Our Story

In 1995 Karlin+Pimsler was  jump started into business by winning the British Airways, N.A. direct response creative account. Within one month, K+P was awarded HBO and ACCENTURE direct response business. You might say they hit the ground running. Although Mal Karlin is well known as an award winning big agency DRTV expert, K+P ironically started as a direct-mail agency. Ad Age ranked K+P in the top 50 US Direct Response Agencies after only one year in business. Using what they learned from direct-mail K+P applied the same principles to DRTV and targeted web video Ads. In 2001, TV billings doubled the direct-mail billings. Their desire was to keep tight control of the creative product, which led to the tough decision to drop direct mail and focus only on DRTV and video content for social media.

Our Team

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Malcolm Karlin
President/Creative Director

Mal formerly held the position of EVP, Executive Creative Director, and SVP Sr. Creative Director at Draft Worldwide and Wunderman Worldwide, respectively. As well as senior creative positions at Lowe Direct, Y&R, Grey, Bates Worldwide, and DMB&B. A former board member of the Direct Marketing Creative Guild and a speaker at several dozen industry conferences. Mal guest lectured at Columbia University and NYU Schools of Business, School of Visual Arts, Ithaca College and Cornell University. AdWeek named Mal one of advertising's "biggest award winners." With over 80 major creative awards to his credit. Mal produced and directed the pilot for "SportsFigures" an EMMY AWARD winning cable in the classroom show for ESPN. Also produced and directed "Voices Of the Game" a 90 minute anthology of the announcers of baseball for ESPN. Mal’s screenplay “Tomorrow's News", became a hit show on CBS called "Early Edition". As a writer, cartoonist, fine artist producer and film director Mal is one busy dude. Mal lives in Manhattan with his wife Diana and Shih Tzu, Norman.

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Gary Cortell
Executive Producer

Gary has over twenty-five years of experience in the film, video and television industries with an emphasis on TV production & distribution, and digital marketing.  From 2012-2016 Mr. Cortell produced many national TV commercials and documentaries.  In 2008 he launched The Smart Consumer with “Consumer Reports,” a half-hour weekly television program that aired globally on PBS.   From 1998-2004 Mr. Cortell served as President and Executive Producer of “ABC Money Talks” a half-hour personal finance program, distributed worldwide to 190 countries. Nationally, the program consistently beat, “The Wall St Journal report,” “CBS MarketWatch,” “Bloomberg” and was the #1 rated personal finance program five out of the seven years it ran

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Jill Dugan
Director of Operations

Jill started her career in Los Angeles at "The Tonight Show - Starring Jay Leno".  After moving to New York City, she landed at Wells, Rich and Greene Advertising in the TV production department. Subsequently, a two year stint at "Stolen Car" - an independent film and post production company working on television commercials. She moved on to Project Management and account services for WEBMD at Ogilvy & Mather. Then making the move to Karlin+Pimsler working as a Post Production producer - never leaving a dark edit room. She then saw the light of day and followed her dream to start up "The Chocolate Lab". A specialty organic dog treat business with national distribution that was sold in 2010 to have twins with her husband Jerry.  Karlin+Pimsler welcomes back Jill as our chief organizer.

"Creativity in the right hands changes everything. It’s not what you know it’s what you create is what you know."
                                                                    - Mal Karlin (Addressing Advertising Age Creative Conference)

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