David&Goliath Appoints Three New Creative Directors

David Angelo, Founder and Chairman of creative agency David&Goliath (D&G), announced today the appointment of 12 new hires across the creative department, including Brandon Davis, Nick Hine and Rick Utzinger as Creative Directors. The hires come at a time of accelerated growth for the agency on the heels of recent new business wins. 

“We are excited to welcome this new wave of creative talent and their diverse skill sets to the agency,” said Angelo. “Our recent new business growth has allowed us to expand and continue to create strong campaigns with the brave, challenger legacy we’re best known for.”

Brandon Davis, Creative Director

Davis joins D&G after spending time freelancing in New York and Los Angeles on brands like Gatorade, Old Spice and The Weather Channel, before which he was a copywriter at Wieden + Kennedy in Amsterdam on EA Sports, Nike and Tanqueray, as well as TBWA Chiat Day in New York on Embassy Suites and Starburst. He will be working across the agency’s roster of clients and reporting directly to Angelo and Chief Creative Officer, Colin Jeffery. Davis is a graduate of the University of Texas Creative Program.

Commenting on his new role, Davis said: “D&G has been doing great work for a long time. I’m excited to do what I can to continue that tradition and have fun while doing it.” 

Nick Hine, Creative Director

With a list of accolades under his belt, including Cannes Lions, Clio Awards and Effies, Hine joins D&G as Creative Director after serving as Global Executive Creative Director (ECD) on Infiniti at TBWA\Chiat\Day in LA. Prior to that he spent time at Ogilvy Paris as Global ECD on Dove Hair and Duracell, as well as Saatchi & Saatchi in Romania where he helped to take the agency from number 15 creatively to number one in the country. He will be working on existing clients and new business and will also be reporting to Angelo and Jeffery.

On joining the agency, Hine said: “I love the idea of working for an independent agency where the owner sits in the building and is involved heavily in the work. The client list really speaks for itself, the opportunities are immense.” He added, “To work in an environment of such positivity and optimism as I have experienced so far is incredible.”

Rick Utzinger, Creative Director

Utzinger also joins D&G from TBWA\Chiat\Day where he was Creative Director on Miller Lite and Buffalo Wild Wings pitch wins. While at the agency, he also oversaw creative content for the Grammy Awards, which won four Clio Awards in 2014.

“David and Colin have seen everything and have accomplished everything you could hope for in this business. Yet they still have the same enthusiasm for their profession as a couple of kids coming right out of school,” Utzinger said on his decision to join the agency. “I’m excited for new challenges, and there are so many talented people in the building.”

In addition to Davis, D&G welcomes the following hires to round out the creative team:

· David Sullivan, Associate Creative Director: Copywriter by trade, Sullivan joins the D&G team from RPA where his most noted creative work was an acclaimed Super Bowl spot featuring Matthew Broderick paying homage to Ferris Bueller.

· Rob Casillas, Senior Art Director: Casillas has a strong career working in multicultural advertising agencies and was most recently Associate Creative Director at LatinWorks, prior to which he was an Art Director at Fire Station and Conill.

· Sheldon Melvin, Senior Art Director: Melvin most recently joins D&G from Zambezi where he created award-winning work for TaylorMade and Ashworth Golf, prior to which he was at The Pitch Agency and Goodby, Silverstein & Partners.

· Brett Westnedge, Art Director: Before joining D&G, Westnedge spent time at goodness Mfg on Bolthouse Farms, Toshiba, and Vail Resorts, before which time he was at Crispin Porter + Bogusky where he worked on American Express OPEN, Coke Zero, and Old Navy.

· Dan Hass, Junior Copywriter: Hass was previously Copywriter at GS Design in Milwaukee, where he worked on brands including Harley-Davidson, Showtime, and The Muscular Dystrophy Association.

· Nicole Lague, Junior Copywriter: Lague recently graduated from VCU Brandcenter, during which time she received a merit award from the One Show Young Ones College Competition.

· Austin Ho, Junior Art Director: Ho holds a Bachelors of Fine Arts (BFA) in Advertising from Art Center College of Design, Pasadena.

· Henry Hsu, Junior Art Director: Hsu also joins the agency after completing his BFA in Advertising from the Art Center College of Design, Pasadena.

· Steven Pham, Junior Art Director: Pham comes to D&G after stints at Opening Ceremony as an Editorial Assistant as well as MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) as a Film Assistant. He is also an alumnus of Art Center College of Design.