RAAAB / RÔB
Two ways of pronouncing it. I answer to both but say it the second way myself.
Mostly because I’m a South African writer, executive creative director and green card holder who has been based in New York City since 2016.
Before moving to 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 led the agency to 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, working in a team with Darren Borrino. We were promoted to GCD after leading the pitch that won Nissan North America back for TBWA, a year after it left long-time incumbent Chiat LA. We also led the work that brought Hilton Hotels in. After bedding Nissan and Hilton down, we left Chiat NY 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, Fitzco Atlanta, Neil A. Dawson and Company in London, Grey NY, Fred & Farid NY, VMLY&R KC and NY, Chemistry Atlanta and Giant Spoon. From July to December 2019, we stepped in at Spark44 NY to look after Jaguar and Land Rover as temporary North America ECDs. In that time we delivered the agency’s first and only fully 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 early 2023, as I set out explore new collaborations as a solo creative.