DAVID CRAWFORD

Chief Creative Officer

Grew up in the mountains of North Carolina and went to Western Carolina University, where I earned a BFA in Graphic Design, graduating cum laude.

Started my career as an art director at McKinney in Raleigh, learning the craft from some of the best in the business. Worked on accounts like Piedmont Airlines, North Carolina Tourism, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, Karastan Carpets, and Fannie Mae.

From there, I moved to GSD&M in Austin, managing and creating work for brands like Southwest Airlines, Don't Mess With Texas, RC Cola, Krispy Kreme, Texas Monthly, Pebble Beach Resorts, Rock the Vote, Kohler, Land Rover, American Legacy Foundation, Rolling Stone, and BMW. I was on the leadership team during the stretch that took the agency from a regional shop to a nationally recognized creative powerhouse, earning GSD&M a spot on Graphis Magazine's list of the world's top 10 creative agencies.

Before joining The Richards Group in Dallas, I spent time client-side as Executive Creative Director/CCO for Kohler in Wisconsin. Most recently, I've been CCO at Zimmerman Advertising in Florida.

Somewhere along the way, I was named an AdWeek Creative All-Star, and the work picked up recognition from all the industry's major award shows. I'm also honored to have judged a few of them — The One Show, The Art Directors Club, The Kelly Awards, the National Addys, The AICP Show, and The Effies.

I try to be a quiet maker with loud ideas — a creative thinker and consensus-builder who leads teams toward award-winning work that actually drives results. I lead with heart: equal passion for the work and compassion for the people making it. Partnering with creatives, account teams, and clients to find the right creative solutions is one of my greatest joys. Mentoring and passing along what I've learned is an even better one.

In an industry that lives at the intersection of art and commerce, I strive to pair deep agency and in-house creative leadership experience with the challenge of building something that's never existed before. The best ideas rarely come risk-free. As I once heard someone say, "If you're going to live on the edge, expect to do some bleeding."

I love spending time with my family... and their dogs.

And I still miss those mountains.