Founded in a garage. Grown on referrals alone.
Studio 19 began in 2014 in a converted garage off Stockton Boulevard. Johnny Hasan — a photographer by trade and a designer by obsession — was tired of watching great briefs get filtered through five layers of account managers before they reached the people actually making the work. He started Studio 19 to prove a simple point: the best creative outcomes come from senior people talking directly to the client.
A decade later, the studio has grown to a tight team of nine — photographers, designers, directors, and producers — but the founding principle is the same. Every project is led by a partner. Every decision is made in the room. And we still take on only as many engagements as we can execute properly, which is far fewer than the market would like us to.
We have never spent a dollar on paid advertising. Every client we have ever worked with came from a personal referral, and we like it that way. It keeps us honest.