Marco Cignini
CCO, Co-Founder at Woolf Merino- Claim this Profile
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English Native or bilingual proficiency
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Italian Native or bilingual proficiency
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French Elementary proficiency
Topline Score
Bio
Marc Karasu
Marco is the real deal. A Creative Director that understands not only how to create compelling ideas and advertising solutions that are on brief and solve a business problem, but also knows how to speak the language of the client. He is flexible and easy to work and understands how to sell a concept and work collaboratively. When it comes time to produce the work he is a joy to work with, stays on budget and is able to innovate and adapt to the changing situations that always come up. I strongly recommend Marco and hope to work with him again.
Jacob Rosenberg
Growing up in skateboarding, you seem to know people you don't actually know. Marco was one of those guys, that I instantly had a lot in common with. He came on with KBS+ to design and support the social media and web branding of Waiting for Lightning for its original release. Following up on Waiting for Lightning, Marco was very active in finding creative ways to engage our company (Bandito Brothers) and present forward thinking strategies to brands that were new to the emerging content platforms.We worked together on a BMW campaign and on a documentary titled, "The Distortion of Sound." Marco comes from skateboarding so he instinctively has a non-traditional outside of the box approach. He tells great stories and appears to canoe on a lake near his house in the mornings. I am a fan.
Mike Machanic (he/him)
Marco is one of those special people who has the creative mind to dream up an amazing concept and the business acumen to make that concept a reality. Marco and I share a personal interest in active lifestyle and are working together to bring our professional careers to the benefit of the industry we play in. I get pumped when I hear Marco's vision for how to take the industry to a next level. I can't wait to grow his team!
Marc Karasu
Marco is the real deal. A Creative Director that understands not only how to create compelling ideas and advertising solutions that are on brief and solve a business problem, but also knows how to speak the language of the client. He is flexible and easy to work and understands how to sell a concept and work collaboratively. When it comes time to produce the work he is a joy to work with, stays on budget and is able to innovate and adapt to the changing situations that always come up. I strongly recommend Marco and hope to work with him again.
Jacob Rosenberg
Growing up in skateboarding, you seem to know people you don't actually know. Marco was one of those guys, that I instantly had a lot in common with. He came on with KBS+ to design and support the social media and web branding of Waiting for Lightning for its original release. Following up on Waiting for Lightning, Marco was very active in finding creative ways to engage our company (Bandito Brothers) and present forward thinking strategies to brands that were new to the emerging content platforms.We worked together on a BMW campaign and on a documentary titled, "The Distortion of Sound." Marco comes from skateboarding so he instinctively has a non-traditional outside of the box approach. He tells great stories and appears to canoe on a lake near his house in the mornings. I am a fan.
Mike Machanic (he/him)
Marco is one of those special people who has the creative mind to dream up an amazing concept and the business acumen to make that concept a reality. Marco and I share a personal interest in active lifestyle and are working together to bring our professional careers to the benefit of the industry we play in. I get pumped when I hear Marco's vision for how to take the industry to a next level. I can't wait to grow his team!
Marc Karasu
Marco is the real deal. A Creative Director that understands not only how to create compelling ideas and advertising solutions that are on brief and solve a business problem, but also knows how to speak the language of the client. He is flexible and easy to work and understands how to sell a concept and work collaboratively. When it comes time to produce the work he is a joy to work with, stays on budget and is able to innovate and adapt to the changing situations that always come up. I strongly recommend Marco and hope to work with him again.
Jacob Rosenberg
Growing up in skateboarding, you seem to know people you don't actually know. Marco was one of those guys, that I instantly had a lot in common with. He came on with KBS+ to design and support the social media and web branding of Waiting for Lightning for its original release. Following up on Waiting for Lightning, Marco was very active in finding creative ways to engage our company (Bandito Brothers) and present forward thinking strategies to brands that were new to the emerging content platforms.We worked together on a BMW campaign and on a documentary titled, "The Distortion of Sound." Marco comes from skateboarding so he instinctively has a non-traditional outside of the box approach. He tells great stories and appears to canoe on a lake near his house in the mornings. I am a fan.
