Jamie King has spent his whole life in the Midwest and his entire career at Publicis Groupe’s Leo Burnett. But the lure of working for a creatively driven shop has him excited about a move to the West Coast for his new job as svp, director of brand integration at Publicis & Hal Riney in San Francisco.
“Riney has a heritage of creativity and innovation and, importantly, a leadership team focused on unleashing it,” said King, 34, who starts his job today.
In the newly created post, King will report to Riney CEO Karen Francis and oversee the agency’s new business department. Francis said she was drawn to King because of his extensive experience with integrated marketing.
“Jamie has an impressive track record of converting new business opportunities into clients, having been integral in securing multimillion-dollar accounts like Petsmart, Starbucks and Western Union, to name a few,” said Francis.
King joined Burnett after graduating from Denison University in Granville, Ohio. He held many roles over 11 years, eventually becoming an evp, group account director. In 2003, he was named COO of agency offshoot LB Works, which quickly won business from Lexmark and EarthLink.
Burnett shuttered LB Works in an effort to focus its brand, and King rejoined the agency in his former role as group account director.
He said his plan in his first year at Riney is quality, not quantity.
“It’s got to be growth on our terms,” King said. “There is good growth and bad growth—good growth is winning an account that is good for the agency. That becomes a casting situation, like, ‘Is this a good fit?’ “
King, who made the move with his wife, two children and bulldog, Gus, is familiar with the Bay Area; he has often visited his sister there.
Burnetter King Joins Hal Riney
