Ola Kudu named SVP, Executive Creative Director of Carol H. Williams Advertising

(May 30, 2017) Carol H. Williams Advertising agency has announced that Ola Kudu has been named Senior Vice President, Executive Creative Director reporting to the CEO & CCO, Carol Williams. Kudu provides CHWA with a unique creative resource and an asset to the brands CHWA represents. An award-winning creative veteran, Kudu has over 20 years experience in multicultural space, entertainment & lifestyle marketing, and creative leadership.

Over the course of his career, Kudu has delivered breakthrough multicultural and mainstream campaigns for brands including: Nike, Coca-Cola, Walmart, Verizon, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Toyota, Gillette, Corona, Courvoisier, Diageo, Viacom Networks, MTV Networks, BET Networks, Cartoon Network, DirecTV, Lufthansa, Novartis and The Kaiser Family Foundation.

Kudu began his career as an art director for legendary music publications Vibe and The Source. Later, Kudu made a name for himself as Creative Director for independent label Loud Records. Kudu created innovative marketing campaigns for platinum artists such as Wu-Tang Clan, Mobb Deep, and Big Pun and became a digital pioneer, developing applications for 360 interactive VR experiences in the early 2000s. Kudu was also the creative force behind the launch of the first custom publication for Nike's multi-billion-dollar enterprise, Brand Jordan.

In 2003, Ola developed an award-winning multicultural campaign, featuring Verizon's iconic "Testman" character. The campaign opened new markets to the brand. The following year he successfully launched a millennial-targeted mobile brand for the telecom giant.

From 2004-2010, Kudu moved to content creation and led the transformative rebranding of Black Entertainment Television into an Emmy-winning and original programming powerhouse brand with 100% brand recognition among African Americans. Kudu oversaw the creative launch of BET Mobile, BET International, the creation of the BET Honors franchise, and led the network to its highest ad sales and ratings year in network history.

More recently, Kudu has dedicated time to promoting the work of nonprofits including The Noah's Arc Foundation, in Chicago, which uses art and sports to encourage youth to avoid gun violence.
Kudu is actively engaged in developing the next generation of creative leaders via his involvement with several industry organizations including the American Advertising Federation's Mosaic Council, NAACP Image Awards, National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC), The ONE Club/Art Directors Club, Telly Awards, Promax/BDA and The Recording Academy/Grammy Awards.


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