OUR MISSION:
OUR MISSION:
The Dogist was created in 2013 by Elias Weiss Friedman, whose goal was to create a happy place on the internet for dog lovers. After being let go from his job, he took inspiration from The Sartorialist and Humans of New York and set out to the streets of New York with a camera and a squeaky tennis ball. Elias has since photographed over 50,000 dogs across the world, authored a NYT Bestselling book, and gathered an audience of over 4.7 million people on social platforms.
We like dogs. A lot.
Elias Friedman is the Founder and President of The Dogist. After years in corporate marketing developing a skill set in brand strategy and social media, he was unexpectedly laid off. Elias transformed what most would view as a hardship, into an opportunity. Reconnecting with his childhood passion for photography and dogs, he seized the moment and built The Dogist, one photograph at a time. With hustle, grit and an unrivaled commitment to his art, he built the social media and digital storytelling platform that is now celebrated worldwide by an audience of 4.7 million. He is also a NYT bestselling author, gifted public speaker and proud advocate for many dog rescue and rehabilitation organizations. Nevertheless, humble to the core, he still puts on his knee pads daily and proudly photographs all content for The Dogist with unwavering commitment. Elias graduated from Boston University in 2009. Elias is now the proud dog-dad of Elsa, who he adopted in spring of 2020.
Kate Speer now enters her sixth year leading the team at The Dogist. An accomplished sales and marketing professional, she is known for her expertise in digital storytelling, community building and narrative marketing. Over the course of the last five years, she has transformed The Dogist Instagram from a social media page into a fully fledged, mission-driven e-commerce company. When Kate is not running the team, she can be found in the woods of Vermont adventuring, writing, and advocating for the many health benefits of dogs -- a gift she experiences first-hand with her PTSD service dog, Wafflenugget, and her service dog in training, Tugboat. Kate currently splits her time between New York and Norwich, Vermont where she owns a home with her husband, Dave Lutz. Kate graduated from Middlebury College in 2011 with a BA in Environmental Studies and Creative Art.
Jacquelyn (Jacquie) Sawyer, an expert in influencer marketing strategy, is our Chief Marketing Officer. With over five years of agency experience in the world of influencer marketing prior to joining the team, and now two years with the team, Jacquie brings unrivaled expertise and skill to the table, owning all things marketing and e-commerce at The Dogist. In addition to her marketing prowess, she also brings a slew of experience in the dog world to the team. A vet tech in college, and an animal lover to her core, Jacquie now resides in New Jersey with her husband, Steve, their two pups, Artie and Blue, cat, Ben, and their Guiding Eyes for the Blind puppy in training, Biscuit. Jacquie graduated from Farleigh Dickinson University in 2014 with a BA in Marketing and Communications and a minor in photography.
Isabel Klee, a powerhouse of strategy, influencer marketing and brand narrative, is the Director of Content at The Dogist. Known for her ability to tell captivating stories through social media, she leads the narrative across all Dogist channels. In addition to running all things social media for The Dogist, she hosts The Dogist's podcast, Talking Dogs and is also dog mom to Simon and runs his readily adored page - @Simonsits. Born and raised in New Jersey, she considers herself a New Yorker at heart and currently resides in Brooklyn. Isabel Graduated from Marymount Manhattan College in 2016 with a degree in English literature and promotional communications.
Maddie Klebe is a photographer, editor, and archivist. Her post-grad career has covered nearly all aspects of photography, and now has landed her in the world of dogs. She spent four years as command photographer at a naval base in Philadelphia before moving on to a more behind-the-scenes role in editing and archiving. Maddie post-processes all images at The Dogist and gets to live every dog lovers’ dream of looking at thousands of dog photos each week. Additionally, she assists Elias with video editing and copy writing. A Philadelphia native, Maddie currently resides in Boston with her boyfriend and 5 year old Husky, Kygo, who makes sure to use up all of her energy not spent at the desk. Maddie graduated from Penn State University in 2015 with a degree in photojournalism.
Will Ferman is a dog walker, dog photographer and all around animal nerd/enthusiast. After battling depression, Will suffered a nervous breakdown and dropped out of film school. He thereafter followed his true passion, his love for animals and became a dog walker in the waterfront town of Hoboken, New Jersey. Through dog walking he rekindled his love for media, combining his two interests, dogs and photography. Known as Barkboy or The Puparazzi, Will worked with various rescue organizations, brands, and dog influencers, snapping many puppy pics on the way. He always had his eye on his dream job of working for The Dogist. That dream finally came fruition this summer. Will is absolutely ecstatic to join the team and continue the mission of telling the story of dogs.