THE CHIEF CAT HERDERS.
Erich is an internationally acclaimed, awarded, creative, advertising, and marketing thought leader, who specializes in simple, breakthrough ideas that build brands and business.
He believes in ideas communicated through intent, and action, according to the needs of the consumer - no matter the medium.
A Chief Creative Officer with over 25 years of experience creating award-winning campaigns for local and global brands, driving record market share and sales. His expertise spans paid, earned, digital, social, experiential, and traditional channels, always with a focus on effectiveness and real business outcomes.
His leadership encompasses multi-agency, multicultural collaborations, directly supervising creative teams of up to 85 members across local and global markets, while coordinating domestic and international agency efforts on global campaigns.
At Saatchi & Saatchi and WPP’s Team Mazda, Erich developed collaborative methods that united multiple multicultural agencies, aligning them toward shared goals and delivering collective success for clients. His integrity with both clients and partner agencies, locally and globally, established these processes as the standard for effective collaboration.
He is driven to create impactful, standout work that has both innovation and purpose - work that considers the customer at every step.
Erich has worked in Johannesburg, Sydney, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, and currently resides in Newport Beach, California.
Erich's work has been recognized in: YouTube’s “Top 20 Ads of All Time”, Adweek’s “Best Spots of the Year”, and “25 Best Ads of 2018”, Viral Video Awards “Best Music Video”, Visible Measures “Top 10 Viral Auto Ads of All Time”, and his work has appeared in 8 Super Bowls.
Darren is a proven Creative leader, Conceptual marketer, Brand builder & Inclusion advocate.
A globally renowned creative professional has excelled in advertising across diverse cities like Johannesburg, London, Prague, Sydney, and now New York.
He has found most success over the past decade in New York while helping U.S brands find their voice and place in the American market. His leadership roles at the leading U.S agencies like TBWA\Chiat\Day New York and Spark 44 New York have taught him that understanding the diverse and evolving needs of consumers is paramount to driving impactful brand strategies and fostering long-term success.
Darren's portfolio boasts groundbreaking campaigns for clients such as Jameson Whiskey, Gambrinus Beer, Tazo iced tea, Tetley tea and Coca Cola among many, many others. He has won gold at all major advertising festivals including Cannes Lions, D&AD, One Show, LIAs, Clios, and consecutive Grand Prix awards at Spikes.
Beyond his professional accomplishments, Darren is dedicated to nurturing creative talent and inspiring the next generation. He derives fulfillment from leading teams, establishing creative platforms, and mentoring emerging talent, both within and beyond the advertising industry. Serving as a mentor, Darren guides aspiring creatives to unleash their potential, relishing the challenge of crafting impactful brand campaigns.Darren was also the Creative director of Green Peace Australia for one year, this he found to be the most rewarding time of his career.
Darrens most recent role Executive Creative Director.
Darrens works has been internationally recognized across multiple mediums at all major creative advertising award shows, including the EFFIES - highly respected Effectiveness Awards.
NineLives Group is a collective made up of the very best people hand-picked to solve any specific problem or challenge.
Our unique model empowers our incredible talent to lead meaningful lives and pursue diverse passions. From single parents juggling work and family to multi-disciplinary entrepreneurs, we attract the best minds in advertising who seek both career excellence and personal fulfillment.
With over 100 unique collaborators and partners, we operate across continents, from the US to strategic alliances worldwide.