Info
About
Currently Executive Creative Director at Johannes Leonardo, Jonathan leads and inspires the agency’s creative department, nurturing an inclusive and winning culture that champions the power of strategic insight and creativity. He also continues to oversee the success of the agency’s largest account, Volkswagen. Writing a new chapter in the advertising lore of the brand. Recently having led the agency to their first Super Bowl commercial, and 10 years since Volkswagen’s last, it ranked as the most effective ad on the night, +394% surge in site traffic, and was given 5 stars by AdAge.
Having worked in Johannesburg, Paris, London, Amsterdam and New York, he’s hugely experienced with a career spanning 25 years, leading and working on brands like Stella Artois, Ikea, Guinness, Honda, Absolut, Generals Motors, Toyota, and many more. He’s launched global campaigns, local campaigns, made Super Bowl commercials, created live experiential installations, and even a 12ft permanent art work.
His career began at Net#work BBDO in South Africa, where he created the world’s first ever solar powered billboard that gave power to the people, winning him a Cannes Grand Prix. That year he also won Cannes Gold for an out of home campaign for an iconic chip snack. He also wrote a children’s book to help children who suffered abuse with all proceeds going to Childline.
That led him to TBWA Paris where he worked on Nissan, while also contributing to the agency winning Cannes Lions Agency of the year for a 4th year running with further awards for Mapa and Aides.
By 2008 Jonathan arrived in London, at Saatchi & Saatchi, where he created a successful 2010 World Cup spot for Visa. Led the Saatchi & Saatchi New Directors’ Showcase at Cannes for three years running that also saw him create a live drone show, another world first that paved the way for every drone show thereafter. He then collaborated with Professor Richard Dawkins on the origin of the meme for a full on visual overload cultural experiment.
By 2015 he went on to work at Mother, first in London and then later the New York office, where he led Stella Artois to its first ever global campaign running across 20 countries. He created a successful Super Bowl commercial that brought back iconic characters Carrie Bradshaw and The Dude, Jeff Lebowski that convinced drinkers to change up their usual for a good cause. In 2019 he left Mother for a brief stint at Lucky Generals where he helped establish the successful London based agency here in the US.
Over the years, he has been featured by the likes of Dazed, Vice, Creative Review, Wired, Forbes, It’s Nice That, The Guardian and Huffington Post, and his work has been recognized by local and international award shows from Cannes Lions festival, to D&AD, Clio, The One Show, the ADC, and many others.
Agencies
Johannes Leonardo, New York
Executive Creative Director /
Group Creative Director
Lucky Generals, New York
Creative Director
Mother, New York
Global Creative Director /
Creative Director
Mother, London
Creative Director /
Senior Art Director
Saatchi & Saatchi, London
Creative Director /
Senior Art Director
TBWA, Paris
Senior Art Director
Net#work BBDO, South Africa
Art Director
Clients
Volkswagen - US
Captain Morgan - US
Klarna - US
Celebrity Cruises - Global
Stella Artois - Global
IKEA - UK
Guinness - EMEA
Absolut Vodka
Toyota - UK & Europe
Nissan - Europe
Honda - UK
VISA - EMEA
TK Maxx - UK & Europe
General Motors - South Africa
Cell C - (Mobile Network Carrier, South Africa)
Nedbank - South Africa
Childline - South Africa
...plus many, many more.
Awards
Cannes Lions
1 Grand Prix
1 Titanium Shortlist
1 Gold
2 Silver
2 Bronze
5 Shortlist
D&Ad
1 Yellow Pencil
1 Graphite Pencil
4 Wood Pencil
One Show
1 Silver
3 Merit
ADC
1 Merit
Clio Awards
1 Gold
2 Silver
5 Bronze
Young Guns
1 Gold Bullet
1 Bronze Bullet
Chairman’s Choice Award
LIA
1 Gold
2 Silver
1 Bronze
New York Festival
1 Silver
British Arrows
3 Bronze
Eurobest
1 Bronze
Meribel Ad Festival
1 Cristal
Creative Circle
1 Gold
1 Bronze
Loeries
7 Gold
6 Silver
5 Bronze