Breaking News: Explosion reported within New York consulting industry

Zohran Mamdani is a killer.

On June 24, he killed political advertising and branding as we know it. The rollout of his branding fired the shot heard round the world: stylish branding and viral organic content that inspired an entire movement against the New York political establishment. Was he the first to try? Not even close, but now campaigns have to follow his lead. Can they? Do they want to?

To that end, Justin Chae, one of New York’s top public affairs consultants, is doubling down on his digital advertising and creative portfolio by launching Supernova: Creative & Crisis. You can become a star, or lose it all, overnight thanks to this digital age we live in. In fact, Chae and co are so eager for this shift that they’ve decided to completely quit canvassing (one of their specialities) and sell the field business to veteran campaign operative Eugene Noh. Also citing burnout and a genuine desire to pursue his lifelong creative passions, Chae is rebranding himself as a “creative hatchetman” who’ll tell the emotional truth that no one else will, especially if it hurts. Supernova offers everything from photography and branding packages, to social media content and attack ads. Chae’s new firm leans into the metaphor of a supernova explosion being able to create new stars or black holes, selling their ability to create and destroy brands overnight.

Supernova believes that traditional advertising is dead, but not the storytelling behind it. Pairing punchy Mad Men-esque hooks and emotional creative with advanced microtargeting, Supernova: Creative & Crisis has already produced explosive content for union, PAC and private sector clients. Chae and co are also integrating AI to not only automate laborious tasks, but also create stunning animations for a fraction of the cost and time. Supernova’s political AI work was already seen across TVs, phones and laptops citywide thanks to a super PAC client’s ad spend.

Chae and co’s creative cuts through all the noise because their work is inspired:

David Mamet, Martin Scorsese, Stephen King, Alan Moore, to list a few. Supernova’s own bench of creatives have quite the range. Working with four different photographers, three different editors, and both AI and human designers, Chae directed their own rebranding to display the breadth of their stylistic and strategic abilities. Corporate headshots, artsy edits, edgy lighting and even musical branding, Supernova’s own photos prove they can cross all the divides.

Most importantly, Chae hopes both Mamdani’s momentum and Supernova’s creatives can pave the way for higher standards and inspiring new storytelling. Chae just recently took to social media to prepare for this rebranding and has been telling his own story about overcoming 14 years of mental health struggles and his love of the arts. His Linkedin presence is gaining traction especially amongst his newfound entrepreneurial network after making the Forbes 30 Under 30 list. His Tiktok is rapidly growing thanks to Chae’s regular concert footage from his own outings. His Facebook is seen and shared by the New York political class, while his Instagram is an insulated community of friends and fellow founders like himself.