TDA Boulder Hires Media Director From CPB

The Boulder shuffle continues. Independent agency TDA Boulder has hired media director Craig McDowell from CPB, the latest veteran to leave the MDC Partners agency as it undergoes a transition under a new agency leader. As TDA Boulder's media director, McDowell will report jointly to founder, executive creative director Thomas Dooley and executive creative director, partner Jonathan Schoenberg. McDowell will lead media across accounts like Ascent Protein, Champion Petfoods, Daiya, FirstBank, McCain Foods and Nutiva. He succeeds Heather Lee, who will move into a role leading media strategy. Schoenberg told Adweek that in her new position, Lee has played a key role for the media department and agency, and will continue to inform work across clients:"She was seeking more work-life balance after a crazy busy pandemic year, and we were more than happy to meet her needs, and have her stay at the agency in a key role where she can work fewer hours, but still have huge impact in the department and our culture," he said. "In her new role leading media strategy, Heather will continue to touch each of our clients’ business, with her smarts, talent and insight." "Heather has been a phenomenal leader in the media department as it has grown, and we are certain Craig's personality and experience allows for the next great next chapter as media becomes that much more important to our clients and our creative department," Schoenberg added. McDowell spent the past eight years at CPB after joining the agency from Deutsch's Los Angeles office in 2013 as associate media director. Most recently, McDowell served as media director across clients, including the American Heart Association, Domino's Pizza, Fruit of the Loom and Veteran's United. Prior to CPB, McDowell spent five years in media leadership roles with Deutsch, working on the Diamond Foods and PlayStation accounts. He began his career as a media planner at Round2 Communications in Los Angeles, where he worked on accounts including Crystal Cruise Line, Ketel One Vodka and Union Bank of California. "I love working in the media department at creative ad agencies, as media can play a huge role in the creative process and is an integral part in making the best creative work," McDowell said in a statement. "I’m a huge fan of the work TDA does and can’t wait to contribute my media expertise to their dynamic creative process." McDowell is the latest in a line of agency leaders to leave or join CPB over the course of the past couple of months. Last year, Domino's appointed WorkInProgress as its creative agency of record, ending a 13-year relationship with CPB. This week, the independent Boulder shop founded by CPB vets hired Kelly McCormick and D’Arcy O’Neill from CPB to lead the Domino's account as executive creative directors. Earlier this month, CPB hired GSD&M president Marianne Malina as CEO, following Erik Sollenberg’s departure from CPB in March. This week, CPB rounded out its leadership team with a series of hires including a CSO and head of production. How Domino’s Plans to Beat the Food Delivery Boom