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773.972.2241|greyingram@gmail.com

Awards

Experience

FCB - Creative Director - Helped manage Cox Communications, FCB’s biggest client, while launching Mining for Mercury - a unique, inspiring writing program for creatives looking to sharpen their skills, resulting in 4 Cannes Lions and 3 Radio Mercury Awards.

Mining for Mercury started as a small experiment—four writers chasing a dream to win. A year later, after it started winning awards, it was a full-blown movement: 30+ people from all disciplines, showing up, pitching in, volunteering time. It was a proud moment.

Ogilvy Action - Executive Creative Director - Led a team of about 40 in Ogilvy’s Shopper Marketing arm. Worked with partner agencies to create integrated campaigns for all brands under S.C. Johnson (including Glade, Kiwi, OFF!, Pledge, Raid, Ziploc, Scrubbing Bubbles, Shout) and Kimberly-Clark (including Huggies, Kleenex, Kotex, Andrex, Cottonelle, Scott, Depend, and Poise).

My boss hired me without clearing it with his bosses. He didn’t last long. I stayed and led a team of 40, working on household names—many of them under your sink. Between S.C. Johnson, Kimberly-Clark, and partner agencies, there were plenty of people with opinions about the work. My job was to turn that into ideas worth making. Not the smoothest onboarding, but plenty of practice figuring things out.

Saatchi & Saatchi X - Creative Director - Deep dive into shopper marketing, where strategy leads the way. Successfully brought bold creative ideas into a highly analytical space, balancing strategy, insight, and impactful execution to drive sales. I led the Frito-Lay team primarily for Walmart, Target, Walgreens, CVS, and Kroger.

I got into shopper marketing to get closer to the moment of truth—where people actually decide to buy. I expected insights and smart, impactful work. Instead, strategy sold, but execution rarely did. Lots of hard work and great ideas died due to differing opinions from different retailers. Silver lining: I met my wife there. So, technically, the best ROI of my career.

Strategic America - ACD/Copywriter - Moved to a smaller market, where we were more connected to the results. That hands-on approach pushed us to do smarter, sharper work—and it paid off, taking the agency to a national stage. Clients included Principal Insurance, Iowa Farm Bureau, Wendy’s, Kum & Go.

Strategic America dreamed of being the next Fallon—just based in Des Moines. I was skeptical. But I ended up working with some of the most talented people of my career. We didn’t become Fallon, but for a while, we were the hands-down best shop in town and the best small agency in the Midwest. And that felt pretty damn good.

DDB - ACD/Copywriter - First job in advertising working on State Farm, Anheuser-Busch, Morton Salt, and Midas Brakes. It was a crash course in how to come up with great ideas that worked across all platforms. It was back when one agency controlled all facets of the campaign. So everything worked together seamlessly.

Walking the same halls as the team behind Real Men of Genius and decades of Super Bowl #1 ads felt like entering a shrine to great advertising. That energy was everywhere. I worked on State Farm with some of the smartest, funniest, most genuinely creative people. We even brought home State Farm’s first-ever Cannes Lion and Effie.

Versatile Creative Director with experience across all facets of advertising, from content creation and shopper marketing to Super Bowl commercials. A strategic thinker skilled in leading teams, developing impactful campaigns, and crafting compelling brand narratives. Open to freelance or full-time opportunities, driven by innovative, results-driven creativity.

That’s the AI-generated, SEO-Optimized version of my career. But really, I just like working with smart, talented people who care about the work. I’ve led teams, built brands, and made things that actually moved the needle — sometimes even on purpose. I believe great creative comes from collaboration, curiosity, and knowing when to kill your darlings (gently).

Summary

Impact - Executive Creative Director - Led a 40-person creative team, serving 100+ clients while optimizing workflow and utilization - streamlined collaboration between account and strategy teams while maintaining a strong culture.

Impact was a blast. Helping scrappy companies without marketing teams gave us real creative freedom. Hardest part? Reining in wild ideas. Favorite that almost worked: a Beggar’s Pizza on Lake Michigan. A fun reminder of how much power we hold as advertisers.