After a few weeks of trying him on for size, Spider Marketing Solutions has made Blake Atkinson its creative director.
Atkinson was the first of several candidates interviewed for the creative directorship (a process organized by search consultancy Mandrake). The former CD, Craig Jenkins, departed in May to become a freelancer.
Spider president Rico DiGiovanni said he was looking for someone with expertise in promotional and digital marketing.
“You can often find one, but not both,” DiGiovanni said. “Blake has a strong print and promotional background, but he’s also spent a long time learning the digital space.”
Atkinson was most recently with Pebble Interactive, but has also worked at Draft/FCB, Cossette and Quadrant.
He was actually hired by Spider as a freelancer to help with several projects while DiGiovanni interviewed subsequent candidates. “I needed to do my due diligence, but I had a feeling,” DiGiovanni said.
During his freelance time with Spider, Atkinson contributed to work on the agency’s Mattel, GlaxoSmithKline and Maple Leaf accounts. After this unofficial trial period, Atkinson was given full-time status in July and has since helped the agency pitch for a Clorox project, which it won.
“With Blake, there’s a real simpatico,” DiGiovanni said. “Our styles are very complementary. There’s no ego in his work.”
