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In 2007 I thought I was the first person to have the idea of writing my biography in the third person, only to cleverly reveal myself as the author at the end. You can’t fool people like that anymore.

Hello. I’m Rob.

A South African copywriter, executive creative director and green card holder who has been based in New York City since 2016.

Before the US, I was ECD at The Open Collaboration\TBWA in Johannesburg. I helped OpenCo win the BMW and Jameson Whiskey tier 1 accounts and its first ever international awards (6 One Show Pencils and 2 Cannes Lions in two years). OpenCo was also named South African Small Agency of the Year twice in row.

My first post in the US was as creative director at TBWA\Chiat\Day NY. I was promoted to GCD after leading creative in the pitch for Nissan North America. We won it back for TBWA, a year after the account left 25-year-incumbent Chiat LA. I also led the winning creative for the Hilton Worldwide pitch, now Chiat NY’s biggest account. After bedding the two in, I left with ex-partner Darren Borrino to go independent. At first, freelancing for agencies only.

Since 2018 I’ve made stops back at TBWA with TBWA\G1 in Paris, Juniper Park\TBWA in Toronto and TBWA\Chiat\Day NY, as well as at Mother NY, SoloUnion, FCB Chicago, 360i NY, Murder Hornet, Fitzco Atlanta, Neil A. Dawson and Company in London, Grey NY, Fred & Farid NY, VML KC and NY, Chemistry Atlanta and Giant Spoon.

From July to December 2019, we were temporary North America ECDs for Spark44 (now Accenture Song). In that time we delivered the agency’s first and only US-originated TVC campaign for Land Rover, featuring superstar skiier Mikaela Shiffrin.

In 2020 Darren and I launched RUNT, a dynamically-resourced creative studio working directly with brands. Our first official client was Biden For President, followed by wellness tech brand Therabody, EV battery start-up ONE and Afrofuturist concept restaurant Bronze DC. The RUNT experiment wound down amicably in 2023, as I set out to explore new collaborations as a solo creative.

In late 2023 I helped Translation win the pitch for Visit Qatar. In 2024, I returned to co-lead the campaign through production, and the launch of the country’s biggest ever global tourism campaign.

I worked with design skunkworks Oilstainlab on the narrative for their retrofuturistic concept car.

And I returned to TBWA\Chiat\Day NY till the end of 2024, as temporary ECD on Hilton in their gap between CCOs.

Your agency, brand, or project could be mentioned here in 2025. Either by us working together, or via a media deal [$$$$]. Maybe a third way we haven’t thought of yet. Please be in touch.