#171 For purpose creative agency, Eric Ressler founder of Cosmic
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Eric Ressler is the co-founder of Cosmic, a creative agency working with ‘for purpose’ and mission driven organisations across the USA.

Eric and Cosmics journey, marked by a significant pivot from commercial and silicon valley startup clients to a commitment to empowering mission-driven organisations only.

Despite struggling at school, Eric Ressler has gone on to have a successful career driven by a passion for creativity in various forms, from music and stop-motion animation to videography and traditional art. Eric has also been willing to change with the times, innovate and stay relevant developing his expertise in digital media as demand for this increased. Eric's early design work began through freelancing and consulting work, primarily focusing on digital experiences, websites, and brand development.

Eric's freelancing endeavours gradually expanded, leading him to form his own design firm. The journey culminated in the birth of Cosmic in 2009, which initially thrived in the vibrant co-working space of NextSpace in Santa Cruz. The demand for their services grew, and the team expanded to meet the growing needs of clients, ranging from startups to established B2B and B2C brands.

During their initial years, Cosmic worked with a diverse clientele, including Silicon Valley startups, enterprise brands, and non-profits. While they were motivated by the projects they undertook, many of these engagements were profit-oriented and followed traditional business models.

The shift to purpose

Eric and his team at Cosmic began to reassess their mission and values. They realised that making a positive impact on the world did not solely depend on being a non-profit. Market-based and innovation-based approaches could be equally effective. This revelation prompted Cosmic to pivot towards a social impact-focused niche. They decided to deepen their expertise and experience in this sector and concentrate all their efforts on organisations with a mission to make a difference.

Today, Cosmic has firmly established itself as a Social Impact Creative Agency. Cosmic is committed to helping social impact organisations catalyse real-world change by perfecting their impact story, building brand awareness, and inspiring action.

Cosmics work centres on their self-published mission driven digital manifesto.

Central to this is the following beliefs

• build brand awareness

• organize a coalition of deeply impassioned supporters

• lead the conversation around the issues you care about most

• A digital-first model also allows you to:

• build organisational capacity

• break the starvation cycle

• create a sustainable revenue stream