Paul David
“We deeply understand our clients’ audiences because we’re more representative of them. Our success at Literal Humans is further proof that diverse teams are happier and produce higher quality work.”
Paul David knew he wanted to build a different kind of marketing agency. In a landscape crowded with competitors promising to take clients to the proverbial “next level”, cutting through that noise was imperative. With co-founder Will Gadsby Peet, Paul has built something special at Literal Humans, a content and digital marketing agency that partners with B2B SaaS startups, companies that leverage technology for good, and non-profits. They pride themselves on supporting clients’ holistic growth journeys, including branding, digital design and development, content marketing, and SEO, and being equally adept at supporting organizations at the outset of their growth journeys, those with an established brand and presence, and everything in between. They have achieved this in large part because diversity is at the center of their human capital strategy so that their team reflects the people and organizations they serve.
Paul’s professional history profoundly influenced what he and Will have built at Literal Humans. He spent the first part of his career in education as a teacher, school leader, and non-profit executive. His proudest accomplishment -- designing new high schools for New York City, America’s largest school district -- is one that continues to shape his work to this day. He spent years embedding himself into communities in search of more effective approaches to teaching and learning, which ultimately led to new schools that better served students. The experience lives on in the DNA of Literal Humans, most notably in the importance that Paul and Will place on ensuring that the lived experiences of their team reflect those of the end customers served by their clients as much as possible.
After ten years in education, Paul pivoted to freelance writing, journalism, and content marketing before giving agency life a shot. During his three years at the agency, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he would run things a bit differently if he were in the CEO seat. He would offer employees an environment where they felt secure, connected, and supported to do their best work. He would be a trusted partner to clients throughout the entirety of their growth journey, from soup to nuts. He would work with mission-driven brands, including non-profits and tech for good companies. And he would build a diverse team, not just because it was the right thing to do, but also because having people from different backgrounds would lead to better outcomes for the agency and its clients.
In 2020, Paul co-founded Literal Humans, which now employs 11 diverse, talented individuals, including content marketers, brand experts, and web developers. They serve clients around the world, from African fintechs, to U.S.-based social justice non-profits, to British B2B SaaS unicorns. When asked what makes Literal Humans different, Paul does not hesitate: it’s their people and approach. Most agencies are rigid when it comes to hiring and client engagement, but Literal Humans has prioritized being smart, nimble, and creative. They hire people who share those qualities and also who possess lived experiences that reflect the audiences their clients serve. A Zimbabwean team member leads work with an African money transfer client; a young writer passionate about health education works with the health tracker Oura Ring; and so on. Paul is not shy that, unlike most agencies, diversity is at the core of what’s turned out to be an immensely effective human capital strategy. That, along with maintaining flexibility to best meet clients’ evolving needs throughout their growth journeys, has been a game changer.
Other agency leaders often ask Paul how Literal Humans has managed to build such a diverse, high-performing team. His answer: stop falling prey to inertia. It’s easier and more comfortable to hire people with whom you share commonalities, such as race, gender, economic upbringing, and nationality. For Paul, the lack of diversity at agencies is hard to excuse. He hopes the agency community will start to hold itself accountable by going outside their comfort zones to build teams that reflect their clients and end customers. At the same time, he emphasizes that leaders also have responsibility to support diverse team members, many of whom have been systematically oppressed for most of their lives. This includes taking the time to understand their cultural norms and making space for them, for example offering different work models that allow employees to handle family care responsibilities.
Literal Humans’ commitment to building a diverse team, empowering them, and demonstrating sensitivity to their lived experiences has led to game-changing results for clients. Furthermore, employees feel like they are emotionally supported, part of a team, and that they’ve advanced their careers via intellectually stimulating work and opportunities. Paul’s message to other leaders: stop avoiding people different from you and the challenges they face. Instead, embrace and support them, and you’ll undoubtedly experience the true ROI of diversity.
Contact Paul
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