Mike Machanic (he/him)
Marco is one of those special people who has the creative mind to dream up an amazing concept and the business acumen to make that concept a reality. Marco and I share a personal interest in active lifestyle and are working together to bring our professional careers to the benefit of the industry we play in. I get pumped when I hear Marco's vision for how to take the industry to a next level. I can't wait to grow his team!
Marc Karasu
Marco is the real deal. A Creative Director that understands not only how to create compelling ideas and advertising solutions that are on brief and solve a business problem, but also knows how to speak the language of the client. He is flexible and easy to work and understands how to sell a concept and work collaboratively. When it comes time to produce the work he is a joy to work with, stays on budget and is able to innovate and adapt to the changing situations that always come up. I strongly recommend Marco and hope to work with him again.
Jacob Rosenberg
Growing up in skateboarding, you seem to know people you don't actually know. Marco was one of those guys, that I instantly had a lot in common with. He came on with KBS+ to design and support the social media and web branding of Waiting for Lightning for its original release. Following up on Waiting for Lightning, Marco was very active in finding creative ways to engage our company (Bandito Brothers) and present forward thinking strategies to brands that were new to the emerging content platforms.We worked together on a BMW campaign and on a documentary titled, "The Distortion of Sound." Marco comes from skateboarding so he instinctively has a non-traditional outside of the box approach. He tells great stories and appears to canoe on a lake near his house in the mornings. I am a fan.
Mike Machanic (he/him)
Marco is one of those special people who has the creative mind to dream up an amazing concept and the business acumen to make that concept a reality. Marco and I share a personal interest in active lifestyle and are working together to bring our professional careers to the benefit of the industry we play in. I get pumped when I hear Marco's vision for how to take the industry to a next level. I can't wait to grow his team!
Experience
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Woolf Merino
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Norway
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Sporting Goods Manufacturing
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1 - 100 Employee
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CCO, Co-Founder
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2020 - Present
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marcocignini.com
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Advertising Services
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Executive Creative Director / Art Director / Creative Strategist / Brand Consultant
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2016 - Present
20+ years experience developing highly effective creative brand campaigns and immersive experiences for some of the most iconic brands in the world. Available for freelance creative assignments. Wieden + Kennedy NY | BBDO NY & SF | HUGE NY | VMLY&R NY | R/GA NY | INVNT NY | Elephant NY | Fake Love NY | JWT NY | Strawberry Frog NY | FCB NY | We're Magnetic NY | Drury Design NY | Yard NY | EP+Co. NY | Edelman NY & LA | Taylor NY | UEG NY & LA | NA Collective NY | Giant Step NY & LA | Gale NY & LA | Atlantic 57 NY | Havas NY AKQA DC | XDA Atlanta | OPUS LA | Publicis Seattle & NY | FUSE VT | Schiefer Chopshop Costa Mesa | Vapor Studios Encinitas | Team Eleven London | Jonas & Co. LA | Fortnight Collective Boulder Vans | Nike | Jordan Brand | Spartan Race | Netflix | Airbnb | Nissan | GE | Sea Doo | Ski Doo | Can Am | Foot Locker | Dell | Samsung | LG | Rayban | Uggs | Starbucks | MTV | Facebook | Oculus | Microsoft | HP | Comedy Central | Visa, | Amex | Anheuser-Busch | Coppertone | Hurley | Adidas | Amazon | Edelbrock | Cooper Tires | Shell | Circle K | Ford | Kia | Audi | Fed Ex | Expedia | Weight Watchers | Icy Hot | Candy Crush | HGTV | Travel Channel | Dish TV | Allstate | Allianz | Absolut | CVS | T-Mobile | MasterCard | Verizon | Honma Golf | RCA Records | Mountain Creek Resort | Big SNOW American Dream | Vail Resorts Show less
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Toboggan LLC
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Advertising Services
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Executive Creative Director
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Jan 2019 - Present
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Untapped Ventures
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United States
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Venture Capital and Private Equity Principals
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1 - 100 Employee
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Youth Mentor
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2015 - 2020
Untapped serves the youth market through the principles of community-based participatory research. We work side by side with young people (16-24) to co-create every aspect of our work from insight to ideation to new product development to ensure authenticity and relevance. And in the process, we are able to open a door to the working world for them. We've been able to apply our expertise on behalf of Nike Vision and Jordan brand, Cheil Worldwide, SyFy Channel, Happen, and Translation LLC. Untapped serves the youth market through the principles of community-based participatory research. We work side by side with young people (16-24) to co-create every aspect of our work from insight to ideation to new product development to ensure authenticity and relevance. And in the process, we are able to open a door to the working world for them. We've been able to apply our expertise on behalf of Nike Vision and Jordan brand, Cheil Worldwide, SyFy Channel, Happen, and Translation LLC.
