Experience

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  Brain Hooks, LLC

  • Asheville, North Carolina, United States

  • Published author

    • Mar 2023 - Present
    • Asheville, North Carolina, United States

    Russell Shuler is an award-winning creative director turned writer in Asheville, NC. As a self-proclaimed “old ad guy,” he has run into many strange characters in the real world of marketing communications. These brushes with reality have formed his take on things preposterous, for better or worse. Russell Shuler has self-published two books: “Instant Ancestors – Preposerous tales sprung from a shoebox” and his latest, “Confessions from the Chair.”In his literary debut, “Instant Ancestors,” Shuler takes audiences on a riotous journey through space and time with his cast of fictitious characters in “Instant Ancestors.” The founding universe for this fantastic journey is nothing less than an old shoebox of antique photos found in a local antique shop near his home in Asheville, NC.For his sophomore offering, “Confessions from the Chair,” Shuler unfolds a riveting narrative centered around Sana, a resilient young Black woman whose life takes a tumultuous turn following a brutal encounter with a white supremacist named Jeff. The traumatic experience, resulting in an unwanted pregnancy, becomes the catalyst for a journey marked by vengeance and profound psychological transformation. Her child, conceived in a moment of hatred, becomes a paradoxical source of strength, propelling Sana and her gang on a relentless quest for justice.

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  Project 13 Inc.

  • Asheville, North Carolina, United States

  • Executive Creative Director

    • Sep 2019 - Present
    • Asheville, North Carolina, United States

    Develop client relationships and help them identify opportunities and minimize business risks. Said another way, help identify what needs to be said to a target at any time using various marketing communications tools.

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  Brain Hooks

  • Asheville, NC

  • Chief Hooker

    • Aug 2012 - Present
    • Asheville, NC

    Brain Hooks is my latest creative endeavor, and hopefully will be my most fulfilling yet. But I get ahead of myself.For the uninformed, I am an advertising veteran (started my career in 1980) as an Art/Creative Director, working primarily in the Southeast United States. I feel my best work is still ahead of me, and I look forward to working with you in order to make that a reality.

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  The Biltmore Company

  • Director of Creative Services

    • Sep 2006 - Aug 2012

    Managed an in-house ad agency to support all the various Biltmore companies: Biltmore Estate, Biltmore Wine Company, The Inn on Biltmore Estate, Biltmore Inspirations, Biltmore For Your Home, and Biltmore Corporate. We consistently produced between 2,000 and 2,500 projects per year, ranging from TV ads to table tents. It was a great learning experience on how to solve problems in a very efficient manner.

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  Elberson Partners

  • Vice President-Creative Director

    • 1994 - 2006

    Chief Creative Officer and lead new business effort, as well as managed key accounts: GovWorks, Häfele, Charlotte Convention and Visitors Bureau, SPEED Channel, CapTrust Investments, AAA Vacations and Carolina Shoe.

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  Price McNabb

  • Creative Director

    • 1990 - 1994

    Responsible for creative development/art direction on a number of accounts: Square D Power Equipment, Husqavarna Power Equipment, Honda Dealers of the Carolinas, Buncombe County Tourism Development Board (Asheville Tourism), Biltmore Estate, East West Partners Developers.

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  Luckie & Company

  • Sr. Art Director

    • 1987 - 1990

    Senior art Director on key accounts: South Central Bell, American Cyanamid Agricultural Chemicals, Gametime Playground Equipment, and UAB Medical Center.

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  Cook Ruef & Associates

  • Art Director

    • 1980 - 1986