Currently building AdLegends.ai as a founder and co-CCO, creative directing its function, form, user experience and design. With a history of running creative departments I’ve been able to help build our platform just like an agency does but with far more capabilities using AI. Additionally, I creative direct for clients that need the human experience to help both use the app and collaborate with to build brands and run accounts. I also help manage all of our Legends like Rick Boyko, Jimmy Smith, Cheryl Berman and many others that we bring on to the platform as they act as advisors, investors and as board of Legends.
A few other career highlights. I previously led the creative at Laughlin Constable and at Energy BBDO as Executive Creative Director. For the later, as SVP global ECD over 6 brands and 90 markets. Prior, I worked at Leo Burnett Chicago as an SVP Creative Director, leading the global rebranding effort for Samsung mobile, creating "Do What You Can't", featuring the Ostrich that learned to fly, winning 7 Cannes Lions as well as launching the "Unbox your phone" Galaxy 8 global launch. I’m responsible for the McDonald's Sundial that was inducted into the Clio Hall of Fame and have been recognized for work that made UnitedHealthcare a famous brand, featuring the Dirty Dancing couple whose integrated campaign won Gold at Cannes. Other recognized work featured growing a salad on a McDonald's billboard, a mumbling Ozzy for Samsung, a reformed man eating alien for Kellogg's, the US Army Special Forces Take a Brochure campaign and the McDonald's Academy Awards film, awarded best in show for film using just type.
I’ve been so graciously honored by 20 of the most significant advertising award shows from around the globe over 350 times. My work has been parodied, become national news broadcasts and media sensations. I’ve appeared in broadcast interviews and have been a keynote speaker at marketing conferences, including Cannes Lions in Ecuador. I’m a very proud father and native Texan, love just about anything outdoors but completely terrified of heights - I’m working on it. Serendipitously, my baby sitter was Melinda Gates. Mom and Dad owe her a few bucks I think.
2025 - present Co-CCO and Co-founder of AdLegends.ai, an AI-powered creative platform that puts a legendary ad agency in your pocket. We built "An ad agency in your pocket." Ad Legends is the world’s first fully-functional AI powered advertising agency. We're democratizing advertising and making legendary talent available to anyone. Ad Legends’ AI is uniquely trained on the creative personas of legendary human creatives with partners Lee Clow, Jimmy Smith, Janet Champ, Cheryl Berman, Ned Crowley, Lewis Williams and Steffan Postaer. The ideas Ad Legends creates are through their vision, their philosophy and their award-winning body of work, combining a prefect blend of humans and the power of AI. It starts by generating a strategically smart brief for any brand, idea or product then creates Legendary creative campaigns exactly like an agency, only in minutes instead of months and starting at $99 a month instead of millions. Ad Legends visualizes them and builds launch ready digital, social, websites, blog posts and PR with powerful performance tools—everything a modern brand needs with brilliance baked in. Every subscriber can also ‘Talk to a Legend’ and get creative direction on their own ideas if brands want to collaborate and take it to the next level. What we believe in is the irreplaceable power of human creativity in AI. We are building the future of advertising the only way it should be built: with human intelligence, human emotion, and legendary human ideas.
ECD Creative Leader / Brand Builder / Consultant / Public Speaker / AI Conference Co Founder / Strategist / Ordained Minister
2021 - present Executive creative lead on multiple international and national brands. Owner and partner of brand agency and consultancy as well as pinch hitter and SWAT team for agencies and direct to clients. Consecutive wins against agencies Chiat, 72 and Sunny, Droga and VML. We brand ourselves as an “unfair advantage” for clients and agencies willing to partner with us on complicated and hard to navigate briefs often navigating to build a strategic bedrock before the creative begins. Co Founder of Imagine AI live, https://www.imagineai.live launching its debut in March of ‘24 in Vegas and July in NYC. Our ambition to create events and a community to advance knowledge of AI to learn from industry experts from software design, music, advertising, film, medicine, finance, business management, etc and discover the latest trends and technologies of AI.
