BBH USA has promoted two award-winning group creative directors to executive creative directors following a year of major client wins and breakthrough campaigns. Kasia Canning and Estefanio Holtz, who joined the agency a little over a year ago, have been elevated to the ecd level and will report to CCO Rafael Rizuto.
Canning and Holtz were hired by BBH in May of 2021, Canning coming from 72andSunny and Holtz from McCann New York, and the two quickly established themselves as a strong creative duo. They helped lead the 2022 Google Shopping campaign, and are also among the creative forces behind the hugely successful Google Black-Owned Friday campaign, which has promoted Black-owned small businesses during the holiday shopping season. The campaign was recognized with two Cannes Gold Lions—one Entertainment for Music and one Digital Craft—as well as two Silver Lions for Direct and Film Craft. It was also shortlisted for a Titanium Lion.
In May, One Show recognized the creative duo as the number one group creative directors in the world.
“Kasia is an extraordinary writer and Estefanio is an outstanding art director, and together they are a match made in heaven,” said Rizuto in a statement. “From day one, they demonstrated their impact, leading some of our most successful campaigns. BBH USA has been going through fantastic transformational changes in the last couple of years and the work keeps getting better because of amazing leaders like Kasia and Estefanio. I’m really looking forward to seeing them shine in this new role.”
Prior to BBH, Canning was creative director at 72&Sunny, running Carl’s Jr./Hardee’s and Grubhub. She also served as creative director at Barton F. Graf, leading work for Little Caesars and Bob’s Discount Furniture, and oversaw the rebrand of MassMutual at Johannes Leonardo. Before that, she spent two years in Amsterdam where she won two Cannes Grand Prix for ING’s “The Next Rembrandt.” She also spent time at TBWA\Chiat\Day and Translation, and was named most awarded female creative in Cannes 2016.
“In the past year, we’ve added multiple clients to our roster, staffed up extensively and continued to foster our diverse culture. That momentum that attracted me to BBH USA isn’t slowing down; it keeps getting stronger,” said Canning in a statement.
Holtz began his career in his native Brazil before emigrating to the U.S. in 2015, where he worked as creative director at Pereira O’Dell San Francisco and New York. From there he became vice president and creative director at McCann New York. He has worked with major brands including Mini BMW, Chick-fil-A, Microsoft and Fifth Third Bank. His work has been honored with numerous awards including Cannes Lion Festival, D&AD, One Show and Clio Awards.
“I’ve had the opportunity to work with incredibly talented colleagues here at BBH USA on campaigns and ideas that don’t just stand out creatively but become a part of culture,” said Holtz in a statement. “In our new roles, Kasia and I look forward to helping our clients reach new heights in terms of innovative creative and barrier-breaking ideas.”
BBH USA has been gaining creative momentum recently, bringing home 17 One Show Awards this year, including being named fourth in North America and ninth globally. In addition, Amani Duncan was promoted to CEO and was named one of Adweek’s Women Trailblazers of 2022.