Toronto experiential and activation agency TrojanOne has hired former Capital C creative leader Gary Watson as its first executive creative director.
Gary Watson
When Captial C announced in June that it was to become a part of KBS+, it also announced that Watson, its chief creative officer, was leaving the agency.
At that time, TrojanOne was looking for a new creative leader to oversee day-to-day work for clients such as Mattel, Coca-Cola and BMO.
“When I saw that Gary was on the market, I made a few phone calls to former colleagues who sung his praises,” said agency president Mark Harrison.
In March, the company officially named Graham Lee, formerly a partner at Grip Ltd, its chief creative officer. “We’re doing a bit of reinvention,” Harrison told Marketing. “What Graham has brought is proof of what true creative can do.”
Harrison stands by his agency’s creative output to date, but concedes it has sometimes amounted to “gimmicks with pretty pictures against them.”
“I don’t think we’ve won our fair share of RFPs because we’re not a great first date,” Harrison said. “We’re one hell of a wife or husband, but on a first date we can come across as kinda boring,” he said.
Watson will report to Harrison, who remains quite involved in day-to-day client work. His first day overseeing the approximately 12 full-time creative staff was Monday.
