Started in 2003, the founders are now joined by a growing cast of talented people who do brilliant things. We have launched hundreds of successful, engaging projects for some of the largest (and smallest) brands in the world, including Sears, Motorola, Crate + Barrel, Serta, and dozens of successful startups. Our work has received millions of hits and worldwide press.

We do a lot of things well, but our specialities are User Experience (UX) design, eCommerce Development, Mobile Design, and Promotional Campaigns.

Read more about our services.

Our success lies in our people, and our people come from all walks of life. Leveraging backgrounds in consulting, advertising, mobile technology, political campaigns, Fortune 100 companies, and more, we value critical thinking above all else. We have one thing in common: a sincere drive to make businesses better. Below, meet our leadership team.

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  Ted Novak

  Partner, Managing Director

Ted Novak



Partner, Managing Director

As a Founding Partner of Clique Studios, Ted helps introduce innovative solutions into the market. As managing director, Ted helps clients build better businesses by enhancing the way they present themselves to the world, and shows them how to use technology and design to simplify the process of growing their business through online channels. Ted has a passion for making an impact in the lives of others and bringing excitement to the way people communicate.

Previously, Ted held a senior management position in the consulting industry, managing large-scale technology and process-focused business transformation. Prior to that, Ted was responsible for driving innovative solutions internationally to streamline business processes through application development and user interface design in the capital markets industry.

He dances when he talks, types extremely long sentences in emails, and is a proud father of his son Milan.

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  Derek Nelson

  Partner, Creative Director

Derek Nelson



Partner, Creative Director

Derek Nelson is a Partner and Creative Director at Clique Studios, responsible for directing design and user experience for Clique clients, including startups, Fortune 500 companies, and Chicago-based causes alike. He believes in the power of compelling design to make businesses better.

Previously, Derek served as a political staffer, where he managed thousands of volunteers, drank too much coffee, made exhausting amounts of phone calls, and gave speeches alongside political leaders (including Vice President Joe Biden). He has also been a columnist for online magazines, an advisor and Creative Director for startups, and a marketing coordinator for universities.

Derek is a cum laude graduate from the University of Missouri School of Journalism, with an emphasis in Strategic Communication. He moonlights as a musician (in the creatively-titled Derek Nelson & The Musicians), digs history books, and has a golden retriever named Charles Barkley.

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  John Ellis

  Partner, Director of Mobile

John Ellis



Partner, Director of Mobile

John Ellis started his professional career at Motorola in 1990, back when all the hip people were calling mobile by its first name: cellular. Throughout his 20 years with Motorola, John delivered a number of key programs, including the marketing and selling of Motorola's mobile software and services, Motorola's world-class software developer ecosystem, and Motorola's industry-leading Open Source Software program.

In 1997 — the same year he appeared in an issue of Maxim (seriously) — John founded Ellis & Associates as a boutique management consulting firm focused on international business and culture. After leaving Motorola, John expanded his consultancy to provide expertise and hands-on execution in a broad range of areas, including international business and culture, open source, finance, product management and marketing.

In addition to his consulting and Motorola work, John served as an adjunct finance faculty member at the University of Notre Dame from 2001 - 2010 as well as an in-house translator for the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain.

He has lived and worked in 38 countries on four continents, is fluent in Spanish and has undergraduate degrees in Computer Science (BS), Mathematics (BS) and Spanish (BA) from Valparaiso University, an MS in Computer Engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology, and an MBA from the University of Notre Dame.

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• 

  Phil Orlandi

  Director of Change Leadership

Phil Orlandi



Director of Change Leadership

Phil leads the Clique University and Change Leadership practice focusing primarily on helping clients engage with our tools and use them for better results.  

Originally from Cleveland, Phil spent 11 years in Chicago before moving to Bellingham Washington. After graduating with a M.S. in Technical Education from the University of Akron, Phil has over 20 years experience working with all levels of Sr. executives creating organizational solutions with companies like Northwest Memorial Hospital, Ernst & Young LLP, Chicago Family Health Center, Keller Graduate School of Management, and London-based consulting firm So Just Add Water.
 
Why Change Leadership for a digital design and marketing agency? Says Phil: When you think of it, "Change" is more appropriate in our field than almost any other... I’m the guy that makes sure clients are using the tools we built for them, educating them on what's next, engaging them with checkpoints throughout the year,keeping our clients cutting edge, and helping them be successful with the tools we give them.
 
