Creative 100 2023: Agency Leaders Paving the Way Forward

As the industry changes amid economic and technological pressures, so too must the shape of an agency. These leaders—part of Adweek’s 2023 Creative 100—are paving the way forward while demonstrating that the qualities most essential for success are adaptability, a dedication to creativity and an ability to guide the next generation of talent. In an uncertain environment, many of them are even redefining what an agency could be. Rob Baird Founder, chief creative officer, Preacher Becoming a Preacher: Baird came up through the ranks at big-name agencies—including a decade at Mother and roles at TBWA Chiat Day, Fallon, Arnold and BBH—which gave him the skills and mentorship needed to launch the indie Preacher in 2014. His art imitates life: “I just honestly need to be outside. I’m a slightly above-average gardener and a professional-level pool rat,” said Baird, who has two nicknames: “The Sun Dial” and “The Lizard.” He moved a lot as a kid, with his dad’s job in the Department of Agriculture taking the family to “unglamorous towns all across Texas.” But those places taught Baird about the power of community and instilled “the spirit of people rallying together” in him, à la Friday Night Lights. Later, he’d gravitate toward (and build) a rich agency culture that reminded him of it. “Don’t Go Gently”: Preacher’s recent campaign for Tecovas brings western wear to a broader audience. "Don't Go Gently" demonstrates “the confidence that comes with wearing a great pair of cowboy boots,” Baird said. Given his Texas upbringing, it's no surprise that he hit a home run with the campaign. —Olivia Morley Emily Bibb Co-founder, Breef Where's the Breef: Bibb co-founded Breef in 2019 alongside her business partner (and husband), George Raptis. Now, she said, Breef’s client roster has taken flight, with clients like Heineken, Spotify and Free People. While Bibb manages the business, she takes a special interest in product and marketing, helping her keep tabs on exactly what the market needs. “I was our user”: Bibb built her career in-house at startups and agencies of all sizes, including PopSugar, VSCO and KCD. “I was our user,” she said. “Because of this, I understand firsthand the challenges brands face in keeping up with the demands of modern marketing.” Buy now, pay later: Bibb and the Breef team launched Breef(Pay), a buy now, pay later product for marketing spend. As conversations about protracted agency payment terms incited frustration this year from fed-up agencies, Bibb presented a better solution than the alternatives. “It allows brands to stretch their marketing budgets and execute their road map—without sacrificing exceptional work because of budget constraints," she said. "As a result, it’s unlocking more project opportunities and payment security for both creatives and agencies alike." —Olivia Morley Thasorn 'Pete' Boonyanate Chief creative officer, BBDO Bangkok Lucky 13: A multiple winner at Cannes Lions, D&AD, Adstars and the Andys, Boonyanate has spent 13 years in advertising. Since 2022, he has been creative leader at BBDO Bangkok—the youngest CCO in the agency’s history. Something to sing about: Last year, the agency launched 15 campaigns. A standout was a long-form, user-generated ad for restaurant chain Five Star Chicken, "The Movies That Made (From) Us," which saw members of the public offer ideas for ads that the brand would then re-create in its own film. Meanwhile, Listerine’s “The Cleft Choir” allowed him to explore his love of songwriting. A choir of children who had cleft surgery sang an adaptation of Thai composer Boyd Kosiyabong's hit song “You’re My Breath” to raise funds for 50 other kids to also have the surgery. “This is why I’m still working in advertising, to contribute something good to society,” Boonyanate said. Generating emotion: One of the main challenges creatives face in the industry is creating campaigns that generate an emotional response, especially empathy, rather than “just another ad," said Boonyanate. “The world is changing so fast. The algorithms of each platform change faster than ice melting, which is why the most memorable work is one that consumers search for, not ads that are scheduled.” —Stephen Lepitak Jason Campbell Chief creative officer, Translation Exploring identity: Campbell’s "There’s No One Like Us" brand platform for WhatsApp stuck with him long after it was completed. “It was centered around [NBA star] Giannis Antetokounmpo but was a universal story he embodied. A story that celebrated cross-cultural identity, and tapped into a sense of strength and pride for those who are (or who may feel) ‘caught in the middle’ between varying cultural identities," said Campbell, who joined Translation in 2020 after previous stints at Wieden+Kennedy and Goodby, Silverstein & Partners. "For many on the team, it was deeply resonant, and as someone who also comes from multiple identities, I resonated with the story and guided from both a creative-pushing and story-preserving perspective.” Pride isn’t about the finished product: “I get more proud when I see how far a creative person goes, how much they surprise themselves in the process and how they use their brilliant creativity to crack a hard puzzle or touch a sacred cow. That takes fearlessness and vulnerability, and much of our work with all our partners has