YEAR
1998
PROJECT
Nathaniel’s Journey
CLIENT
Hands to
the Plow
The ‘Back-in-the Day’ Story
DKY’s origin story goes back to a group of 9th-grade friends in 1980 who met at a church youth group in Edina, Minnesota. Their 15-year-old minds weren’t thinking about starting a marketing agency together someday – but God works in mysterious ways.
When Providence Knocks
Fast forward to 14 years, one of those 9th-graders, Tom Kelby, was already 6 years into building a career in advertising – first as an Account Executive, then a Copywriter. It was 1994, and Tom and two others – his Jr. High friend John Denn, and Mark Yaeger, an Art Director colleague of John’s – had a crazy idea.
John and Mark worked on the Winnebago account at a small Minneapolis agency that was going to lose the business. They reached out to Tom with the idea of pitching Winnebago as a new agency: DK&Y (Denn, Kelby and Yaeger).
Long story short, the upstart agency was awarded a major piece of the business, and a new agency was born. Go figure.
Plot Twist
As DK&Y was ramping up to serve Winnebago, Tom announced that he was sensing a call to ministry instead of joining the agency as a full partner. Mark and John supported the decision, and Tom stayed on as a contract writer for the agency. The arrangement allowed Tom to earn a living while launching and growing a new ministry: Hands to the Plow.
Building a Ministry Brand
One of Tom’s core strengths as a writer is taking complex material and making it more accessible to the reader. This was clearly evident in the early days of Hands to the Plow, and still rings true to the mission today of carefully teaching biblical truths in easily understandable ways.
An early project that embodied Hands to the Plow’s mission was a children’s parable called Nathanial’s Journey. It’s the story of a young man on an adventure to find the King and his Kingdom Beyond the Woods. He encounters many characters and challenges along the way but remains faithful to his pursuit.
As with many Hands to the Plow publications over the years, the book was written by Tom and brought to life by DKY partner Mark Yaeger’s illustrations. Tom and Mark’s partnership, which started in 1994, is a testament to the power of diverse talents and perspectives when crafting communications that reach people and move them to action.
Lasting Impact
Today, Nathanial’s Journey is still reaching people around the world with the hope-filled message of the gospel of Jesus. Its impact has grown to:
- Approximately 100,000 copies printed and distributed ( exact number unknown due to overseas printing)
- Countless digital copies shared
- Translated into 8 languages (that we know of) including Mandarin, Mongolian, Indonesian, Spanish, Vietnamese, Bangla, Napoli, and Filippino
- Expanded into additional resources and experiences (e.g. video, Bible study, VBS program and sequel book, mission trips)
Deep Partnerships
Winnebago and Hands to the Plow are both a major part of the DKY origin story. As Tom helped DKY serve Winnebago, Hands to the Plow became the first DKY Faith client. Both organizations are still on DKY’s client roster as 30-year partnerships.
Bonus Prize
If you would like a free copy of Nathaniel’s Journey, DKY would be honored to share it with you. It serves as a testament to the Christian faith that was central to who we were in 9th grade, in 1994, and what we still believe today.
Email your name and mailing address to [email protected] and we’ll mail you a copy. We pray the message will be as transformational to you, as it is to us.
