Zig’s Toronto office will lose half of its award-wining creative team in February, when Stephen Leps moves to Chicago.
Leps, who currently works with co-creative director Aaron Starkman, will become creative director at Zig Chicago. He takes over for Kevin Lynch in February.
Starkman will take over sole creative oversight on the duo’s largest account, Molson, and begin sharing additional duties with Martin Beauvais, the agency’s executive creative director.
“Aaron will continue to work with Stephen a bit,” said Andy Macaulay, Zig’s president. “The guys said they want to do stuff together, so we’ll make sure that happens.”
When asked about a new creative partner in Toronto, Starkman said he doubted one would be named. “For the past few years, managing things has taken up the bulk of our time. We only worked on three or four things a year. In terms of those projects, we’ll continue doing them together.”
Starkman and Leps have been paired since 2001 and have won three Gold Lions in Cannes, most recently in 2008 for IKEA’s “Low Voice” radio ad. Their first Lion was for the now-famous Vim “Prisoner” television commercial.
“What I’m going to miss is my friend,” Starkman said. “In seven years I can’t remember a single argument. That’s a testament to his upbeat attitude and his amazing optimism.”
Chicago’s Lynch has not made his future plans public. In 2001, he helped found Hadrian’s Wall, the agency Zig acquired in 2006, rebranding it as Zig.