the markings of that.” Advice to aspiring creatives: “Be open to asking the dumb questions. Stay curious.” —Jason Notte Oriel Davis-Lyons Chief creative officer, Mother New York From the kitchen to the creative cooker: Davis-Lyons was raised in the U.K. but struggled until he landed in New Zealand. He used to be a chef but ultimately decided to swap the long hours in a kitchen for equally long hours in a creative department, eventually moving to the U.S. He joined Mother New York last December after working at Spotify, where he was head of creative. Training the next generation: In 2020, Davis-Lyons founded The One School—the first free, online portfolio school for aspiring Black creatives. To date, The One School has graduated 160-plus creatives who are now working in some of the industry’s top creative departments. As the school's head, he mentors current and former students, oversees growth and writes the curriculum, ensuring that all graduates represent the school’s ambition to be “Creatively Excellent” and “Unapologetically Black.” A rewarding challenge: “We have to prove that this industry can be a place where new voices and perspectives are valued, that we can put empathy and respect at the core of our business model, and that we can still achieve the heights of creative excellence we all aspire to,” he said. —Kyle O’Brien Ignacio Flotta and Nicolás Vara Chief creative officers, David Buenos Aires Career path: Nacho and Nico, as they’re known, have risen through the ranks of David Buenos Aires in the six years since they joined and were recently named chief creative officers. Previously, they worked at agencies such as BBDO, Ogilvy, McCann and Del Campo Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi. Not your average bank robbery: The pair created a campaign for HSBC that aimed to alert customers to the growing sophistication of cybercrime. It featured a traditional bank robbery sequence, but the thieves shouted lines from common phishing schemes. The duo has also worked with brands like Coca-Cola, Burger King, General Motors, Mondelēz and Unilever. On AI and transparency: “The industry is also working to improve transparency and build trust with people by adopting more ethical and responsible advertising practices,” Flotta said. “It's something that makes us feel better as creatives, because it forces us to put our heads [together] on how to help with that.” As for the much-debated advent of artificial intelligence, "whether it will help us or compete with us, one thing is certain to me: It forces us to be more creative than ever,” said Vara. —Stephen Lepitak Garrett Garcia President, PPK In it from the beginning: Garcia began his career at agency 22squared in Tampa before taking a leap of faith in 2005 by joining what was then just a five-person agency called PPK. As the third non-founder employee, he helped grow the agency by developing deep relationships with clients. Nearly two decades later, Garcia said he is fortunate enough to find himself still leading the agency, now with well over 100 employees, through a phase of exponential growth. Community outreach and DEI: PPK has a DEI-focused committee, but also does considerable outreach in the Tampa Bay community. The agency has committed a large amount of pro-bono agency time developing content for minority-owned businesses to use in their own marketing efforts. Additionally, Garcia has started to lay the groundwork for channels of education, engagement and enrichment for marketing and advertising students at HBCUs across Florida in hopes of bringing greater awareness to the industry shortcomings in recruiting, hiring and cultivating diverse talent. Taking Shoplifter: In 2020, PPK launched a documentary film division, Shoplifter Studios, to diversify revenue streams and give staffers a creative outlet outside of typical advertising work. “There are no barriers, constraints or approval processes outside of our own four walls,” said Garcia. In the last year, PPK has shot or edited three full-length feature films. —Kyle O'Brien Karam Gill and Daniel Malikyar Co-founders, MGX Creative Kids of the internet: “During our formative teenage years, [we] started to see social media amplify the voice of youth culture. We began working with brands and musicians on digital campaigns that authentically connected with younger audiences," said the duo. Founded in 2017, MGX produced the content for DJ and musician Marshmello to help him grow from 25,000 to 50 million YouTube subscribers in four years. Making, and marketing, movies: In 2022, their feature documentary, Untrapped: The Story of Lil Baby—written and directed by Gill and produced by both of them—debuted at New York's Tribeca Film Festival and was acquired by Amazon Prime Video. "Because of the integrated nature of how MGX works, Amazon also commissioned us to handle aspects of the marketing campaign, which included cutting the official trailer," said the duo. How to really talk to Gen Z: “Right now, there is an overwhelming amount of content being created, and a lot of the initiatives designed to activate younger audiences don’t cut through the clutter. We believe the idea of ‘youth culture’ is actually a feeling; it’s something that transcends age and feels curious and provocative. A lot of what is commissioned to hit this demographic isn’t even made by the demographic itself, ultimately