Zambezi Revamps Creative Team With New Hires, Promotion

By Erik Oster 

Independent creative agency Zambezi expanded its creative team by hiring of Dan Maxwell as creative director and Annie Johnston as associate creative director and the promotion of Chris Rutkowski to associate creative director.

“We are super lucky to have incredibly talented people like Dan, Annie and Chris want to be a part of what we are building,” Zambezi partner, executive creative director Josh DiMarcantonio said in a statement. “They are not only amazing creatives, but good, genuine people. Something that’s very important to us as we continue to grow into the future. Our goal will always be to be better than yesterday and to make work that is not only effective and builds honesty and trust in the marketplace, but to make it with people we truly enjoy being around every day. These three definitely represent that.”

Maxwell joins Zambezi following nearly two years as a freelance creative director, working with clients such as Volkswagen, Audi, Google and Samsung. Before going freelance he spent over a year as an associate creative director with R/GA, where he served as one of the first creative managers out of the agency’s Los Angeles office and focused on its Beats by Dre account. Prior to R/GA he spent over a year and a half as a copywriter and interactive creative with W+K Amsterdam, working with brands including Coca-Cola and Heineken. He also spent time as a creative technologist and interactive producer with Venables, Bell and Partners.

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Johnston joins Zambezi following a couple months as a freelance art director with Saatchi & Saatchi Los Angeles and a similarly short stint in that position with 72andSunny before that. Prior to those freelance roles she spent over six years as an art director with TBWA\Chiat\Day.

Rutkowski joined Zambezi as a senior art director back in March of 2013. He joined the agency from Pereira & O’Dell, where he spent a year as an art director.

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