Brooklyn-based Huge has hired Hans Neubert, now-former global CCO at Frog or Frog Design (no Strawberry) to serve as its first chief creative officer since Conor Brady left in December 2013 for Critical Mass New York.
A Huge spokesperson tells us that Neubert starts in mid-April. There was no press release, because Frog leaked the news to AdAge.
The latter agency’s CEO Harry West also took the opportunity to post a personal essay of sorts on the post-Neubert Frog. He writes, “we have gone from having to explain ourselves to our clients, to being at risk of being crushed by their corporate embrace,” adding, “in true frog fashion, we are setting a new precedent and establishing the Creative Leadership Team, a nontraditional leadership model made up of a group of five diverse and experienced frogs.”
Neubert is a UX/design specialist who previously spent nearly seven years with Frog after joining the shop’s New York design studio in May 2009 as executive creative director. Frog calls itself “a global design and strategy firm” that “develops state-of-the-art products, services and strategies for brands”; it was founded by German industrial designer Hartmut Esslinger in San Francisco in 1969 and worked on various early Apple projects in the ’80s and ’90s.
Prior to joining Frog, Neubert was an ECD at Avenue A|Razorfish, and he also spent six years with VML in New York. According to his LinkedIn profile, he helped launch VSA Partners in Manhattan in 2003, serving as managing director and creative director and effectively leading the agency’s New York office.
Earlier in his career, he co-founded digital shop Nuforia, which was acquired by Red Sky Interactive in 1999. He then served as SVP/ECD there until it merged with Agency.com, which later became part of TBWA\Chiat\Day.
In the new role, Neubert will report directly to Huge CEO Aaron Shapiro.