A Smarter Creative Group

playworkgroup is a modular creative group operating at the nexus of branding, strategy, storytelling and design. Based out of a landmark building in New York’s Chelsea Art District, we empower brands around the globe.

Our innovative approach integrates emotional impact with consumer insights and cutting-edge technology, in inspired brand positioning, product launches, creative direction and production, digital platforming, experiential activations and more. From turnkey solutions and strategies to built-from-scratch campaigns, content and events, our offerings fuse imagination with intelligence to bring inspiration to life and drive business forward. As a NMSDC certified minority owned business, we are proud to bring diverse teams and perspectives to everything that we do.

Founded by industry veterans with a track record of driving business while shifting culture, playworkgroup disrupts the limitations of conventional agency formulas and formats, fusing proven excellence with dynamic, revolutionary thinking.

Who We Are

  • As ceaseless seekers, our success stories are based on questioning everything and daring to do it differently. A playful sense of imagination is our main ingredient.

  • We’re advertising artisans who take pride in using the finest tools at our disposal to create hardworking, boundary-pushing concepts and activations. Integrity and impeccable execution keep us inspired.

  • Our innovative working group is global, flexible, virtuosic and ultra-efficient, which means you get a team of world-class talents that matches the specific needs of your project. From clients to colleagues, we seek partners in revolutionary thinking.

  • We assemble top teams to integrate significant developments from all facets of culture while working selectively across inventive and traditional platforms. Our goal is always to bring together the best and deliver with impact.

Our Team

Our dynamic team is a vibrant mix of world-class visionaries, each with their own unique aptitude and expertise. From seasoned industry veterans to fresh, innovative talent, our people collaborate seamlessly to craft captivating experiences that leave a lasting impact. With diverse backgrounds and skill sets, our bespoke teams are the driving force behind every project, infusing them with creativity, precision, and passion.

As a proud NMSDC certified minority business, we bring not only our creative prowess, but also a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion to every endeavor, further enriching the depth and breadth of our work.

  • Founder | Chief Creative Officer

    Monica Paganucci is a force to be reckoned with in the worlds of branding, advertising and design. A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, she has over two decades’ experience as a creative director and unparalleled expertise in marketing, media, digital, packaging, store design, visual display, brand identity and events. Her work has been featured in Adweek and Advertising Age and seen by billions of consumers around the globe.

    Before founding playworkgroup, Monica was Laird + Partners’ creative director for GAP worldwide. Prior to that, her principal experience was at Arnell Group, where she functioned as creative director on Tommy Hilfiger, Mikimoto and Jose Cuervo Tequila. Her clientele includes Starbucks Reserve, Under Armour, McKinsey and Company, Nike, Sephora, Tiffany, Vitamin Water and many other household names.

  • Strategist & Lead Copywriter

    Sasha Haines-Stiles is a sought-after creative partner to game-changing brands and agencies. A future-facing polymath whose interests encompass diverse areas of culture and technology, Sasha specializes in trends intelligence, innovation strategy, brand development and creative ideation, as well as brand voice/messaging and communications. She empowers big picture thinking while delivering best in class content, from concepts and copy for global campaigns and initiatives to compelling names for new products and platforms.

    A seasoned veteran in fashion, beauty, wellness, sustainability, luxury and lifestyle, she is an expert on the ever-evolving consumer landscape and has played a role in shaping market-leading brands and visionary businesses, both consumer and B2B. Her clientele includes Clique Brands, the C2C Products Innovation Institute, Target, Starbucks, Argent, Warp+Weft, Champion Sportswear, Todd Snyder, von Holzhausen, Timex, Metier Creative, Quiet Logistics, NASA and SK Telecom.

    A dual UK/US citizen and poet, Sasha graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College and holds an M.St. in Literature from Oxford University.

  • Marketing Strategist

    Anu Agrawal is a seasoned strategist with corporate marketing prowess in areas ranging from brand management and product development to customer experience and loyalty programming. She is a savvy researcher and analyst whose future-facing insights are integral to every stage of playworkgroup’s strategic creative projects.

    Anu brings to playworkgroup a wealth of in-house corporate expertise, having held important roles at FedEx, MCI, and Nextel, where she excelled at working on cross-functional teams, managing creative agencies, and concepting and managing development of key assets for products and campaigns. With a nuanced understanding of the clients’ perspective as well as the highest priorities of companies large and small, Anu is a valued liaison between the timeless values of traditional marketing and the most significant opportunities offered by our digital age.

    Anu earned an MBA in Marketing from the University of Memphis and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Rhodes College.

  • Design Director, Production & Execution

    Laura Dapito is an accomplished designer whose work fuses artistry, technical virtuosity and cultural savvy. With a skill set spanning traditional and new media, Laura specializes in developing compelling identities and digital platforms for innovative startups, DTC brands and established companies, from Audible to Starbucks. Her expertise in creative production for globally recognized brands is informed by deep experience in marketing, advertising and social technology, and characterized by an artisanal, hands-on approach and impeccable attention to detail.

    The driving force behind creative production, logistics and execution at playworkgroup, Laura partners seamlessly with a client’s in-house teams as well as third party collaborators to develop and deliver ready-to-implement brand assets. She holds an AAS in Advertising Design from the Fashion Institute of Technology, a BFA in Graphic Design from Montclair State University, and an MFA from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design in Fine Arts & Visual Studies.

  • Designer

    Julia Hummel is a Canadian Designer, Writer and Educator that finds her professional home in the heart of New York. With a Bachelor of Design from Alberta University of the Arts and an MFA in Design from the School of Visual Arts, Julia brings a genuine passion to her work. Her focus spans across industry and discipline, with previous creative and academic collaborators including A24 Films, Steven Heller and AIGA NY.

    In addition to her creative pursuits, Julia shares her insights as a professor in the Art Department at Queens College, a City University of New York. Her academic work embodies a commitment to a well-rounded design approach and fostering an innovative and supportive educational environment.