Michael Shirley

Michael Shirley

SVP, Creative Director at Energy BBDO
Greater Chicago Area, United States

About me

I'm a non-traditional creative, crossing seamlessly between traditional & digital. I started as a designer, later began to work in advertising and fell in love with technology. Everyday I bring different elements of those talents together to bring amazing ideas to life.

View my portfolio at: http://michael-shirley.com

My work has received recognition from lots of publications, news outlets and award shows, here's a list of a few in no particular order: Cannes Lions, The FWA, OneShow, ABC News, CBS Morning Show, New York Times, Huffington Post, Creativity Online, Ad Age, Ad Week, Brandweek, Clios, Vanity Fair, Facebook Studios, Good Morning America, Fast Company Design, Dope Awards, Pixel Awards, IAC Awards, The OMMA's, The Addys, Effies, Screen Magazine, Source E-Creative, Ad Freak, The Egotist Network, MediaPost, Ads of the World, and more.

Client Experience:
Nike, Sony PlayStation, Kmart, Disney Studios, McDonalds, Sprint, Kraft brands, Samsung Global, OfficeMax, Old Navy, The Gap, Kellogg's, Ford Automotive, Effen Vodka, Sauza Tequila, K-Swiss, Casa Dragones Tequila, Barilla Pasta, Verizon, Diageo, Sears, KFC, The Sports Authority and more.


Positions

SVP, Creative Director
Chicago, United States
November 2015 - Present (9 years)
I started here freelance, and liked it so much I decided to stay. Initially I lead the team to create awesome things for LG Global, including the launch of the G5 flagship phone. Now I lead ZTE Global, the 4th largest manufacturer of mobile phones in the world and a true challenger brand in the category. I also work across the client portfolio, and lead innovation and pitches that have resulted in new business wins for the agency with new and existing clients.
SVP, Creative Director
Chicago, United States
August 2013 - November 2015 (2 years 3 months)
Made awesome things happen on Kmart, KFC, and various other brands within the agency, new business and more. Leading integrated efforts from TV to digital and everything in between.
Creative Director
New York, United States
February 2013 - July 2013 (5 months)
As the lead of the creative at the new AKQA Portland office, I built a small team from the ground up. Focusing on the Nike client we worked on ideas across multiple categories in tandem with the AKQA London office. I also was a mentor at the Nike+ Accelerator, a partnership between Nike Digital and Techstars helping to guide young startups as they navigated the Nike+ API.
VP, Global Creative Director
Chicago, United States
May 2012 - February 2013 (9 months)
I was a global creative director on Samsung and contributing creative director on accounts agency-wide: McDonalds, Kellogg's, Purina, Allstate and multiple new business pitches. Creating integrated ideas designed to encourage participation, conversation and sharing. Oversaw projects with staff that ranged from one to 12 teams. I reported directly to the North America and Global Chief Creative Officers and worked on anything they will would let me get my hands on including new business throughout the Leo Burnett Group both regional and global (Leo Burnett, Arc & Lapiz).
Group Creative Director, Digital
Chicago, United States
January 2010 - May 2012 (2 years 4 months)
I spent 3 years here at the agency previously known as Euro RSCG quickly growing into the digital creative lead, in that role I bridged the gap between traditional & pureplay digital. Making sure digital became a primary source of new business and awards won (OneShow, The FWA, Communicator Awards, OMMA awards, Pixel Awards, IAC Awards, Facebook Studio, Dope Awards, etc.)
Creative Director
Chicago, United States
January 2011 - June 2011 (5 months)
Led the non-traditional/digital output of the agency, crossed-over media channels and created some great things. Got promoted again :)
Associate Creative Director
Chicago, United States
January 2010 - January 2011 (1 year)
Clients: Kraft, Velveeta, Shake'N'Bake, PureCircle, Jim Beam, Effen Vodka, Sauza Tequila, Sprint, OfficeMax, Barilla Pasta, Wasa, Amway, XS Energy, Sears, and more.
Freelance Art Director
Chicago, United States
October 2009 - December 2009 (2 months)
Freelanced for Tribal DDB on one of the most interesting and prolific website overhauls of all time, the McDonalds.com redesign.
Associate Creative Director
Mouth New York
United States
May 2007 - September 2009 (2 years 4 months)
One of the founding members of a boutique creative agency in NYC

Education

Havas Leadership Executive Education Program

May 2018 - May 2018 (1 second)
An immersive Ivy League program taught by top Wharton School of Business professors. We focused on the challenges of managing teams, critical thinking and effective business strategies geared towards creating and leading world class teams in an ever evolving world.

Kinect Hacking

May 2018 - May 2018 (1 second)
Various courses curated by Golan Levin at the Ivy League Carnegie Mellon University, centered around the "hacking" of the Microsoft Kinect sensor. Sessions included work within the Processing, Arduino & openFrameworks coding environments. Courses were taught by the likes of Zachary Lieberman, Kyle McDonald & many other people within the creative coding community.

BA

2000 - 2004 (4 years)
Technical studies focusing on a wide range of skills, from traditional communication arts to interactive & multimedia. Studies also focused on making things real, not just on a screen but how to transcend the idea and make it happen through real-world implementations using a strong foundation of technical production/executional knowledge.

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