Eric Cruz has come aboard DDB San Francisco as executive creative director, partnering with ECD Ben Wolan.
“Eric is different from me in so many ways, and that is very intentional,” said Wolan. “I wanted a partner who has different skills and experiences than me, but shares the same passion for creativity as I do. Eric brings stellar design and experience skills and with his global lens he’ll help us craft more unexpected stories. I couldn’t be more excited to partner with him, expand our creativity, and grow the SF office.”
A Filipino-American globalist, creative leader, designer, and educator, Cruz brings over 23 years of industry experience. He has held various leadership positions at agencies worldwide such at Sid Lee, AKQA, Leo Burnett, and Wieden+Kennedy.
Most recently as Sid Lee USA and Digital Kitchen’s executive creative director for innovation & design, Cruz led the charge in pushing the boundaries of digital storytelling, products, platforms and experiences for clients including Facebook Reality Labs, Tubi, Journi, the Los Angeles Rams and Warner Brothers. Prior to that as AKQA Shanghai’s ECD, he led the Greater China team, helping to co-create the future through innovative brand storytelling for Nike, Jordan, Converse, Apple, Airbnb, NBA, Diageo, J&J, Gore-Tex, Lycra, The City of Shanghai and Hong Kong. During his tenure as Leo Burnett Malaysia’s creative leader, Cruz helped evolve and grow a traditional agency of 90 into a forward-thinking agency of 320.
Cruz began his career at Wieden+Kennedy where he spent over 11 years in Portland, Tokyo and London. He was co-founder and director of W+K Tokyo Lab, the agency’s creative think tank and experimental music label. Cruz regularly lectures to inspire the next generation of talent and has taught Design, Advertising and Moving Media at the Center for Creative Studies Detroit, Temple University Tokyo, and The One Academy Kuala Lumpur. Cruz was also a Founding Member of TEDx Shanghai, which aimed to ignite China’s innovation renaissance through creative dialogue, idea exchange, and transformative evolution.
Cruz said: “The DDB network has a strong legacy and the vision of creating Unexpected Works is one I have strived to live by throughout my career. The opportunity to engage with New Economy brands and explore new ways of brand building in the digital age and Web 3.0 is super exciting. I’m anxious to shake things up with John (DDB SF presient McCarthy), Ben, and the amazing team at DDB SF.”
Cruz has received global recognition on assorted fronts, including from the Tokyo ADC, Cannes Lions, ADC New York, One Show, D&AD, Spikes Asia, AdFest, The Webbys and Japan Media Arts Festival.