Why Clique Studios? “Clique Studios gives me the opportunity to build things, just not with my hands.”
 
Phil has a cat named Manny and one named The Dude. Phil and fiancée Stacey added Juliet to their family in October. He is a chef, a Shakespeare actor, and could read music before he could read words.

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• 

  Jeff Molitor

  Director of Promotion

Jeff Molitor



Director of Promotion

Jeff leads the Promotion Division of Clique Studios, focusing primarily on the development and execution of Digital Interaction campaigns, including Sweepstakes, User Generated Contests, Instant-Win Games, Social Media Integration and Loyalty Platforms.

Born in Illinois and a graduate of Illinois Wesleyan University (BA in Art, i.e. “pre-bartending” to his parents at the time), Jeff has been in the promotion agency world for over 11 years and has served such wonderful clients as Butterball, Sears, Office Depot, RadioShack, Disney and Coinstar.

Why Clique Studios? Says Jeff: “It affords me the opportunity to work with creative and passionate people who love to think and act upon exceptional ideas.”

Jeff has a beagle named Cooper, ten nephews and nieces, loves photography, and finished his one (and only) Chicago Marathon (2009). His personal dream is to travel Russia for six months with his camera. Check him out at www.JeffMolitor.com.

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  John Gile

  Senior Experience Developer

John Gile



Senior Experience Developer

John Gile is the senior experience developer at Clique Studios, designing and building the details and interactive experiences of Clique websites. John loves to construct the interactive, creative, and highly usable interfaces that deliver each client’s content impressively and powerfully. If your website was built by the wonderful people at Clique, odds are that John got his hands dirty in the process.

Before his calling to Clique, John worked as a Development Director for a children’s charity in St. Louis, MO, where he built relationships, managed marketing and communications efforts, and raised funds to keep their mission alive. In those days, John spent his evenings moonlighting as a web developer.

John graduated from the University of Missouri, Columbia. When John is not developing beautiful websites or serving less fortunate children, he enjoys reading (fiction), hanging with his best pal Stanley (his boxer/bulldog mix), and participating in all sorts of questionable behavior.

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  Drew Fravert

  Interaction Designer

Drew Fravert



Interaction Designer

Drew Fravert is the Experience Designer at Clique, tasked with front-end design, development and management of projects. In short: making and keeping our work beautiful. 

Before coming over to Clique, Drew spent several years as the principal of his own studio, Ainsle Creative, where he designed and developed engaging experiences for small and mid-sized businesses. He has extensive experience in film production, as well, working in all stages of production and creative processes. 



A graduate of the Digital Cinema program at DePaul University, Drew is a native of Alabama. Roll tide.

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  Siobhan Neely

  Project Manager

Siobhan Neely



Project Manager

Siobhan Neely brings her diverse set of talents and experience in communications strategy and management as Clique Studios' Project Manager. With her passion for creating smart and compelling business communications, Siobhan is poised to provide clients with excellent service, keen insight, and convention busting work to help them succeed.

In her former life, she worked as a strategic communications planner at major advertising agencies building national brands like Payless Shoe Source, Pfizer, Lincoln Financial and Kmart. After spending many nights running focus groups and schlepping giant post-it notes across the country, she decided to switch gears and work as a consultant helping small businesses find their voice and build brands from the ground up.

Siobhan graduated cum laude from the University of Florida with a B.A. in Anthropology and went on to pursue an M.A. in Advertising/Strategic Planning from the University of Texas at Austin. Her passion for music, surfing and food has taken her from Rome to Melbourne to Medellin and back and she is ready to soak up all Chicago has to offer. Just don’t expect this native New Yorker to extol the virtues of deep dish pizza any time soon.

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We recently moved the new HQ down the street to the Fine Arts Building on Michigan Avenue. We’re glad we did. In the heart of the Chicago Loop, and overlooking Buckingham Fountain, Grant Park and the lake, we truly believe we’re now in the coolest building in the city we love.

Built in 1884 for the Studebaker Company, the building is in the National Historic Register, and once held the offices of Frank Lloyd Wright and Lorado Taft. The rooms are now filled with dozens of artists, including orchestras, opera singers, interior design studios, violin makers, art galleries, and more. With the only manually operated elevators in town, even the elevator ride can be an experience.

We'd love to have you stop by. We'll make the coffee.