Eric cruz has joined DDB San Francisco as Executive Creative Director and will partner with the current Executive Creative Director Ben Wolan.
Cruz is a self-proclaimed “Hybrid Designer” with 23 years of industry experience across the globe, having held various executive positions at the Sid Lee, AKQA, Leo Burnett and Wieden + Kennedy agencies.
Cruz was most recently Sid Lee USA and Digital Kitchen’s Executive Creative Director for Innovation and Design, creating digital stories, products, platforms and experiences for clients such as Facebook Reality Labs, Tubi, Journi, the Los Angeles Rams and Warner Brothers. Previously, he was the ECD of AKQA Shanghai, leading the Greater China team for clients such as Nike, Jordan, Converse, Apple, Airbnb, NBA, Diageo, J&J, Gore-Tex and others. . During his tenure as Creative Leader at Leo Burnett Malaysia, Cruz helped scale and transform a 90-person agency into a 320-person store.
“Eric represents both the momentum for our growth to date, but also brings critical capabilities to jumpstart us into the future. He will undoubtedly be a fantastic partner for Ben, and I’m incredibly excited about what’s to come for this dynamic team ”, John mccarthy, the president of DDB SF said in a statement.
“Eric is different from me in many ways, and that’s very intentional. I wanted a partner who has different skills and experiences than mine, but shares the same passion as I do for creativity. Eric brings exceptional skills in design and experience and with its overall purpose it will help us create more unexpected stories, ”Wollan added in a statement.
Cruz, who was born in the Philippines and raised in the United States and Spain, began his career at Wieden + Kennedy, spending over 11 years in Portland, Tokyo and London. He was co-founder and director of W + K Tokyo Lab, the agency’s creative think tank and experimental music label.
Cruz regularly lectures the next generation of talent and has taught design, advertising, and moving media at the Center for Creative Studies in Detroit, Temple University in Tokyo, and One Academy Kuala Lumpur. He was also a founding member of TEDx Shanghai.
“I came to DDB because I believe in their creative philosophy, ‘Unexpected Works,’ a mandate to bring world-class creativity in a way you didn’t see coming. I loved it when Ari Weiss, Global CCO, said, “As creatives our job is not just to follow best practices, but to smartly break them and rewrite the rules. The game has changed. The new world demands new rules. Beyond advertising, it’s an invitation to create and innovate the way people live and connect with brands. This is an opportunity to reinvent the way in which brands engage in the connected era. unexpected works, it is ambition that unites us. ‘ It is convincing. And something that I’m really excited to be a part of.
Cruz has received several awards including Tokyo ADC, Cannes Lions, ADC New York, One Show, D&AD, Spikes Asia, AdFest, AdStars, The Webbys, The FWA, CSS Design Awards and Japan Media Arts Festival.
Comments are closed.