The World: Why Droga enjoys being in control of his destiny.(Dave Droga)

Dave Droga might miss London but he is relishing the new creative freedom that Droga5 is giving him, Ann Cooper writes.

Until recently, trying to set up a confab with the peripatetic David Droga invariably meant making do with a few soundbites on his mobile as he scurried hither and thither through Manhattan's limestone canyons. But with his recent move into new offices in SoHo, he and his fledging company, Droga5, have finally found a home - albeit temporarily, until permanent offices become ready next April.

Even though the current surrounds may be transitory, there is little doubt that Droga5's outlook is long-term in nature. The Australia-born Droga has previously dropped anchor in Sydney, Singapore, London and New York, for the likes of Omon, Saatchi & Saatchi and Publicis Worldwide. Now he's raised his own flag in Manhattan.

Backed by Publicis ('Enough that they have a huge financial and emotional stake in it. But to their credit, I control it,' he says), Droga5 is a marketing and advertising company with a difference. 'I want clients to give us the freedom to come back with a myriad of communication solutions. That may involve entertainment, architecture, the community and online,' Droga says. 'I haven't reinvented the wheel; I just want to take that wheel offroad and everywhere.'

He currently claims 12 employees - 'Call me next week and I might have some more' - and four clients: General Electric, Marc Ecko Enterprises, PBS Kids and Magnum Photos. Call him next week and he says he'll have another big account he can talk about.

Reckoned to have something of a Midas touch when it comes to advertising, things are moving fast for the company so named after the labels Droga's mother used to sew inside the clothes of her fifth son before he went to boarding school. The 37-year-old Droga quit Publicis and his role of the global chief creative officer because he was spending too much time travelling and in meetings. 'I felt a bit token-ish,' he says. 'At end of the day, what gets me going is brands and creative, not admin and all that stuff. I didn't want to be an ambassador; I wanted to be a creative director. Clearly, I wanted to set up my own company and get control. I haven't turned my back on advertising. I'm still an ad guy.'

Not that what Droga is doing is exactly new - the New York-based Anomaly launched itself a couple of years earlier with similar goals. Though Anomaly, he says, is light years ahead of Droga5. 'All of us are idea-generators and we understand brands. Everyone's trying it a different way.'