• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, June 5, 2014

In a bid to strengthen the McCann creative leadership team under Global Creative Chairman Rob Reilly, the agency said Thursday that James Dawson-Hollis and Bill Wright are joining the shop as global executive creative directors. 

“We have global brands that are asking for breakthrough work,” said Reilly. “Talent and being fearless is the only way to get there. Bill, James and I share some of the same battle scars. So it goes without saying, their problem-solving ability across all types of brands and disciplines is something I value greatly.” 

Prior to joining McCann, Wright and Dawson-Hills were co-chief creative officers of Ogilvy West in Los Angeles, working on Qualcomm, HTC, Nesquik, Arco gasoline and am/pm convenience stores, among other accounts. 

Before Ogilvy, both McCann newcomers toiled at CP+B. While there, Wright worked on brands including Burger King, Miller, IKEA, Molson Canadian, Coke Zero, Virgin Atlantic Airways, Slim Jim, Reddi Whip, MINI Cooper and the “truth” anti-smoking account. With Dawson-Hills, he also co-ran all of CPB’s Kraft business, including Mac & Cheese and Jell-O. 

At Crispin, Dawson-Hills worked in Miami, then in Boulder, Colorado. There, he oversaw creative for Burger King in the U.S., the U.K. and Spain, Sprite, Coke Zero, Slim Jim and, with Wright, the agency’s entire roster of Kraft brands. 

In 2011, he helped discover Ted Williams, the homeless man with the golden voice, which led to Williams becoming the official voice of Kraft Mac & Cheese, which is credited with helping to give the brand a boost in sales.