Sources familiar with the matter have confirmed to us that Tom O’Keefe, a DraftFCB vet who’s spent nearly 20-plus years in the ad biz, is leaving the agency. From what we’re hearing, O’Keefe, who most recently served as executive creative director, North America at the agency, is moving on from DFCB to head up his own shop. Word on the Spy line is that O’Keefe has been lured away from Draft Chicago by Nick Paul, formerly EVP/global chief growth officer at the agency, though we’ve yet to receive official confirmation on this. We’ve also been told by sources that he has been exploring the possibility of opening his own shop, though he has not finalized any plans.
As for O’Keefe, the outgoing exec (no timetable yet on his official departure date) initially joined Draftfcb in 1990 and eventually served as executive creative director in the agency’s San Francisco office before moving a decade ago to take on the same role at the agency’s Chicago hub. We’ll keep you posted when we learn more.