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James Archer

Managing Director

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In describing James’ role in the company, “The Backbone” seems a more appropriate title. Acting as the resident sales guy, client services manager, accountant, and any other shoe that needs filling, James brings extensive knowledge, passion (both for the company as well as the industry), and humor to the team.

In 2000, James graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Communication from Arizona State University, and hasn’t stopped learning since then. He reads 5-10 books a week, mostly about design and marketing. Some of his favorite books include ‘Losing my Virginity’ by Richard Branson, ‘Maverick’ by Ricardo Semler, ‘The Principia Discordia’ by Malaclypse the Younger, and ‘20,000 Leagues Under the Sea’ by Jules Verne.

James always knew he wanted to run a creative agency. After paying his dues and learning the ropes for several years (acting as a designer, writer, editor, developer, and more), he finally buckled down and did exactly that, launching Forty out of his spare bedroom several years ago.

James is also a sucker for linguistics. “I used to do geeky things like deciphering texts in obscure languages, learning other writing systems, reading dictionaries, practicing unusual phonetic sounds…” he says, “It’s embarrassing to admit, though it does come in handy on naming projects!”

Though James claims to be very bad at taking time off, rarely taking sick or vacation time, but if given the option to retire and live a life of leisure, he would pass. “Working for Forty is way too much fun,” he says. “I would suck at anything else. This is what I was born for.”

When not at his desk, you can find James at AIGA meetings, Refresh Phoenix, Gangplank, Social Media Club, or Phoenix Marketers meetings.