About Us

Closer&Closer is an Artist Representation Agency based out of Los Angeles, California. We find remarkable artists from around the world and connect them with world-class clients to do what they do best—create unforgettable visual experiences through illustration, animation, and design. We have curated a roster of top artists who have a distinct voice and style. On top of being exceptional at their craft, we also look for artists who are a joy to work with. We believe it’s not just about the work. It’s about the way the work gets done. This is why our production team works with you from inquiry to final deliverable. Whether it’s an illustration, a gif, or a full-blown animation production we are here to help you bring your ideas to life.

Contact us to talk to one of our producers about your project.

Our culture is centered around its commitment to continual growth and improvement, making others successful, and a passion for what we do. We use our values to strengthen not only each other, but everyone we come in contact with; starting with our artists. We hope to create a world where people come together to reach their full potential through the power of transformational relationships, connection, and collaboration.

Meet the fine folks who make this vision a reality:

Andrea Mejia-Madriz

 Artist Marketing + Partnerships Manager
Help others, build connections. This is the unspoken motto of Andrea Mejia-Madriz, resident marketing and social media mastermind here at Closer&Closer. Her diverse background and skill set makes her uniquely qualified to help support our artists with their marketing and growth goals. At the end of the day, Andrea guides the artists, using the modality of marketing, to help advance their careers and bring more fulfillment to their work. Born in Costa Rica and Raised in Maryland, Andrea is fluent in both Spanish and English, which makes her a massive asset to our Spanish artists… also, needless to say, we will all be joining her for her next family reunion in CR.

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Andrew Escobar

Operations Administrator 
Andrew Escobar brings top notch organization, detail orientedness, and problem solving skills to the role of Operations Administrator. In this role, Andrew ensures the day-to-day operations of Closer&Closer are running smoothly and efficiently. On the daily, you can find him managing internal projects, creating and managing company documents, and enjoying the city by the lake lifestyle Chicago affords him. If you're ever in the area, hit him up for the best slices in the city.

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Marcos Payan

^{Agent + Producer}
Marcos knows a thing or two about the pain points of freelancers. His previous experience as a freelance creative means he knows how to support an artist best, whether he's negotiating inquiries, nurturing client relationships, helping manage our artists' careers, or supporting sales efforts. He's an expert at keeping a project moving as he is on all things nerd culture, and he'll make sure the end result is something both the artist and the client can be proud of.

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Theresa Zicolello

Agent + Producer 
Theresa comes to us from a long history of working with artists, which is what makes her so great at supporting our roster. She negotiates inquiries, nurtures client relationships, keeps projects moving, and contributes to sales efforts, all with an infectious smile that can turn anyone's day around in an instant. Theresa works to "take the stress out of the deal so the artist can focus on their art, inspiration, and have the time and space to create." Doesn't that sound like the dream?!?

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Camille Valbusa

Project Manager
Camille is the project manager of everyone's dreams. Her secret to keeping projects running on time and in budget? She "makes sure everyone feel listened to and validated when working together, so everyone has all their needs met." She's a detail oriented, relational, organized, communicative, the list goes on! When she's not managing projects to absolute perfection, she's busy photographing self portraits and adding more languages to her repertoire (she's at 5 currently!).

Drew Melton

Founder, Agent + Producer
As Founder and Managing Director, Drew Melton is responsible for overseeing the vision, strategy, and culture behind Closer&Closer. He began his career as a freelance illustrator and hand-letterer working with clients of every kind from all over the world. Unrepresented and overworked, he eventually burned out. In the ashes of that dream kindled a new fire, one which burned even brighter. Drew realized his true passion lay in building relationships, in helping others achieve their goals. They say, ‘start where you are’, so Drew started with what he knew- he knew how to communicate and build trust with clients, and he knew how to see potential and draw out the best in people. In 2017 Closer&Closer was born, an artists representation agency, offering support, coaching and care to illustrators and animators across the globe. Drew says his real life super power is, “making the invisible visible,” and Closer&Closer is the manifestation of that truth.

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Roger Bruhn

COO
Roger Bruhn is our Chief Operating Officer. With Closer&Closer, he continues his decades-long streak of leading great companies. He gets the job done by managing day-to-day operations and ensuring that each function of the company is supported by the people, processes, and resources it needs to grow. Roger excels at turning complex problems into simple, actionable, solutions, and does it all with the goal of improving the lives of the artists on our roster. In addition to all the heavy lifting he does in his role as COO, he's also raised 5 adult kids, raises 20-somethings through life and career coaching as a volunteer for national leadership forums, AND raises real-life weights as a competitive power-lifter!