The Escape Pod hires Dan Funk as Director of Strategy

Independent agency The Escape Pod has appointed Dan Funk as Director of Strategy. Dan will lead The Escape Pod’s Research and Strategy group, stewarding brand and communication strategies for clients and evolving the agency’s strategic offerings.

Dan has served in strategy leadership roles for some of the world’s most creative brand and communication agencies such as Ogilvy & Mather, TBWA/Chiat/Day and Leo Burnett. He has developed high growth strategies for iconic brands across a broad range of categories, including finance, packaged goods, retail, spirits, IT, consumer electronics and the military. 

Dan has been recognised with multiple effectiveness awards, including a Grand Effie in 2008 for the launch of the Nintendo Wii, voted the year’s most effective marketing campaign by the American Marketing Association.

“We interviewed a lot of people for this role, but what sets Dan apart is his entrepreneurial spirit and modern approach to planning. He is insight-led but also hands-on and pragmatic, leveraging traditional methods as well as ethnograpy to mine consumer insights. He has successfully positioned numerous brands for growth in highly competitive categories so he is the ideal partner to help bring our clients’ brand propositions to life in the most dramatic manner possible,” said Norm Bilow, Managing Director and Co-founder of The Escape Pod.

“It’s exciting to join forces with an agency that knows exactly who they are and where they’re going.  No one in The Escape Pod is sitting around worrying about what the next agency model will be; they’re out making it happen,” said Dan Funk, Director of Strategy, The Escape Pod.

Beyond advertising, Dan is also a serial entrepreneur, launching a number of innovative ventures in the food and agribusiness sector. He holds an MFA from Carnegie Mellon University and an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.