two decades and became the agency’s president in 2014. Ward has led marketing efforts for numerous brands over the years, including Dow Jones and The Wall Street Journal, Haribo USA and Pearson Education and stewarded TBC’s recent appointment as the American Diabetes Association’s first-ever agency of record in the organization’s 80-year history.
Ward has pioneered ongoing innovation at TBC to stay ahead in today’s fast-paced and competitive market. She embraces emerging technologies and evolves with consumer behaviors to engage audiences and drive results. Under her leadership as CEO, the company has maintained an upward trajectory, persevering and expanding during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
“We’re taking advantage of our spirit of creativity, curiosity and resilience as we move forward,” Ward explains. “We know that TBC’s future holds even greater promise built on a foundation of 50 years of excellence. Together, we’ll continue to deliver integrated solutions and inspire success for clients of all sizes.”
Founded in 1974 by Ed Trahan, Tom Burden and Allan Charles, TBC opened as Baltimore’s first advertising agency founded solely by creative professionals. Doubling down on the bet to be a successful creative-focused business, Charles also opened an affiliate, in-house TV and broadcast production company, Charles Street Films, to further strengthen TBC’s reputation for creativity with a focus on superior capability in film and video. It put TBC on the map as one of the first agencies in the United States to have an in-house production studio that shot and produced its own commercials and videos.
The agency began working with major media players such as Westinghouse Broadcasting Company and the Baltimore News-American, and quickly started earning national recognition with work for the national clothing retail chain Merry-Go-Round and the Holocaust Memorial Fund. In the early 1980s, TBC became the first agency to make a multi-year, multi-million-dollar deal with MTV.
Half a century later, TBC has grown from a small creative shop to a full-service branding, advertising and strategic communications agency while maintaining its successful in-house production capabilities. The agency’s services now include advertising, brand development and strategy, content strategy and copywriting, strategic communications, social media, public relations, media planning, buying and analytics and digital marketing.
Other major clients over the years have included the Maryland Lottery, Miller Brewing Company, the National Aquarium, Harrah’s Casinos, the Baltimore Orioles, the Baltimore Ravens, McDonald’s, CVS Pharmacy, Visit Baltimore, The Baltimore Banner, Smart Balance, the NAACP, MinuteClinic, Micron, KT Tape, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, University of Maryland Global Campus and University of Maryland Eastern Shore. TBC was also one of the first agencies to work with the Ronald McDonald House.
2024 also marks the retirement of Allan Charles, TBC’s co-founder and creative director. Charles started his career in advertising and TV production when he was just 15 years old. He has earned numerous creative awards, including two Clios for copywriting. Known for his keen sense of humor, poignant storytelling and hit music tracks, Charles is credited with discovering and casting many celebrities at the beginning of their careers and has created countless commercials. Throughout his six-decade career, he has worked on a variety of MTV music videos and collaborated with companies such as Yellow Book, Campbell’s Soup, William Donald Schaeffer, UPS, Snyder’s of Hanover, Pepsi, and Foxwoods Resort Casino, to name a few.
For more information about TBC, visit tbc.us. As the celebration continues for the next year, follow the agency on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn for more historic moments and milestones.
###
About TBC:
Founded in 1974, TBC is an independently owned, full-service branding, advertising and strategic communications agency with headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. Combining strategy and data to drive results, the agency’s services include advertising, brand strategy and branding, content strategy & copywriting, social media, public relations, media planning, buying & analytics and digital marketing. To learn more, visit tbc.us.