December, 2025.- In an industry increasingly driven by speed, scale, and constant output, This January is choosing a more intentional path. NOOK, the agency’s newly launched artist residency, is built on the belief that art, experimentation, and community are not side projects—but fundamental drivers of meaningful creativity. For co-founders Maggie Winters and Zach Goodwin, the program represents the realization of a long-held ambition: reinvesting in the local arts scene that has shaped their agency and the city they call home.
Positioned outside the traditional creative power centers of New York and Los Angeles, NOOK aims to spotlight voices that often go unseen—artists with unconventional backgrounds, singular perspectives, and a strong sense of craft. More than a workspace or a grant, the residency offers hands-on mentorship, daily proximity to a working creative agency, and real visibility through This January’s platforms, embedding the artist directly into the agency’s cultural fabric.
In this Roastbrief interview, Winters and Goodwin discuss why agencies have a responsibility to nurture their local creative ecosystems, how experimentation and nontraditional mediums are shaping the next chapter of D.C.’s creative identity, and why initiatives like NOOK can help reframe the conversation around accessible, human-centered creative opportunities—both within advertising and beyond it.
1. NOOK has been described as a long-held dream for both of you. What sparked the original idea, and why was now the right moment to bring it to life?
We have always wanted to support art and artists, especially here in the city we call home — a city with so much interesting, yet often overlooked, art. It feels like as we approach This January’s sixth birthday, we finally have the physical space, mental space, and resources to really support the DC art scene.
2. The program emphasizes supporting “insiders, outsiders, and exceptional Weirdos.” How do you define the kind of creative voice or perspective you hope NOOK will uplift?
We describe our team as “exceptional weirdos” — people who are strange (like us), eccentric, unique, or might not have the perfect pedigree or a fancy agency background, but have incredible brains that think outside the box and bring a fresh perspective to every brief. And we’re looking to support the same kind of talent with NOOK, someone who has a strong vision and work ethic, and would really thrive with support and mentorship to focus on their craft.
3. DC is often overlooked as a creative capital compared to cities like New York or LA. How does NOOK aim to challenge those perceptions and spotlight the strength of DC’s creative ecosystem?
There are so many people in DC who are making amazing art. We just went to the Umbrella Art Fair earlier this month, which felt like it was straight out of New York, but it was organized by Peter Chang, a local artist here in DC! And the Transformer Gallery is doing so much to support artists in the city, too. We’re hoping NOOK continues this effort of showing the world that DC is a great art city and a place where artists can expect to find good resources and support for their work.
4. The residency includes mentorship from both of you as well as leaders like Victoria Reis and Teddy Rodger. What do you believe is the most valuable form of mentorship an artist can receive in an eight-week program?
Our goal is to provide specific, practical, and honest mentorship — advice that helps move the work forward this week, not someday. From advice about how to make art, to how to make art for a living, we’ll aim to provide advice and practical tips that are tailored to the artist in residence.
5. NOOK integrates an artist’s workspace directly into the agency’s environment. How do you envision the proximity between agency creatives and the resident artist influencing the work produced?
We are always hungry for fresh thinking, new inspiration, and new voices. We’re so excited to welcome someone into our space who has a completely different medium and process outside the bounds of the computer screen and see how they bring their vision to life.
6. Beyond funding and space, NOOK provides visibility through This January’s Platforms. Why was public storytelling and content capture such an important part of the residency design?
In today’s environment, content is one of the best ways to share work with the wider world. And our team is filled with folks who know how to make compelling content. So we figured that’s one way we can provide real value to the chosen artist to help them continue to build their career!
7. You mention wanting to “give back” to a community that has supported This January. What role do you see creative agencies playing in cultivating local arts communities beyond traditional commissions or partnerships?
The creative ecosystem in a city is such an important character in the development of the agency itself, who works there, and what inputs the creative teams see in between projects. If our company can reinvest some of our success back in the community that raised us, it’s absolutely an honor.
8. The selected artist will donate an install-ready piece to the This January collection. How do you imagine this growing collection shaping the cultural identity of the agency over time?
Our walls tell the story of our journey: from the first script we ever wrote as a company (for Angry Orchard), which is printed directly on the wall, to images we’ve produced for clients, and images that inspire us. Over time, that collection will tell our story, shape our team’s taste, spark new ideas for clients, and remind us why we built NOOK in the first place. It’s culture that you can literally stand in front of every day.
9. The program welcomes applications across all disciplines, including emerging forms like AI and creative tech. How do you interpret the role of experimental or nontraditional mediums in shaping DC’s next creative chapter?
We see experimental and nontraditional mediums as absolutely essential for driving innovation and charting DC’s next creative chapter, and NOOK aims to be one of the catalysts for this movement. We hope the residency will encourage the creation of work that has soul, authentic imperfection, and a spirit of experimentation. Overall, the commitment from our local creative community to innovative, human-centered output is what will allow DC to really stand out, helping us win consumer hearts and minds while cultivating a distinct and impactful creative identity for our city.
10. If NOOK succeeds in the way you both envision, what lasting impact do you hope it will have — on artists, on DC, and on the broader conversation around accessible creative opportunities?
We hope that NOOK will help launch a local artist to the next level of their career, and show other organizations that providing support to the arts community can be a rewarding and worthwhile effort. We hope NOOK models a simple, replicable idea: building small, focused residencies that support things our company cares deeply about. If others copy the blueprint, that’s a win. Maybe every top-tier agency will have an artist residency before we know it!
