Areas of Expertise
Creative Direction
Brand Strategy
Innovation
Communications
AI Creative Workflow
Ross is the co-founder and CEO of The Valet Service, an independent creative agency of strategists, artists and technologists who make work that sparks conversations. He previously served as Chief Creative Officer of Design Bridge and Partners North America and Superunion, running strategic and creative departments within WPP.
Ross believes in radical collaboration between strategy and creative. He loves building diverse hybrid teams, running workshops and developing lifelong relationships with clients and colleagues.
Over 20 years he has led partnerships with NASA, Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Colgate-Palmolive, The Coca-Cola Company, Diageo, Beam Suntory, Mazda, Ford and Nissan, specializing in unlocking creative platforms, future-thinking innovations, brand strategies, design systems and digital and social activations and campaigns. He also has a full understanding of AI workflows for creative.
With a background across brand, design and advertising, Ross’s superpower is pairing a breadth of strategic and creative skills with the spirit of a storyteller, crafting holistic brand experiences across ecosystems. He is skilled at socializing work within large organizations and has led meaningful brand change by championing simple, elegant ideas from the C-suite all the way to the street.
Email
ogcluglife@gmail.com
Experience
Co-Founder & CEO - The Valet Service - 2024 - Present
An independent creative agency of strategists, artists and technologists making work that starts conversations. We lead brand strategy, messaging, visual identity, storytelling and creative technology for brands that want an authentic presence in a discerning world. No offshoring, no handoffs: the people you talk to are the people doing the work. Clients include NASA, Nike, The Nueva School and more.
Chief Creative Officer - Design Bridge and Partners - 2023-2025
Led strategic and creative output for a North American business of $25M+ in revenue. Key relationships included NASA, Microsoft, Lenovo, Mastercard, Diageo and Beam Suntory. Delivered $5M+ in net new business and raised the agency’s profile through PR, press and award recognition.
Chief Creative Officer - Superunion - 2018 - 2023
Superunion was WPP’s experimental brand agency, launched in 2018. Ross was the first executive hire in New York, tasked with redefining the category. He successfully managed the merger of five creative agencies and helped evolve the client portfolio from B2B into innovation, technology and communications. With the Head of Strategy, he developed a workshop-first approach that brought clients together at every level, from the C-suite to interns, to build brands collaboratively. The method led to successful global brand programs and was recognized by Cannes, D&AD, ADC and the Transform Awards.
Senior Creative Director - Interbrand - 2011 - 2018
Interbrand has pioneered brand building for over 50 years. As Senior Creative Director, Ross united strategy and creative to produce work clients could brag about, bringing together writers, creative technologists, strategists, artists and UX/UI designers. The result was award-winning, career-defining work for clients including Disney, Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Qualcomm and Nissan.
Creative - The Moderns - 2009 - 2011
Led a team of strategists, writers and designers at a holistic branding agency, defining brands across fashion, tech and furniture design. Clients included Rodarte, Knoll and Millicare, with deliverables ranging from tone of voice workshops to short films and online campaigns.
Art Director - J. Walter Thompson Worldwide - 2007 - 2008
Created regional and local campaigns across South East Asia for the Unilever portfolio, producing broadcast and web work for everything from shampoo to The Elephant Nature Park for the ASPCA.
Creative Director - Kingbrown - 2007 - Ongoing
An independent art magazine bringing together legends of the art world with up-and-coming artists. Served cold in a screen-printed brown paper bag, every issue was unique. With fellow West Australians Scott Hitchcock and Ian Mutch, Ross built distribution and a digital footprint across four countries, staged launch installations for each issue in Sydney, Bangkok, Singapore, Manhattan and Brooklyn, and directed short films celebrating creativity.
Art Director - Braincells - 2004 - 2007
Created award-winning TV, print and digital campaigns for clients ranging from B2B to B2B2C to CPG.