Inside The Kitchen at Kraft Heinz, a Great Creative Talent Shift Is Brewing

Ideas don’t come from agencies. They come from people.  

That’s a firmly-held belief at The Kitchen, Kraft Heinz’s in-house agency. And, in recent  months, they’ve been practising what they preach with five new hires at the creative director  level. Gira Moin, Ananta Prayitno, Corey Winnicki, Phil Coulter, and Brendan Sack have all  joined the agency, adding lashings of experience and a generous helping of energy to The  Kitchen’s creative recipe. That’s set to be applied across all of Kraft Heinz’s repertoire of  brands, continuing to carve out places within culture and turning audiences’ heads.  

The Kitchen’s creative firepower just got a major boost. With five new Creative Directors  joining the team, their combined experience spans every corner of the industry. Together,  they’ve shaped iconic campaigns, earned global recognition, and pushed the boundaries of  creativity. They’ve crafted beloved Super Bowl spots, led national brand platforms, and  driven award-winning work across film, digital, social, and experiential. Their expertise  extends beyond traditional advertising—designing immersive retail spaces, producing live  events, and even reimagining physical brand headquarters. 

With a shared passion for ideas that move culture, this collective brings a diverse set of skills  that strengthen The Kitchen’s ability to create breakthrough work. More than just individual  achievements, their combined experience reflects a commitment to craft, innovation, and  making brands matter in unexpected ways. 

But like any good recipe, the ultimate aim with The Kitchen is to produce something that’s  greater than the sum of its parts. Executive Creative Director Simon Au explains that “what’s  most important for us about adding Gira, Ananta, Corey, Phil and Brendan is what they add  to the exceptional talent we already have across The Kitchen’s creative leadership. Now  more than ever before, we’re able to unlock creativity and ideas for brands to help them  break through at the speed of culture”.  

To find out more about the five new CDs’ plans for their roles - and how working in-house is  helping them to deliver on ideas that cut through in 2025 - LBB’s Adam Bennett caught up  with Gira, Ananta, Corey, Phil, and Brendan.  

In-House Incoming 

It’s been an industry trend for some time now, but the shift of talent towards in-house  agencies is beginning to reach a critical mass. In fact, it’s now less of a ‘trend’ than  something that’s simply an established part of the marketing landscape. For creative  directors like Brendan, that was part of the driving force that led him to The Kitchen. 

“Kraft Heinz and The Kitchen are at the forefront of advertising’s future”, he tells LBB. “It’s  one thing to be a traditional agency that claims it works at the speed of culture. It’s another  thing to be specifically designed from the ground up to actually do so. Our mandate is clear  and to be able to work on great brands in this new paradigm is an exciting opportunity.”  

That level of direct access to top tier brands under the Kraft Heinz umbrella isn’t just  appealing to creative talent in terms of prestige - it’s also something that can help unlock  even better work. “There’s something really exciting in the fact that some of the greatest  agencies in the world only have one, two, or a handful of our brands… while The Kitchen  has all of them”, explains Ananta. “There’s so much opportunity for brand-building and  fostering actual consumer brand love.” 

And it all adds up to something of a self-fulfilling prophecy. “For me, it was all about  momentum”, reflects Phil when asked why now was the right time to join. “The Kitchen is  evolving - not just creatively, but we’re embedding ourselves further into the business. That’s  something I wanted to be a part of.” 

That’s a sentiment which has been borne out of the in-house agency’s strong growth. “In just  three years, we’ve expanded from 4 to 19 brands, grown our team from 35 to over 135  across two offices, and we're still growing—with 40+ open roles to fill in 2025. This  expansion is a direct result of the trust Kraft Heinz places in us”, notes Tom Evans, Head of  The Kitchen North America. “We now deliver creative for 70% of the media plan across 90%  of brands we work on, producing full 360 campaigns, platform-native social and influencer  content, and cultural activations that make our brands stand out. As the creative agency of  record for select brands, we’ve become a strategic growth driver for Kraft Heinz—proactively  shaping opportunities, creating briefs instead of waiting for them, and delivering measurable  business impact.” 

Across the board, there’s a feeling that The Kitchen’s scale and success is enabling the  team to spark trends rather than chase them - or to be the signal, not the noise. And for a  team of high-quality creatives, there’s little more exciting than that.  

Creating Culture 

This attitude means that Kraft Heinz brands have developed a helpful knack for carving out  their own space within culture.  

“The Kitchen does a great job with work that doesn’t force its connections - things like the  #FindTheKetchupBoatGuy, Ore-Ida’s Tot Protecting Pants, Mustard x Mustard collab… they  aren’t just fun, distinctive ideas, they’re from truly ownable cultural truths”, as Ananta  explains. “Every so often a piece of content from our brands pops up on my own For You  Pages, and it feels engagingly native to the space (and that’s high praise for brand social!).” 

And there’s a direct link between those success stories and achieving the relevance required  to drive growth - a legacy the team is keen to continue building on. 

Ideas that move the cultural needle aren’t exclusive to in-house agencies - but the team all  agree that working in-house does make it easier to find those aspects of a brand that might  help reinvent it.  

“From fiery upstart brands like Liquid Death to more established ones like Meta, Spotify, or  Kraft Heinz, people are getting jealous of the kind of work you can build in-house”, says  Ananta. “A lot more people are seeing it for the shortcut to trust that it is. Being in-house  means you’re legit in saying you’re looking out for the best for a brand - you have a vested  interest.” 

And within the industry, it’s becoming an increasingly popular choice for talented creatives.  “It gives you the ability to break down the walls between creative and brand”, adds Phil.  “Plus, collaborating early and often in more informal ways helps to humanise the process.” 

It’s a sentiment summed up by Gira. “Creating reactive, culturally relevant work takes speed,  agility, and a deep connection to the brand,” she says. “Being in-house gives us the ability to  move fast and make shit happen. 

Stay True To Yourself 

In the wider marketing context, this is all happening at a time where media is more  oversaturated than ever before. Getting a fair hearing from modern audiences is a challenge  - one that the ability to hack into culture can help brands overcome.  

“There’s way more fish in the digital deep sea and they’re all trying to hook the next big  trend. The secret is tapping into what really makes the consumer and audience tick, from  nostalgia to pure originality”, says Corey. “You gotta let go of the ego and really open  yourself up to the world. Letting loose, keeping the mind open and most importantly having  fun while doing it. Because if you are, chances are they will.” 

“The secret to ensuring a brand gets heard is reminding themselves what Shakespeare once  wrote: ‘And this above all, to thine own self be true.’”, summarises Brendan. “As a brand you  must really know who you are and stick to it. Find what makes you unique and special, and if  you can’t find it, create it. This takes enormous courage because it could mean trying  

something new that makes you a little uncomfortable.” 

For these creatives - and increasing numbers across the industry - those new ideas are  being cooked up in-house.