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Global Executive Creative Director
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Mar 2018 - May 2019
Global Executive Creative Director for Spartan Race, the world’s leading obstacle racing company with over 170 events in 25+ countries, 1 million-plus global participants and global footwear, apparel and event partnerships. Responsible for providing strategic creative leadership across all Spartan marketing and brand partnership initiatives. • Refocusing brand creative on story telling and communal driven experiences. • Restructured creative process, optimized in-house creative org structure. • Successfully lead creative teams in the development of multiple brand campaign, digital and product launches. • Mentored and recruited new creative talent to lead the in-house agency forward. Show less
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George P Johnson Experience Marketing
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United States
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Advertising Services
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700 & Above Employee
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Vice President, Global Executive Creative Director - IBM
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Apr 2017 - Mar 2018
Global Executive Creative lead on the agency’s $200M IBM experiential business, across 13 global GPJ offices including: New York | Boston | Austin | London | Stuttgart | Tokyo | Beijing | Sydney | Singapore | Bangalore | Korea | Taiwan | Sau Paulo. • Forged agency path towards thought leadership in experiential by restructuring the IBM global creative teams and refocusing creative on story telling and narrative driven experiences. • Led the design and implementation of a new globally adopted creative brief system • Standardized and implemented a unified, end-to-end global creative process, integrating new Strategy, Digital and Production workflows. • Successfully lead cross-agency global teams in the development of multiple award winning brand experiences for IBM. • Mentored, promoted and recruited new creative talent to lead global agency expansion into narrative driven content, digital and VR experiences. Show less
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Catch New York
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United States
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Advertising Services
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1 - 100 Employee
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Executive Creative Director
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2015 - 2016
Managed and grew the creative department of a 40+ person agency. Interfaced with CCO and CEO to build new business relationships and drive business growth. Spearheaded creative department growth and direction as first ECD in the company. Guided, produced, and oversaw all stages of the creative work lifecycle and creative team. • Led relaunch of Nike Vision, including development of “Your Eyes Have Evolved” campaign & “The Revolution Has Begun” (Budapest) experience from conception to implementation. • Collaborated with Vans and Geoff Rowley to develop, execute, and launch “Built [ROWLEY] Strong” footwear and apparel line marketing campaign. • Wrote and developed commercials attributed with assisting Betterment’s $3B asset growth in first year after campaign launch. • Key clients included: Nike, Marchon, Vans, Betterment, HP, Avia, and Loews Hotels. Show less
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Freelance Creative Director
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2014 - 2015
Designed and implemented creative projects across all media for high profile clients including Giant Step, Big Fuel, Samsung, Sundance TV, Smirnoff, and Shaun White Enterprises. Ensured top quality development processes and client satisfaction. Designed and implemented creative projects across all media for high profile clients including Giant Step, Big Fuel, Samsung, Sundance TV, Smirnoff, and Shaun White Enterprises. Ensured top quality development processes and client satisfaction.
