New TBWA\Chiat\Day NY CCO Dustin Tomes Wants to Build a Team Obsessed with Great Work

From October 10th, Dustin Tomes will join TBWA\Chiat\Day in New York as its chief creative officer. Most recently, Dustin was EVP, executive creative director at Publicis Group’s Le Truc, and prior to that has been a creative director and ECD at the likes of Droga5, Leo Burnett and Saatchi & Saatchi. 

In his first-ever CCO role at TBWA\Chiat\Day New York, Dustin will lead the agency’s creative department, overseeing clients including Hilton, Nissan, LG and Moderna, and recent new business wins, Carnival Cruise Line and Wells Fargo.

Dustin describes the move as a “full circle moment”, as he previously worked as an ACD at the New York agency, leaving in 2015. Since then, he says he’s ‘spent the past decade doing the best work of his career’, earning recognition from the likes of the One Show, D&AD, Cannes Lions, Webby Awards and Clios, for brands like Goldfish, Pizza Hut and HBO’s ‘Game of Thrones’.

Aiming to help his new colleagues make the best work of their careers now as a leader at TBWA\Chiat\Day NY, Dustin is bringing his experience and expertise to potentially change the trajectory of the agency and its clients – and make his parents proud.

LBB’s Ben Conway caught up with Dustin to discuss his ambitions for the new job.

LBB> Congratulations! This is something of a homecoming, as you were previously an ACD at TBWA\Chiat\Day for two years. What does it mean to you to return? 

Dustin> You would be hard-pressed to find a better, more consistent agency brand and network than TBWA\Chiat\Day. They’ve remained steadfast in who they are and who they have always been. They also have a rich history of iconic work for iconic brands. So to come in as a creative leader and build upon that legacy was something I couldn’t pass up. And what dad wouldn’t jump at the chance to be able to tell their kids that they’re a pirate?

It’s also a great opportunity to work alongside both [TBWA\Chiat\Day NY CEO] Emily Wilcox and [TBWA\Chiat\Day US CEO] Erin Riley, who are great partners and CEOs who care deeply about the work and people – employees and clients alike. The opportunity has everything you need to make great work for great brands, and I look forward to working alongside everyone in New York to make that happen.

Above: Dustin Tomes and New York CEO, Emily Wilcox

LBB> What are the biggest differences in the agency and business between now and when you last left the agency in 2015? What new skills and experiences do you bring with you?

Dustin> The biggest difference between then and now is that the industry, the world, and the needs of clients have changed drastically. So you know, not that much has changed. 

But lucky for me, what hasn’t changed is the commitment to disruption by TBWA\Chiat\Day, which has always put the agency in a position to make work that breaks through – no matter how much the landscape changes. On my end, I’ve spent the past decade doing the best work of my career, and developing the skills and vision required to help lead an agency of such significance, and I plan to help those I work alongside make the best work of their careers. I’ve also, to the chagrin of my wife and kids, been relentless in perfecting the art of the dad joke.

LBB> You've been a creative director and an ECD for the likes of Droga5, Le Truc and Leo Burnett – but this is your first CCO role. How will you approach creative leadership in the C-suite? What opportunities and experiences have prepared you for this role?

Dustin> I want to help build a leadership team that is obsessed with making great work. I don’t mean that in an all-consuming sort of way. In fact, as a father of two wonderful young kids, I expect everyone to find balance in their life and passions outside of work. It will make them a better employee and a better creative. But when we’re leading the agency, the focus should be on making great work. I’ve done the best work of my career when everyone from the front desk to finance cares about the work. Sometimes it was in the DNA of the entire agency, other times it was a small team of people within it. 

It’s not easy, and will require buy-in, but Emily and I have bought in. Great work has the power to drive every aspect of a business – growth, effectiveness, talent and new business. It’s also incredibly rewarding on a personal level, and can completely change the trajectory of one’s career and a client’s business. It will also make your parents proud, and who doesn’t want that?

LBB> How would you describe your leadership style? Are there any people from your career and life generally who you've taken particular inspiration from?

Dustin> I lead by listening, with empathy and by example. I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have a front row seat to some of the most notable creative leaders of this era. Each had a different leadership style and each experienced great success doing it in their own way, from David Droga to Alex Bogusky to Rob Reilly and Andrew Keller to Susan Credle. 

There are also several newly appointed creative leaders I’ve worked alongside that I have a lot of respect for and am constantly learning from. I’m a lifetime learner and I’m always trying to improve and grow. I plan to take a bit of everything I have learned from all of them, and do it in a way that is authentic to me.

LBB> TBWA has a 'Disruption' methodology – how have you disrupted in the past? And how are you going to cause disruption at TBWA\Chiat\Day going forward?

Dustin> I was fortunate enough to spend my formative years at Crispin Porter + Bogusky in Boulder when they were disrupting the entire industry. So it’s always been a foundational aspect of my approach to problem-solving. And at Droga5, we would often disrupt entire categories by doing work for brands that was unlike anything they had ever done before, and make ideas that left people wondering things like, ‘how the hell did you get them to let you kill their mascot?’. 

Because people actively avoid advertising, the thought of being disruptive is appealing. It makes people pay attention to and engage with brands. But often the journey to disruption requires taking risks, and we’ve never been more risk averse – agencies and brands alike. If we’re going to deliver as the Disruption Company®, we can’t just bring disruptive ideas. We need to show how each idea will solve a business problem and deliver the brand strategy. If we can do that, it makes any risk a calculated one, and should give our clients the confidence to move forward. I plan to work with Emily, the rest of the leadership team and the agency to do just that.