Profile

profile of Jared Kozel, Executive Creative Director

 

Making it matter.

I craft brands. I tell stories. I invent things. My mission is to conjure—to create, innovate, and seize moments that resonate deeply with people. My ambition, for both myself and the teams I lead, transcends the realm of easy and obvious. I'm here to do what's right for your brand and audience. To be smart, relevant, memorable, and most importantly…be different.

In my creative process, I'm fixated on unearthing the insight within the insight, that nugget of profound brand truth no one else has quite grasped. Once discovered, it becomes the most glaringly obvious thing in the world. The clearest of clear answers to “Why it matters”. I firmly believe that no conventional strategy will ever spawn unconventional creativity. Then comes the exhilarating challenge of crafting distinct creative journeys around that revelatory truth. To go from a smart strategy to an unforgettable creative execution.

True greatness, in my opinion, is bound by nothing, and I assert that advertising should never feel like a squandered moment for you, us, or your audience.

This wild ride of a job? I love every single second, and I do my best to always make sure that my passion is on constant display.

CLIENT EXPERIENCE

FEATURED

My work has been featured on Good Morning America, USA Today, Fast Company, Fortune, Forbes, CNN, New York Times, Rollingstone, People, US Magazine, E!, TMZ, ABC, NBC, FOX, Daily Mail UK, Ad Age, Adweek, Adfreak, Le Book, Luerzers Int’l Archive, Thrillist, The Verge, TechCrunch, LifeHacker, Art Directors Club, Creativity Online, Communication Arts, San Francisco Magazine, Delish, PR Week, AdsOfTheWorld, twice in the Guinness Book of World Records, and in an actual college advertising textbook.

HONORS

I've been honored with recognition as an Adweek Top 100 Creative Talent, Top 40 Under 40 by the Atlanta Business Chronicle, Adweek.com's "best football ad ever", 2-time judge for the Effie Awards, numerous Adweek.com’s Editor Picks Of The Week, 2x Official Guinness Book of World Record Titles for both World's Smallest and World's Largest Advertisement, and as an Art Directors Club Top 100 Design Graduate.

AWARDS

I've been fortunate to have won many of the ad industry’s top awards, including a Cannes Lion (Social), Clio, National Addys (3), Effie, Shorty (3), Webby Viral Marketing Award, Webby People Choice Award, Communication Arts Typography Award, Shorty for Best Art Direction, both San Francisco and New York City Addy Best In Show Awards, Gold Atlanta Addy (14), Gold San Francisco Addy (2), Gold New York City Addy (3), Digiday finalist for Social Brand Of The Year, One Club Shortlist, Finalist, and Clio Finalist.

SPEAKING & ENGAGEMENTS

Speaker, Guest Juror, School of Advertising, University of Texas, Austin TX

Speaker, Graduation Commencement. Advertising School, Academy of Art University, San Francisco CA

Speaker, Copenhagen Transform: The Future Of Digital Storytelling and Transformation, Copenhagen Denmark

Speaker, Rebellion: The Secret Weapon of Entrepreneurs & Innovators Workshop held by Rebel and Reason, Atlanta Georgia

Member, Publicis North American Creative Council

Member, Creative Circus Advisory Board

Member, Forbes Agency Council

Member, Shorty Awards Real-Time Academy

Mentor, Top 20 Under 20 Georgia Youth Leaders Association, Atlanta Georgia

Guest Lecturer, Storytelling, University of Washington

Host, The One Club Bootcamp, Atlanta Georgia

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EDUCAtION

MFA, Advertising: Art Direction, Academy of Art University

BFA, Communications & Journalism, University Of New Mexico

Exchange at School Of The Art Institute Of Chicago

Exchange at Ball State University

Mayor’s Art Grant, New Mexico

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VML / WPP

CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER (2024-Current)

Global creative lead on Lenovo.

NA creative lead on Purina and Shell.

WUNDERMAN THOMPSON / WPP

EVP, EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR, ATLANTA HEAD OF CREATIVE (2020-Current)

North American creative lead on the global Coca-Cola, Amazon, and Shell accounts.

Head of creative of the Atlanta office, managing the Atlanta creative team while driving and maintaining creative quality across all Atlanta creative accounts.

2022 - Executive lead on key account wins on Fanta, Amazon, and Shell and helped lead WT to Adweek’s shortlist for Global Agency of the Year through numerous national and global awards and press mentions.

2021 - Led the rebuild of the Atlanta creative team, winning new accounts, hiring top talent, and ultimately winning 32 Atlanta Addy Awards, 2 National Addy Awards, and numerous national press mentions.

MOXIE / PUBLICIS GROUPE

EVP, EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR, head of creative (2018 - 2020)

Leading creative across offices, including managing over 50 creative team members covering 42 brands, and delivering award winning creative work in broadcast, social, print, web, CRM, identity, retail, and packaging.

