ECD Christian Haas is Leaving Goodby

By Erik Oster 

0ee5644Executive creative director Christian Haas has announced that he is leaving Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, AdAge reports. Haas does not have plans for his next full-time gig following his departure, although he is “advising a few startup clients and planning to freelance,” while the agency currently “is in discussions about the best leadership scenario for N.Y. going forward.” Comcast/Xfinity, which had been handled by both the agency’s New York and San Francisco offices, will will be run by San Francisco-based executive creative directors Adam Reeves and Nick Klinkert.

“I want to go somewhere I feel both excited and terrified — the feelings I had when I first joined Goodby,” Haas said. “I’m not leaving to go somewhere. I want to try something new and I want to take my time to find it.”

Haas arrived at Goody, Silverstein & Partners back in 2006, following over seven years at Organic. He was named a founding partner of the agency’s New York office in January, 2013, where he launched campaigns for the likes of YouTube, Google, Comcast and PledgeMusic. During his time with the agency, Haas was instrumental in making the Omnicom-owned shop a digital powerhouse while leading work for brands such as Sprint, HP, EBay, GE, and Got Milk. In 2010, Creativity named Haas one of its Creativity 50. Read on for Rich Silverstein and Jeff Goodby’s memo to agency staff following the break.

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We’re sorry to report that Christian Haas, a partner and executive creative director at GS&P New York, is leaving the agency to pursue other interests.

Over the past eight years, Christian has worked on numerous award-winning campaigns for Sprint, eBay, HP, GE and milk. He was instrumental in our transformation from one of the best TV agencies in the world to one of the best interactive shops around.

In 2012, when we made our plans to open our New York office, Christian stepped forward and volunteered to help us get it started. He helped open and grow the office. He helped pitch and produce a lot of good work, including campaigns for YouTube and Comcast.

But he feels its time for a change. He’s going to freelance a bit, will be helping some startups, and will take his time to find his next opportunity in New York.

As for our New York office, we continue to be committed to its success, and are bullish about the staff and opportunities.

Please wish Christian luck. He is a good friend and an extremely talented, special guy.

– Jeff, Rich, & the partners

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