“It’s eighty degrees here right now, so it’s a decision not made lightly,” jokes Michael Folino, who this month is departing his native Los Angeles to become chief creative officer at DDB Chicago. “I wasn’t looking to leave Los Angeles, so it would take something incredible to get me to go. I think DDB is already doing wonderful work, and there’s incredible potential to do more.”
At DDB, Folino will oversee a 130-person creative department that works on brands such as Anheuser-Busch, McDonald’s, Dell, All State and J.C. Penney. “You’re really on a huge national stage here–like playing in Yankee Stadium in front of everyone at the World Series, or I guess I should say Chicago Cubs,” quips Folino. “It’s exciting to do that, and the scope of the brands–you don’t find brands like this everywhere in one place. I think that’s amazing.
Bob Scarpelli, who was made worldwide chief creative officer in March of 2005, previously oversaw the creative output at DDB Chicago. At the time of his promotion, a search was undertaken for a new chief creative for Chicago. “We looked for someone who embodies the two traits we believe are the foundation of our company–creativity and humanity,” says Scarpelli, who in addition to his worldwide creative role also serves as chairman of DDB Chicago. “In Michael, we found an exceptional talent who really cares about people and their ability to deliver their very best ideas.”
In June of 2005, Folino left his post as chief creative officer at Dailey & Associates, West Hollywood, Calif., after three years at the shop. After leaving Dailey, Folino collaborated with director Jeff Labbé of bicoastal/international @radical.media to create and write a series of short films for Motorola and MTV Networks. (Folino and Labbé previously worked together as creatives at TBWA/Chiat/Day, Los Angeles and San Francisco, and Wieden + Kennedy, Portland, Ore.) The series, called “Head and Body,” was one of the first projects created exclusively for broadcast on mobile phones, and featured a guy whose body and head are detached, leading to humorous scenarios. The shorts, “Morning,” “Bus,” “Clinic,” “You’re Up,” “Jogging,” “Club,” “Taxi 1,” and “Taxi 2,” debuted in October in Asia, Europe and Latin America, and were available stateside on Motorola VCAST phones through Comedy Central. Folino anticipates that he will continue with similarly styled projects at DDB. “I think a lot of people are really nervous about what’s going to happen in advertising in the next couple of years, and I don’t have any apprehension at all,” says Folino. “I’m really excited about it because for really good creatives there’s just not going to be any better opportunity–everything is wide open. We’re going to be inventing new mediums. It’s going to be a thrilling time to be working in our business. Some things are going to go away, some things are going to be invented, and good creative is the foundation for all of it. So as long as you’re creating great work, it doesn’t matter what the application is.”
CREATIVE PEDIGREE
Folino has an extensive creative pedigree. Before joining Dailey & Associates, he spent two years as a creative director with TWBA/Chiat/Day, working on adidas and PlayStation. Prior to that, he spent two years at the Los Angeles outpost of Fallon Worldwide; he came to that creative position after a stint at Wieden + Kennedy. While there he worked on “Beautiful,” for Nike, directed by Frank Budgen of Gorgeous Enterprises, London. The spot, which features athletes showing off the scars they’ve received while engaging in sport to the Joe Cocker tune “You Are So Beautiful To Me,” won several industry accolades, including a Gold Lion at the 2000 Cannes International Advertising Festival. (Ironically, that spot was a contender for the Grand Prix at Cannes that year, which went to Budweiser’s “Whassup,” out of DDB Chicago.)
His agency experiences have put him in the perfect position for taking the creative reins at DDB Chicago.” I probably couldn’t have had a better career track to prepare me,” he notes. “I worked at some of the best shops in the world. … It’s been great to learn from people like a Dan Wieden, a David Lubars, or Hal Curtis or Jim Riswold. I think that working with people who are truly great and help you achieve greatness is something that you couldn’t pay for. It’s like the greatest advertising graduate school there is.”
While at Dailey & Associates, new business at the shop grew substantially–at the time he departed, the agency’s account roster had grown to 25 from 12. During his time there, Suissa Miller & Associates was merged into Dailey. “I probably needed to go to about four different places to get that much experience in under three years,” says Folino of his time there. “We were constantly pitching new business and winning, and it was a great experience. It was also really nice to see the level of work rise, and people really becoming addicted to doing good work. It was fun.”
Folino will work closely with Grant Hill, executive VP/executive production director at the shop, as well as David Rolfe, senior VP/director of branded production, and is looking forward to diving into his new role. “I’m just thrilled with this opportunity,” he relates. “It’s going to be great–I think the mandate to do great work is here. And, to work at Bill Bernbach’s agency for Bob Scarpelli, it doesn’t get much better. “