Hunt, Gather News

In the US, 65% of creative directors are male, as are an astonishing 86% of engineers. As a creative agency founded and led by women, Hunt, Gather’s mission is to add leadership seats to the table for women in advertising and tech—industries long dominated by men. When those chairs run out, we'll build more tables. 

That’s why we’re such big fans of Girls Who Code. Their mission mirrors ours—to narrow the gender gap in tech. As members of Women Who Code, we’re both really excited that our latest AI project, Santa’s Magical Mailroom, is raising money to help Girls Who Code teach more girls, femme-indentifying, and nonbinary individuals to program.

“Women are often left behind in tech—despite the fact that the first computer programmer was a woman,” Leslie marvels. “We want to bring more women back to the forefront of tech, and AI is the next frontier.”

Santa’s Magical Mailroom utilizes our proprietary AI platform to craft personalized letters from the North Pole that are printed on a handwriting printer and mailed to their recipient in a festive red envelope. The proceeds from every letter are donated to Girls Who Code to support their efforts providing programming resources, mentorship, and opportunities to 580,000 females and femme-identifying folx.

Women’s contributions to STEM have shaped the course of history. Marie Curie discovered radium and polonium. Ada Lovelace was the first computer programmer. Grace Hopper named computer problems “bugs,” and was responsible for the success of the COBOL programming language. Mathematician Dorothy Vaughan was a self-taught FORTRAN expert as well as the first Black supervisor at NASA.

Though research has proven that gender balance and diversity directly correlate with innovation, sustainability, and profitability¹, when Lynna started out in advertising, there weren’t many female creatives in the room. “I often didn’t feel heard or understood, and that’s a big part of the genesis of Hunt, Gather.”

Leslie adds, “I bring a level of empathy to understanding the user’s needs and pain points that I don’t always see in my male counterparts.” 

As women and mothers in male-dominated industries, both Lynna and Leslie are determined to make room for the next generation and change whose voices are heard.

“As a women-owned agency, we’re paying it forward by hiring, teaching, and promoting women, and funding programs that encourage more girls in creative and tech fields,” Lynna notes. “Our life experiences as women in male-dominated industries have framed our perspectives and strengthened our work.”

By embracing AI and launching giveback projects like Santa’s Magical Mailroom, we’re making sure girls and young femme-identifying individuals have the mentorship, encouragement, and support to pursue their passions, wherever they lead.