Matt Upshaw, the current CEO of Broadway ad and marketing agency Serino Coyne, announced today that he has assumed independent ownership of the company.
The entity will retain its original name as it moves next month into a newly custom-designed suite of offices located at 1450 Broadway in Times Square. The agency will retain all of its executives, staff and associates.
Upshaw began his tenure at Serino Coyne in 2007 as a freshman Assistant Account Executive, advancing through a series of promotions to roles that included Vice President, Account Management and Insights (2015), Managing Director (2018) and ultimately Chief Executive Officer (2019).
Under Upshaw’s leadership, the agency said it has sharpened an audience-first strategy and deepened “its commitment to crafting campaigns built on empathy, insight, and creative excellence.”
Serino Coyne’s transition to private ownership under Upshaw follows its sale by Omnicom, which purchased the agency in 2003.
In a statement, Upshaw said, “The live entertainment landscape is more dynamic and more competitive than it’s ever been. Audiences today discover culture across feeds, streets, and screens — and the next generation craves in-person experiences that foster genuine connection. Serino Coyne is uniquely positioned at that intersection.”
Serino Coyne was founded in 1977 by Nancy Coyne and Matthew Serino, establishing what the company says was the first the very ad agency dedicated to live entertainment. Clients over the years have included A Chorus Line, Cats, The Phantom of the Opera, Angels In America, The Producers, Hairspray, Aladdin, Dear Evan Hansen, Frozen, Jersey Boys, Kimberly Akimbo, Wicked, Bug and The Outsiders, among many others.
“What Nancy Coyne and Matthew Serino understood in 1977 was radical at the time: that live entertainment deserved the same caliber of marketing as any consumer brand. That insight built an industry,” said Upshaw. “What we understand now is equally important — that audiences aren’t simply bought, they’re crafted.”
Serino died June 19, 2023, at age 79.