Laughlin Constable
executive creative director
2019 - 21 Executive creative lead across the entire portfolio of brands for the Chicago and Milwaukee offices. Hired specifically to improve the creative product and at times it took bending the laws of physics and time. Creative lead on production and talent as well as on the hook for work across all media channels, including building content with our production dept, Hive. Partnered with some unusual and challenging clients to help change business models, mentor in strategic and digital thinking and bring them to market with scrappy budgets in zero time. Lead in design, experiential, site development, tech and social. Lead in new business efforts, landing Vienna Beef, Grand Craft wood boats, Astra Zeneca and Los Cabos Tourism. Absolutely loved every second of what I did.
EnergyBBDO
svp global executive creative director
2017 – 19 Global executive creative lead across 90 markets for SC Johnson brands on Ziploc, Windex, Raid, Off and Drano. Oversaw creative and talent for teams at BBDO Argentina, BBDO Shanghai, CLMBBDO, BBDO India, Almap BBDO and Energy Chicago. Responsible for work across all media channels, leading creative with partner agencies Tracy Locke, Phd and UEG. Developed new strategic brand platforms for all brands globally and leading adaptations for specific markets to connect them deeper into their cultures. Creative lead for AT&T projects with partner digital agencies We are Unlimited and Tribal.
Leo Burnett
svp creative director
2002 – 17 Creative lead on Global Samsung Mobile for integrated, above the line, social and digital for brand development and product launches. Led the integrated Global Galaxy 8 launch, including writing and developing the inspirational platform "Do What You Can't" to relaunch the Samsung brand - their first ever cohesive global launch, featuring the Ostrich film, winning 7 Lions. Led partner agencies and creative teams, including R/GA, BBH, Turner Duckworth, Digitas and the LB global network. Developed the campaign plan and strategic thinking across one of their largest and most diverse media platforms to date. Creative lead for UnitedHealthcare, winning a Gold Lion for integrated in '16 and pulling a client out of a much loathed category into a beloved, talked about brand. Recent lead on Allstate, Delta faucets, managing teams and creative development. Previous creative lead on Sprint, Samsung Mobile, Nintendo, McDonald's and US Army. Creative lead on new business wins for the $1 billion Dog Chow brand and fortune 14 United Healthcare.
Leap Partnership
creative partner
1998 – 02 An agency with many quirky names like the Leap Partnership, Quantum Leap, Leapnet, SPR and Royal Order of Experience Design. Creative directed on Michelob, Budweiser, Hardee's and NEC. Art directed for MSNBC.com, VFW and Cieva. Took a traditional agency known for its TV craft and helped evolve it into the digital space with big brands expressed across all sorts of crazy media.
1995 – 98 The place where I learned and unlearned, succeeded and failed, created and dismantled, building a background of what works and doesn't on some big brands. Made some good friends and habits along the way. A few brands I worked on included Wrigley, Canadian Club, Rock Hall of Fame, Motorola, Ziploc, and Smirnoff.
not afraid to speak
Imagine AI Live conference about the convergence of AI and human creativity Cannes Lions Equador keynote speaker SCJ Young Marketers Association Keynote speaker 15 second Conference Istanbul Keynote Creighton University keynote marketing and creative speaker Keynote speaker Las Vegas for tech and UV print convention Teacher Chicago Portfolio School, University of Alabama, University of Indiana, Loyola University Addressed Pentagon and members of the JCOS / 4 star generals on US Army marketing University of Texas Portfolio Review counselor
awards +
MOST RECENT
NEW BUSINESS WINS 20-21’ Astra Zeneca Los Cabos Tourism Grand Craft Boats Vienna Beef
2021 - CANNES bronze, ONE SHOW bronze
2018 - D&AD yellow, wood, graphite pencils, ANDY 2 gold, ONE SHOW Best in Discipline, 3 gold, 1 silver, 2 merit ADC. Best in Discipline, 4 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze, 1 merit. BRTISH ARROW Best in Craft, 2 gold, 3 silver, EFFIE bronze, LONDON INTERNATIONAL gold
