Special US Adds Shannon Nunn as President in New York

Special continues to invest in its New York presence. The global independent agency has brought Shannon Nunn on to be president of its growing New York office. Shannon will start in September. 

Shannon joins Special from Omnicom held TBWA\Chiat\Day, where he spent the last five years, most recently as managing director of the company's NY office. In his new role, he will be reunited with long-time collaborator and creative partner Amy Ferguson who recently joined Special in New York as CCO. 

Shannon will lead the Special New York office alongside Amy and said the idea of joining an independent agency and building something from the ground up drew him to the opportunity. “When considering the next phase of my career, the opportunity to grow with and influence this bold, creative agency was very enticing’, Shannon commented. ‘As an Aussie expat, I’ve revered what Special have built in Australia and New Zealand, the scale and breadth of the business, and their artistry and craft have always impressed me. I’m thrilled to be joining a team of brilliant minds who are passionate about creativity and committed to building a positive and vibrant workplace culture, and I get to do all of that alongside Fergs, my trusted partner in crime. I’m excited to dive in.” 

“I am over the moon to partner with Shannon again and to build Special New York together. Shannon is a brilliant business person who champions creativity and develops strong, trusting relationships with clients. He and I have always been aligned on our people and culture-first approach to leadership which is something that will be front and centre as we set out to grow this agency.” Amy said of Shannon. 

“Special is deeply committed to delivering creativity that truly lives up to our name, and investing in the right talent to enable us to do that in every market. In Shannon we know we have found someone who prioritizes collective ambition over personal ego, and is looking to build a modern creative culture designed to nurture the kind of ideas that our clients, our people and the world at large genuinely love. We couldn’t be more excited to have him join us.” CEO Kelsey Hodgkin said. 

Special’s New York office is gaining momentum having recently earned AOR responsibilities on Hanes, project work for William Grant & Sons’ Monkey Shoulder, and are expanding on Special’s existing partnership with Uber Eats and more recently Uber. Special picked up multiple awards for their work on the Uber Eats Super Bowl campaign this year, starring Jennifer Aniston and David Beckham, including a Cannes Lion. 

While at TBWA\Chiat\Day NY, Shannon helped solidify significant growth, with accountability for the business department, oversight of the company’s 400+ employees and the client portfolio. Shannon’s 18-year career in advertising spans roles at DDB, Australian independent agency Big Red and client side at US retail group Southeastern Grocers. He has partnered with brands including LG, Meta, McDonald’s, Accenture, Mayo Clinic, Jetstar (Qantas), and Burger King (Hungry Jack’s). Shannon is an active member of the US AdCouncil board.

Since Special launched in New Zealand and expanded to Australia, it has become Asia Pacific’s leading independent agency, producing work for clients such as Uber Eats, Pepsi, Virgin Australia and ANZ bank. In 2020, 2021 & 2023 it was recognised as global Creative Agency of the Year by Campaign UK. WARC recently ranked Special as the #1 most effective Independent network in the world