According to the Gunn Report, the most awarded print campaign on the planet last year was created by an agency in Malaysia. The Big Won named an agency in Japan as being the most awarded digital agency. And, as president of the '09 Cannes Film and Press juries, I witnessed myself brilliant pieces coming from all points in Asia.
Clearly, some of the best work in the world is being done in Asia.
Which is why I'm honored and excited to head the Film/Press/Outdoor/Radio and Integrated Juries at this year’s Spikes Awards.
What a great opportunity for me and the prestigious members of these juries to learn from - and, of course, be jealous of - some of the best creative talent in the world.
Since David has been at the BBDO helm, he’s overseen the agency’s transformation into a 21st century version of a brilliant 60’s New York agency. In other words, the company is maintaining its legacy in traditional mediums but also creating extraordinary things for clients in emerging ones. The result being that, today, BBDO is not only the dominant creative force in the city but it’s among the most awarded in the world – winning the 2008 "Agency of the Year" honour at Cannes along with multiple other industry accolades. In fact, following his first full year as Chairman and Chief Creative Officer, the agency was named Agency of the Year by all of the leading trade publications (Ad Age, Adweek and Campaign).
Creatively, BBDO is delivering the broadest array of innovative new media ideas of any agency, big or small. For example, its “HBO Voyeur” project, a multimedia, multi-platform experience, swept virtually every category in Cannes in 2008, winning a record-setting ten Lions including the Grand Prix in both Outdoor and Promotion, en route to reinforcing HBO’s position as the premier storyteller and content provider. More recently, digital programs, such as HBO’s “Imagine” Cube and Starbucks Love Project propelled BBDO to its selection as “Agency of the Year” at the 2010 Webby Awards, which recognize the most successful agencies across all interactive categories, as well as “Agency of the Year” at the Art Directors Club and an industry best 15 Pencils at The One Show.
Of course, BBDO continues to make great television ads: the agency had the #1 commercial in this year’s Super Bowl for Snickers, two of the top commercials of the year as selected by AICP (Association of Independent Commercial Producers), won the Prime Time Commercial EMMY award in 2006, received multiple Gold Lions in Film, and was the recipient of the 4A’s O’Toole Award in 2009 for delivering the best “body of work” across ten different clients/brands.
David began his career in 1981. He has since won every major creative award in the world several times over, including Titanium, multiple Grand Prix and more than 50 Lions at Cannes, Grand Clio, Grand Andy, Best of Show One Show, Best of Show Radio Mercury, Gold Effie, British D&AD, Communications Arts and the EMMY four times. His work has been written about in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Business 2.0 and Time, and has appeared on the cover of Archive magazine twice.
He has been named Creative Director of the Year in the trade publication Adweek; his BMW Films was made part of MoMA's permanent collection in New York City and won the first-ever awarded Titanium Lion at Cannes. He has been the subject of feature stories in New York magazine, Creativity, Archive, Fast Company and American Executive. In 2006, David was Chairman of the Titanium Jury at Cannes and in 2009, he Chaired the Film and Press Jury. He has also chaired the Integrated Jury at the prestigious D&AD Show. This year, David will Chair the TV, Cinema, Print, Outdoor, Radio and Integrated Juries at Spikes.
In between, David was named the winner of the 2007 Creative Leader Challenge, as chosen by storied leaders from The Wall Street Journal's Creative Leaders ad campaign. In recognition, David was the focus of a full-page ad that appeared in the Weekend Edition of the Journal, titled "Life With Lubars." Last year, David was named to the Board of Directors of the renowned One Club.
Before joining BBDO, David was President of Fallon Worldwide and Executive Creative Director of Fallon North America where he oversaw work for Citibank and BMW, among others.
He currently resides in New York City with his wife, Cindy, and two sons, Michael and Alex.