Markham Cronin

Founder & CEO, Markham Yard

“I was that kid who was always drawing on the walls,” Markham Cronin admits. That childhood passion for drawing was what inspired him, years later in his adulthood, to start Markham Yard, a creative advertising agency in Coral Gables. Before that, he spent nearly two decades in the creative departments of world-renowned agencies such as Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Carmichael Lynch, and Brighthouse, working with clients in every imaginable category, ranging from dot-com start-ups to Fortune 100 compa- nies such as Coca Cola, AT&T, Delta Air Lines, Diageo, Home Depot, and Harley Davidson. Markham Yard, which Cronin launched in 2005, has picked up major clients like Virgin Voyages, Porche, Ryder, and City National Bank, as well as local customers like Visit Florida, University of Miami, and the Coconut Grove BID. This year, the agency swept the local Miami ADDYs and won gold for an animation it created for New York Blood Center Enterprises.

Accomplishments

Markham Yard’s latest project is the creation of custom posters of Coral Gables for the city’s centennial, designed personally by Cronin. His designs for the City of Coral Gables’ centennial can be found (and purchased) on the Markham Yard website. One of them is featured on this issue of Coral Gables Magazine’s cover. Cronin, now a Gables resident of over 20 years, was inspired by the city’s legacy and the preservation of its history.

What He Says

“Our core philosophy is really based in the creative product and coming up with solutions that people choose to spend time with,” Cronin says. “We have to reward people for their attention and the only way you do that is by creating something that entertains them or informs them or engages them on some deeper emotional level.” His posters attempt to capture “the sort of ephemeral, timeless aesthetic and philosophy that this community symbolizes,” he says. – Kylie Wang