DDB San Francisco Provides Eric Cruz as ECD
Eric Cruz joined DDB San Francisco as Executive Creative Director and will work with the current Executive Creative Director Ben Wolan.
Cruz is a self-proclaimed “hybrid creative” with 23 years of industry experience around the globe and has held various management positions at the agencies Sid Lee, AKQA, Leo Burnett and Wieden + Kennedy.
Cruz was most recently Sid Lee USA and Executive Creative Director of Digital Kitchen for innovation and design, building digital storytelling, products, platforms and experiences for clients such as Facebook Reality Labs, Tubi, Journi, the Los Angeles Rams and Warner Brothers. Before that he was ecd of AKQA Shanghai and headed 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 the creative director of Leo Burnett Malaysia, Cruz helped grow a 90-person agency into a 320-strong business.
“Eric represents both the momentum of our growth so far and important skills to help us start into the future. There is no doubt that he will be a fantastic partner for Ben and I am incredibly excited to see what this dynamic team will see in the future. ” John McCarthysaid President of DDB SF in a statement.
“Eric is different from me in a number of ways and he is very aware of that. I wanted a partner who had different skills and experiences than me, but who shared the same passion for creativity as me. Eric brings great design and experience skills and with his global lens he will help us create more unexpected stories, “added Wollan in a statement.
Cruz, born in the Philippines and raised in the USA and Spain, began his career at Wieden + Kennedy and spent over 11 years in Portland, Tokyo and London. He was co-founder and director of the W + K Tokyo Lab, the agency’s creative think tank and experimental music brand.
Cruz regularly lectures for the next generation of talent and has taught design, advertising, and moving media at the Center for Creative Studies Detroit, Temple University Tokyo, and The One Academy Kuala Lumpur. He was also a founding member of TEDx Shanghai.
“I came to DDB because I believe in their Unexpected Works creative philosophy, a mission to bring world class creativity in ways you did not expect. I loved it when Ari Weiss, global CCO, said, “As creatives, our job is not just to follow best practices, but to break them intelligently and rewrite the rules. The game has changed. The new world requires new rules. Beyond advertising, it is an invitation to shape and renew the way people experience and connect with brands. It’s an opportunity to reinvent brand engagement in the connected age. Unexpected Works is the ambition that unites us. ‘ That’s convincing. And I am very happy to be a part of it. “
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.