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KBS (kirshenbaum bond senecal + partners)
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Advertising Services
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1 - 100 Employee
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Group Creative Director
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2011 - 2014
Built and developed creative vision and business strategies for Action Sports and Lifestyle Brands Division, including process management and budgeting. Partnered on co-branded work for BMW, JBL, Harman Kardon, and Jay Z. Managed and inspired creative team that created iconic work for a range of diverse clients including surf, street wear, audio, optics, and automotive industries in both specialty and mass retail markets. Provided creative and design guidance, served as consumer trends expert, and researched marketing trends and opportunities. • Founded Action Sports and Lifestyle Brands Division and grew division from one to ten employees; proactively created new client base by leveraging existing relationships. • Led Harman Audio relaunch from conception to production; sourced talent including Quincy Jones, Snoop Dogg, Slash, Steve Aoki, Hans Zimmer, and A.R. Rahman. • Spearheaded Nike-Eric Koston 2 integrated campaign including creative development, talent sourcing, choreography, and set design; produced Nike SB’s most popular post and most successful campaign to date. • Earned: LBB Feature Story (2013); New York Festivals (2014, 2015); Outdoor Advertising Association—Silver (2014); Clios (2014); Art Directors Club—Gold (2014); Cannes—Shortlist Film (2015); Cannes—Gold, Corporate Media & TV (2015); Webby—People’s Voice Award (2015); One Screen Film Festival—Best Documentary (2015); D&AD--Wood Pencil (2015); Webby (2016) • Key clients included: Nike SB, Nike Soccer, Nike Running, Burton Snowboards, Red Bull, Jay Z, Harman, JBL, BMW and the award winning documentary film - Waiting for Lightning. Show less
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McCann New York
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United States
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Advertising Services
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300 - 400 Employee
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SVP, Group Creative Director
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2004 - 2011
Led creative and design teams to produce award-winning advertisements for global brands. Established creative direction, strategies, and brand positioning to connect with consumers through consistent brand messaging. Integrated print, 2D, 3D, retail, digital, e-commerce, photography, and campaign work into singular message. Coordinated projects with agency groups to develop creative & design briefs, processes, and strategies. • Grew revenue by $240M in new business through creative campaign concepts and developing professional client relationships. • Led relaunch of ESPN MVP mobile sports platform in conjunction with Verizon brand; grew ESPN net subscribers by 18.4% YOY. • Enhanced Avis Where2 GPS rentals by 400% through national campaign and messaging. • Earned: Adweek Best Spots (2005, 2007, 2009-2011); New York Film Festivals (2006, 2008); Gold Effie (2006); Bronze Effie (2011); Creativity Gold (2008); Cannes finalist (2007); SHOOT New Director’s Showcase (2007) • Key clients included: Staples, ESPN, Avis, Verizon, Wendy’s, NHL, NFL, Nikon, Mastercard Show less
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Publicis
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United States
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Advertising Services
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700 & Above Employee
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Art Director
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2002 - 2004
Crafted iconic, award-winning advertising and design work across all mediums for Continental Airlines, P&G, KitchenAid, and the Ad Council. Crafted iconic, award-winning advertising and design work across all mediums for Continental Airlines, P&G, KitchenAid, and the Ad Council.
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NW Ayer
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Manufacturing
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Art Director
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2000 - 2002
Crafted iconic, award-winning advertising and design work across all mediums for Continental Airlines, KitchenAid, Gold Circle Farms and the Ad Council. Crafted iconic, award-winning advertising and design work across all mediums for Continental Airlines, KitchenAid, Gold Circle Farms and the Ad Council.
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Fuel, San Francisco
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United States
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Restaurants
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Art Director
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1999 - 2000
Designed iconic advertising, package and product design for Serfas Cycling, Plantronics, Microsoft WebTV + new business pitches. Designed iconic advertising, package and product design for Serfas Cycling, Plantronics, Microsoft WebTV + new business pitches.
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JT Unlimited
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United States
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Art Director
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1998 - 1999
Design lead on multiple graphic and industrial design projects including Identity design, marketing materials and experiential event designs for clients such as Sun Microsystems and Oracle. Design lead on multiple graphic and industrial design projects including Identity design, marketing materials and experiential event designs for clients such as Sun Microsystems and Oracle.
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Education
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Durham College
Associate of Arts (A.A.), Graphic Design
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