Gerard Caputo is leaving his post as BBH New York’s chief creative officer to join Wieden + Kennedy New York as creative director.
Additionally, Wieden + Kennedy New York has brought on Marques Gartrell, who previously served as creative director at Deutsch New York, to serve in the same role at the agency.
At this time, it’s unclear what accounts Caputo and Gartrell will be working on, but their hires come months after Wieden + Kennedy New York was named McDonald’s lead creative agency in the U.S. The independent shop also recently announced that it is working on a Super Bowl spot for Kraft Heinz this year.
“We’re thrilled to be bringing in two incredibly talented and exceptional people in Marques and Gerard,” Karl Lieberman, executive creative director at Wieden + Kennedy New York, said. “When we bring in talent from the outside, we’re always just looking for people who have something to say about the world—who bring a perspective to this place that’s bigger than ads. Marques and Gerard do just that.”
Caputo joined BBH New York as executive creative director in 2013 following a stint at Ogilvy. In 2017, he became chief creative officer. His departure comes roughly a year after BBH New York declined to participate in a global creative review for PlayStation, an account it won in 2013. Last year, PlayStation chose adam&eveDDB as its lead creative agency.
Under Caputo’s leadership, BBH New York won accounts including FanDuel and nonprofit Care, and rolled out a campaign for Planned Parenthood in 2018.
“We are incredibly grateful for the contributions Gerard made during his time at BBH,” Brett Edgar, managing director at BBH New York, said. “A creative problem-solver who cared deeply about his team members and the agency as a whole, he truly embodied the Black Sheep spirit. We wish him every success in his next endeavor.”
Before joining Deutsch in 2017, Gartrell held a number of associate creative director and art director positions at BBDO, Grey, TBWA\Chiat\Day, Saatchi & Saatchi and Fallon. Throughout his career, he’s worked on brands including the NFL, Busch and Netflix.
Lieberman, who’s been leading creative efforts at Wieden + Kennedy New York since 2015, said that the creative director position at the agency is a “big one” that essentially involves running mini agencies. He added that those who are hired to fill the role are asked to be not just traditional creatives, but to be strategic, build culture and cultivate an environment where their teams can be themselves and say what’s on their minds.
“We just try to give our creative directors the space and autonomy they need to do their thing and keep the structure super flat because we think layers are an impediment to creativity,” Lieberman said. “We believe we get to great work by doubling down on our culture, hiring interesting people and giving them the mic to say something with the work.”