missing these core storytelling elements.” —Luz Corona Greg Hahn Co-founder, chief creative officer, Mischief @ No Fixed Address The next chapter: One of advertising’s most iconic creative leaders, Hahn produced industry-defining work during his 15-year tenure at BBDO New York, where he was CCO for seven of those years. When his role was cut as part of BBDO layoffs in 2020, he became one of advertising's major creative forces again thanks to Mischief @ No Fixed Address, which was named Adweek’s Midsize Agency in 2022 and Breakthrough Agency of the Year in 2021. A Super Tubi campaign: Under Hahn’s leadership, Mischief has produced attention-grabbing work for the likes of Eos and Tinder. It was also behind streaming platform Tubi’s Super Bowl debut, one of this year's Big Game highlights. “A Super Bowl spot is the highest pressure assignment in advertising. It's a time when the world grades your paper. I'm really happy how we and Tubi showed up. I feel like we rose to the challenge,” Hahn said. Advice to aspiring creatives: “No one can compete with you at being you.” —Stephen Lepitak Linda Knight President, chief creative officer, Observatory Upside Down, and all around: In her leadership role at Observatory, Knight is a pioneer in the intersection of entertainment, culture and advertising. Recent successes have included “Live From the Upside Down,” a partnership between Netflix and Doritos for Stranger Things that took viewers back to 1986 for the greatest concert that never happened; a Snoop Dogg action figure for wine brand 19 Crimes; and a “Lil Interns” campaign with Kenan Thompson for Old Navy. From Australia to LA: Knight started her career at McCann Erickson Sydney. She was one of the first international hires at Wieden+Kennedy, spending nearly a decade in the Portland and Amsterdam offices, predominantly on Nike. After moving to Los Angeles, Knight freelanced for more than 25 agencies before becoming ecd at TBWA\Chiat\Day LA, leading the Miller Lite, Intel, QuickBooks and Grammys accounts. Before Observatory, she was CCO at Phenomenon. How she builds success: “We try to make things that people want to engage with. It could be a series, movie, or even an audio documentary—which is not only a powerful way for brands to show their personality and values but gives consumers more than a 30-second ad," said Knight. "Once you hook people with great content, they’ll be much more engaged in the 360 campaign around it.” —Kyle O’Brien David Kolbusz Chief creative officer, Orchard Career path: Kolbusz earned a reputation as one of advertising’s most esteemed creative leaders, best known for turning around Droga5 London’s operation between 2015 and 2022. Before that, he was creative director at Goodby Silverstein & Partners, deputy executive creative director at Bartle Bogle Hegarty London and ecd at Wieden+Kennedy New York. So his next move—to New York-based independent agency Orchard last year—was much anticipated. A holiday jiggle: At Orchard, Kolbusz grabbed attention with Ocean Spray’s bizarre 2022 holiday campaign, “Power Your Holidays,” in which people jiggled around a Thanksgiving table—typical of his often absurdist style. Outside advertising, Kolbusz wrote a short film, Claudio’s Song, that played at several festivals including Sundance. Advice to aspiring creatives: “Never stop consuming as much culture as you can. Relevance is a key part of how we do what we do. You need to be ahead of consumers," he said. "The job is not writing ads, it’s translating culture into persuasive, entertaining arguments for whatever your client is selling.” —Brittaney Kiefer Josh Loebner Global head of inclusive design, Wunderman Thompson Lost, but now found: Getting lost in the woods in New Zealand while working as a forestry consultant made Loebner reevaluate his career, indirectly leading him to marketing. He went back to school and took positions at Young and Rubicam and Edelman before addressing inclusion and accessibility at digital marketing agency Designsensory. “I saw that trade publications for advertising and marketing weren’t speaking to the disability community in a way that went beyond, ‘Hey, here’s a tentpole ad in the Super Bowl that features someone with a disability,’” he told Raconteur last year. Committing to change: Wunderman Thompson hired Loebner last year. He lauded the agency’s work with Unilever in creating a Degree deodorant that was easier to apply and handle by people with vision loss and upper torso disabilities. “If what is being concepted, developed and built isn’t inclusive, diverse, equitable, accessible and sustainable, then whatever is launched into the world won’t reach as many people, may be inauthentic, unattainable, and won’t have the staying power to translate into success,” Loebner said at the time. Starting at home: Earlier this year, Wunderman Thompson said it will use Level Access’ software to develop inclusive websites and mobile apps for its clients. “This new partnership will further us on our mission to build a better future for our people, our planet and our communities,” Loebner said. —Jason Notte Madison Long Co-founder, CEO, Clutch Leading the next generation: “I don't know what I don't know—but I'm never afraid to ask and find out” is the motto underpinning Long’s creative approach. The Clutch CEO and co-founder honed her craft by being a connector. She sought