• by Richard Whitman , Columnist, December 14, 2016

Former BBH New York Chief Creative Officer Ari Weiss has been tapped by DDB North America CEO Wendy Clark to become the agency's first Chief Creative Officer. The role is newly created and Weiss will be

responsible for leading the agency's North American creative departments. Weiss joins DDB from BBH New York, where he spent six years, led his teams to 24 Cannes Lions, and most recently served as
Chief Creative Officer.

Of the hire, Clark said, "There were so many qualities we wanted in our North American Chief Creative Officer, and Ari hits the mark on all of them. His work is sensational -- driving business impact and consistently winning creative acclaim at the highest levels. Every time we met during this process we ran out of time, such was the depth of our instant connection, shared vision and ambition for DDB."

On joining DDB North America, Weiss said, "I am a huge advertising nerd. And you can't be a huge advertising nerd without worshiping Bill Bernbach. He was the original creative renegade. He wasn't a renegade
because he wanted to be different; he was a renegade because he knew difference would drive business growth. That kind of bravery is in DDB's bones. You pair that with the incredible momentum Wendy and her team have built in the last year and you've got the opportunity of a lifetime."

In 2016 Weiss helped launch the political campaign of the fictional presidential candidate Frank Underwood (the star of the Netflix's House of Cards). The work was recognized at the 2016 Cannes Festival and won seven Lions, including one of the festival's most coveted prizes, the Integrated Grand Prix.

Prior to BBH, Weiss worked at BBDO, Wieden+Kennedy, Goodby, Silverstein and Partners, 180LA and Cliff Freeman & Partners, where he started his career. He has worked on campaigns for Nike, Sony, FedEx,
Guinness, Snickers, DirecTV, Fox Sports, ESPN and The National Basketball Association.