John Maxham has joined DDB Chicago as chief creative officer. Maxham will oversee the creative product and staff of over 100, for clients that include McDonald’s, State Farm, Mars Inc., Capital One, Safeway, Emerson and The Field Museum.
For the past four years, Maxham has been a managing partner and executive creative director of Cole & Weber United in Seattle. There, he helped the agency grow its national and global stature, creating integrated campaigns for clients such as the International Olympic Committee and Microsoft's Office Division. Maxham also led category-defining work for the Washington Lottery with the "Department of Imagination" campaign.
Prior to joining Cole & Weber United, Maxham was sr. VP, group creative director at DDB Chicago leading all creative work on AT&T. However, Maxham’s advertising story began in New York, where he worked as a copywriter at Lowe. There, he created famous work for UPS that repositioned it from a package delivery company to a business logistics leader. John also created iconic work for Heineken’s “It’s all about the beer” campaign. During the time of that campaign, Heineken vaulted to the #1 imported beer in America.
After moving to the West Coast, John joined Team One advertising in Los Angeles. There, he led the advertising launch of Boost Mobile in the U.S. Under John's creative direction, and utilizing the memorable “Where you at?” campaign, Boost became the best selling youth mobile phone in the U.S.
Maxham’s brand experience also includes The Ritz-Carlton, Dell, IBM, Verizon, Jaguar, Lexus, Mont Blanc, Nissan, Del Monte, The Four Seasons, Dewar’s and Bacardi.
Paul Gunning, CEO of DDB Chicago, said, “Being equipped to take advantage of the exponential change digital, social and mobile have on marketing communications on behalf of our clients is, in my opinion, the hardest task of running an advertising agency. I truly believe our talent and clients will benefit greatly with John as our CCO and I am confident our agency will see new levels of growth and success."
Oscar and Emmy-Winning Composer Kris Bowers Joins Barking Owl For Advertising, Branded Content
Music, audio post and sonic branding house Barking Owl has taken on exclusive representation of Oscar and Emmy-winning composer Kris Bowers for advertising and branded content.
Bowers’ recent film scores include The Wild Robot and Bob Marley: One Love, alongside acclaimed past works such as The Color Purple (2023), King Richard and Green Book. His contributions to television are equally impressive, with scores for hit series like Bridgerton, When They See Us, Dear White People, and his Daytime Emmy Award-winning score for The Snowy Day.
In addition to his work as a composer, Bowers is a visionary director. He recently took home the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject for his directorial work on The Last Repair Shop. The emotionally touching short film spotlights four of the people responsible for repairing the musical instruments used by students in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). The Last Repair Shop reflects the positive influence that musical instruments have on the youngsters who play them, and the adults in the LAUSD free repair service who keep them working and in tune.
Barking Owl CEO Kirkland Alexander Lynch said of Bowers, “His artistry, diversity of style and depth of storytelling bring an unparalleled edge to the work we create for global brands. His presence on our roster reflects our continued commitment to pushing the boundaries of sound and music in advertising.”
Johanna Cranitch, creative director, Barking Owl, added, “Kris first caught my attention when he released his record ‘Heroes + Misfits’ where he fused together his jazz sensibility with a deeply ingrained aptitude for melody, so beautifully.... Read More