Executive Lead on new business - pitched, presented, and won Disney (largest pitch in history of Publicis Groupe) / Audi / VW / Starbucks / Amazon / Hard Rock Cafe / QVC / Walmart / The North Face / Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse / and more. Led pitch support on wins for Meineke / Maaco / Smuckers. Led repositioning of agency, agency vision, and evolution of credentials to gain competitive edge in new business opportunities.

Grew small creative team to largest in the Southeast by selling in bold new work to current clients, hiring world-class top talent, winning many national creative awards, and playing large role in leading new business efforts.

Maintaining excellent relationships with Senior level clients at Amazon, Starbucks, Delta, Porsche, Audi, Hard Rock, Arbys, Meineke, QVC, and more.

Led many award-winning national brand campaigns, social campaigns, digital campaigns, as well as digital experiences, websites and packaging design projects.

Took Arby’s social from just another fast food feed to the 3rd most talked about brand on social by leading a team of kickass creatives and trusting our gut on what was audience relevant and brand-right (Arby’s).

Told a happy birthday story to millions in an all-new way with a Porsche 911 Turbo, 365 birthday cakes topped with candles, and one incredibly precise drift to blow them all out. (Porsche)

Created an empathy inducing in-flight seatback video experience giving passengers the ability to talk directly with a human trafficking victim sitting in the seat row before theirs. (Delta Airlines)

Invented the world’s first electric guitar that plays music through a cheeseburger. Insert burger, plug cords into burger, plug guitar into amp, and then rage. Patent pending. (Hard Rock Cafe)

Was awarded 2 Guinness World Records for one activation, World’s Smallest Ad and World’s Largest Ad, in New York City and Monowi, Nebraska. Population 1. (Coca-Cola & Arby’s)

SVP, EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR (2016 - 2018)

I was hired to add full-service creative expertise and “we can do anything” energy to the agency known at the time as a CRM focused, digital only interactive shop.

YAHOO! CREATIVE DEPARTMENT

GLOBAL EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR (2014 - 2016)

Led award winning creative for all aspects of Yahoo consumer marketing including advertising (TV, OOH, Print, Digital, Social, Email), branding, events and everything in between - for the 3rd most frequented website worldwide, and over a billion monthly users. Supported all Yahoo properties, from Yahoo Finance, Sports, Fantasy Football, Flickr, to News, Mail, Search, Screen, and more.

Headed up the internal Yahoo Creative Department, managing and inspiring a team of 30+ creatives (ACDs, Art Directors, Copywriters, Designers, Animators, Producers, and Engineers) as well as lead relationships with external partners.

Directed and launched ad campaigns for all Yahoo products and the master brand globally. Over 27 successful fully integrated product launch campaigns.

Oversaw management of multi-million dollar operational budget for creative department.

Found efficiencies to save over $1.5MM/Year by renegotiating existing partner contracts and bringing creative production capabilities inhouse - including video shooting, editing, photography, motion graphics, color correction, and HTML5 animation.

Won 2016 Yahoo Super Star award (Awarded to just 35 out of 8,000+ employees worldwide -nominated by peers and selected by executive staff).

GROUP CREATIVE DIRECTOR (2011- 2014)

CREATIVE DIRECTOR (2009 - 2011)

ACADEMY OF ART UNIVERSITY

ADVERTISING INSTRUCTOR (2008 - 2010)

Instructed BFA students on creating innovative interactive advertising campaigns. Taught evening courses while working full-time at Yahoo. Held lectures and critiques twice a week. Focus was on concepting beyond the brief and pushing ad concepts past “limitations” within the digital space.

FREELANCE CREATIVE

VARIOUS TITLES / CD / AD / CW (2006 - 2010)

Worked on a contract basis for range of SF agencies. Hired gun for creative direction, art direction, pitchwork, videography, editing, copywriting, branding identity, interactive design, and flash development.

MRM/MCANN

ART DIRECTOR (2005 - 2006)

Cut my teeth into the agency world while working on a variety of Microsoft campaigns. Learned from amazing creative mentors the effort and grueling passion it took to create truly innovative digital work.

NBC

EDITOR / ACADEMY OF TELEVISION ARTS AND SCIENCES (2002)

Edited, wrote, and produced on-air TV promotions of NBC programs such as The West Wing and several others as part of the internal NBC Agency. Introduction to thinking fast and the addictive rush associated with insanely tight deadlines and seeing your work broadcasted out to an audience of millions.

FOX SPORTS

Videographer & editor (2000-2002)

College video documentarist for Fox Sports online. Got paid to do what I loved - directed and produced short films/video of alternative college athletics and culture, such as skateboarding, snowboarding, and Ultimate Frisbee.

DISNEYWORLD

FRIENDS WITH GOOFY / college program (summer 2000)

Auditioned and scored a gig of a lifetime as “friends with Goofy.” Had a blast all summer. Met my future wife who was “friends with Minnie”. Walked many parade miles in those giant shoes dancing with kids nonstop.