Who We Are
Cartoonists with a Vision
A cartoonist’s lens reframes things in a way that lets you see them more clearly. It helps you find the mistaken assumptions holding you back and the get-ahead opportunities hiding in plain sight. It helps you understand the people you are trying to reach by taking a look at yourself with an honesty that is as stark as it is tender. Insights born of cartoon thinking are more memorable because of the visual metaphor that anchors them, and they are more likely to be acted upon for positive change because of the reward-based incentive of the humor contained in them. We are a consortium of many of the world’s best cartoonists, who believe that a world more willing to see through such a lens would be more innovative, resilient, and fair. And probably a lot more fun.
Pat Byrnes, Co-Founder/executive Creative Director
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to draw cartoons, but why take chances? That was Pat’s reason for getting a degree in aerospace engineering, just to go to a school with a daily paper. He has taken oddball routes ever since, working as a Clio-winning ad writer, voice actor, illustrator, comedian, and inventor, on his way to The New Yorker. After contributing hundreds of cartoons to the magazine he finally won the National Cartoonists Society’s Gag Cartoonist of the Year award—on his sixth nomination. So he can now turn his attention, and his vast and diverse experience, to the service of The Drawing Board and the collective success of his fellow New Yorker cartoonists.
Jonathan Plotkin, Co-Founder/Strategic Business Manager
Jonathan is a nationally published editorial cartoonist and illustrator who brings a 35 year career in business development to the Drawing Board team. Jonathan is a standing member of the National Cartoonists Society and the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists. His art can be found on the pages of the Chicago Tribune, American Bystander and other national print and online publications.