out roles allowing her to cultivate community for marginalized creatives, which has always been her purpose. In high school, she organized a math mania programmatic instruction class for students in need. A similar entrepreneurial and impact-driven approach fueled her work supporting women in the workplace at companies including Lean In. “My overall goal is to create opportunities for the next generation to thrive in life and work,” she said. An entrepreneurial CEO: Too often, leaders stop being practitioners in their field and focus more on managing and high-level company strategy. But not Long, who didn’t balk at digging into go-to-market activities, product road mapping and customer strategy ahead of Clutch’s creative platform launch. Authenticity = engagement: More brands are launching work with niche creatives, Long said. Why? Authenticity is resonating with audiences: “The opportunity now rests in the hands of technologists, innovators and connectors to create ways for brands to find these real customers interested in marketing their product." —Olivia Morley Thas Naseemuddeen CEO, Omelet A twisty career: The Omelet CEO stepped into the C-suite in 2015 as CSO. That led to an expanded CSO/managing director role and, eventually, to the top job. “My career path has twisted and turned,” she said of a résumé that includes a long-ago stint at an ice rink in a San Diego food court, an MBA program and training at renowned legacy agencies Chiat Day, BBH and Deutsch. Google's "big love letter": Omelet’s “Heroes of Small Business” campaign for Google, in which people were asked to nominate their favorite independent enterprises to win a prize, “felt like a big love letter to small businesses and the communities that they rally and inspire,” Naseemuddeen said. Emmy-winning Karin Fong directed the spot, which resulted in 10 times as many nominations as Omelet had hoped for. Being many things: “Our agency has been many things (as an Omelet does),” Naseemuddeen said. Tech, entertainment and gaming are focus areas, but another one of Omelet’s sweet spots is developing the kind of fandoms that leave consumers with lasting impressions. —Olivia Morley Madison Utendahl Founder, CEO, Utendahl Creative An empathetic entrepreneur: As founder and CEO of Utendahl Creative, a hot agency founded in 2019, Utendahl’s got a blue-chip entrepreneurial résumé. She sat on the founding team for Last Week Tonight With John Oliver, Refinery 29’s 29Rooms and the Museum of Ice Cream. But the success burned her out. She talks openly about it, using her own experience to lead the agency from a place of empathy. The Burnout Burner: “I’ve discovered the power of authenticity and self-worth within the workplace on an individual level and have made it my mission to fundamentally change the way we work via leadership and policy at my agency,” she said. This year, the agency launched The Burnout Burner: a guide to managing work-related burnout and stress that’s now available to the public. On being Black-founded and entirely female: “Currently, only 3% of graphic designers are POC, only 3% of creative agencies are founded by women, and less than 1% are founded by Black women,” Utendahl said. “We’ve also designed and launched a series of groundbreaking brands, demonstrating that there is an ROI in betting on small, POC and female-founded agencies.” —Olivia Morley Alex Wilson Executive creative director, Amplify Helping an agency in transition: Wilson, like the agency he works for, isn’t defined by traditional channels, but rather the spaces in between. As Amplify’s head and founder of the content department, Wilson helped move Amplify from a brand experience agency to a global creative agency. Defining "worldbuilding”: Amplify launched its “worldbuilding” initiative at SXSW in March and premiered Episode 1 of its worldbuilding film series a month later in London. “Our creative teams build worlds around a brand's audiences, placing storytelling at their heart. It's about immersing as well as entertaining. And as brands and entertainment continue to gravitate closer and closer to one another, worldbuilding is a platform that creates that synergy and consistency for our industry to discover newness and create culture,” said Wilson. Advice for aspiring creatives: “Don’t look for permission to be creative. The path to being ‘a’ creative is not always linear—side hustles and passion projects are as defining and as vital as any title with ‘creative’ in it. I didn’t really realize I was a creative until I was called one, but in reality this is something I’ve always been, no matter what position I’ve held … The access to the tools available to those coming out of school or university now allow for whole new levels of self-expression and output.” —Kyle O’Brien Check out Adweek’s Creative 100 for 2023 by category: Rising Agency Talent | Branded Content Innovators | TV and Streaming Innovators | Influencers and Celebrities | Media Innovators | Authors and Artists | Directors This story is part of Adweek’s Creativity x Culture digital features package, which spotlights the people, marketing strategies and creativity driving lasting cultural and societal change.

The Creative 100

Creative 100 2023: Agency Leaders Paving the Way Forward

These senior execs are shaping advertising’s future

Rob Baird

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