Chevy Chase ad agency closes after nearly 34 years
August Lang & Husak Inc., a Chevy Chase advertising agency, has closed after nearly 34 years, reports Washington Business Journal. Principal and CEO Michael August, above, told WBJ that the company has been winding down its operations since the pandemic.
“It was hard to come to that final decision, but we’ve been slowly transitioning since we left our main Bethesda headquarters, and that was right around Covid,” August said.
According to WBJ: “The closure caps an over 30-year run for the company that was originally founded by August and Bill Lang in 1992. The pair tapped Chuck Husak to join as the agency’s third partner a few years after the company launched.
“August said the agency started out with a “vast array” of clients, but gradually narrowed its focus, concentrating on public service advertising (PSAs) and work that “sought to improve the human condition.”
“Some of the agency’s notable clients include WETA Television, National Public Radio, the Smithsonian Institution, the Social Security Administration and the IRS.
“While August said he enjoyed working with a smaller number of legacy clients over the past few years, he noted that major industry changes played a oversized role in his decision to shutter.”
“The business has changed remarkably, and it’s become a business dominated by politics, metrics and social media,” August told WBJ. “It feels like it’s a mathematical, science-driven industry now and less of a creative, message-driven kind of industry.”
PHOTO: Cade Martin
