John Patroulis is joining Grey as worldwide chief creative officer. He will be based at Grey’s flagship New York office.
Patroulis will also partner with Debby Reiner, CEO of Grey New York, in the management of the founding office in the network. He will oversee all creative development, help set and implement the creative vision, spearhead the recruitment of top talent and guide new business creative efforts.
Patroulis has spent the past six years at BBH New York. He became chief creative officer of that agency in 2011 and was promoted to be its first ever creative chairman in 2015. With integrated campaigns for clients like PlayStation, Axe, Google and Cole Haan, BBH New York has become one of the most awarded agencies in the city, winning multiple Cannes Lions across Film, Cyber, and Integrated categories, as well as taking the Integrated Grand Prix for Netflix’s House of Cards.
Earlier in his career, Patroulis helped co-found both McCann Worldgroup’s agencytwofifteen and T.A.G. in San Francisco. There he helped globally lead the Xbox Halo 3 “Believe” campaign, which won multiple Lions and two Grand Prix honors and at the time became the biggest launch in entertainment history–thanks to its innovative approach to integrated storytelling.
Patroulis began his career at NW Ayer as a copywriter, before joining TBWAChiatDay New York. There, he received some of the highest creative honors in the industry, creating campaigns and non-traditional content for such clients as Absolut, Nextel, Samsonite and Bic.
He moved west to TBWAChiatDay’s San Francisco office in 2004. There he helped lead the “Impossible is Nothing” campaign for adidas which propelled the client to become “Marketer of the Year” at Cannes. During his tenure, the office excelled as one of the most awarded shops in the world.
Patroulis has won every top international creative honor several times over including the One Show “Best in Show,” Grand Clio, The Grandy, and Cannes Grand Prix, which he has received three times.
Michael Houston, global president of Grey, said of Patroulis, “He’s brought his unique creative talents to build giant global brands for giant global networks. He also co-founded two agencies on the cutting edge of integrated storytelling and social media driven content that have expanded the boundaries of advertising. He is a charismatic leader who brings out the best in clients and colleagues alike.”
