Droga5 Expands Creative & Account Teams with Six Senior Hires

This week, Droga5 announced the addition of three senior creatives and three account leads to its New York headquarters. Don Shelford, Nick Klinkert and Justin Ebert joined the agency as Group Creative Directors, while Blake Crosbie, Agnes Fischer and Melissa Nelson joined as Group Account Directors. 

Don Shelford joins Droga5 after four years at Wieden+Kennedy Portland, where he worked on Levi’s, Nike and Target. Shelford will now be working on the Chase Consumer Bank, Mortgage and Automobile accounts. Originally from Amsterdam, Nick Klinkert worked on brands including NBA, FedEx and Johnnie Walker during his tenure at Goodby Silverstein & Partners, BBDO and BBH, respectively. At Droga5, Klinkert will work on Air Wick and LVMH. Justin Ebert joins Droga5 after nearly a year of freelancing. Prior to that, he worked at Crispin Porter + Bogusky on Hulu, Microsoft and Best Buy. At Droga5, Ebert will lead creative on Motorola and NRG Energy.

“Don, Nick and Justin have worked with some of the most respected brands and agencies in the industry and bring very strong creative standpoints to the table,” says Chief Creative Officer Ted Royer. “They are excellent additions to an already strong senior creative bench, and we are looking forward to seeing them produce great things.”

Shelford, Klinkert and Ebert join Droga5’s senior creative team, which already includes Group Creative Directors Scott Bell, Ray Del Savio, Tim Gordon, Jerry Hoak, Matt Ian and Justin Ruben. The agency’s creative department has grown exponentially, with nearly 60 creatives hired this year alone. In addition to the three new GCDs, Tara Lawall and Devon Hong have recently been promoted from Associate Creative Directors to Creative Directors.

Droga5 has also bolstered its account management team with the addition of three new Group Account Directors in recent months, including Blake Crosbie, Agnes Fischer and Melissa Nelson. Blake Crosbie leads the agency’s Scion account and hails from TBWA\Chiat\Day New York and Los Angeles. Agnes Fischer’s previous role was at Anomaly, and she now heads Chase’s Consumer Bank, Mortgage and Automobile accounts. Melissa Nelson comes from 72andSunny’s Los Angeles headquarters, and she now leads Droga5’s Motorola and NBTY accounts.

“As Droga5 continues to grow, the quality of talent is paramount to maintaining creative excellence at scale,” says Chief Operating Officer Susie Nam. “These new leaders have the unique blend of skills we seek - a natural instinct for great work coupled with strong business acumen and a healthy dose of chutzpah.”