ASIA-PACIFIC – KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, AUGUST 1, 2011 – Tan Kien Eng, CEO, Leo Burnett Group Malaysia and Singapore, announced today the appointment of Eric Cruz to Leo Burnett & Arc Worldwide Malaysia as Executive Creative Director.
The appointment will see Cruz relocate to Kuala Lumpur from London where he was most recently Creative Director at Wieden + Kennedy.
Commenting on the appointment, Tan said, "Eric’s unique blend of experience having worked with some of the world’s leading agencies across some of the most creatively-vibrant markets sets him apart. More importantly, he has a strong track record of delivering strong globally-relevant work that is deep set in Asian culture. No longer just story-telling, but expanding on stories, not just digital, but experiential engagement, Eric’s skill set will be a great complement to the existing talents in our agency.”
Eric Cruz is a Creative Director, Designer, Director and Educator. Before his stint at Wieden+Kennedy London, he spent eight and a half years at Wieden+Kennedy Tokyo pursuing work that is culturally relevant to his Asian roots, collaborating with brands including Nike, Google, Honda, Aiwa, Kumon and Mori Building. He co-founded W+K Tokyo Lab, W+K’s experimental music label and creative think tank-, overseeing its entire visual output from directing music videos to art directing and designing its packaging, online experiences and live events which has helped redefine and reinvent the music industry. His work focuses on the intersection between art and design, moving images and digital narratives, exploring new frontiers in media hybrids. Cruz joined W+K London in May 2010 as a CD on Nokia Mobile Computing and Nestea.
Prior to W+K Tokyo, he worked at Imaginary Forces LA designing for film and television; Razorfish London where he evangelized about the merging of web and moving media; W+K Portland creating ads for Microsoft Office and Studio Archetype where he started off his career designing websites, packaging and identity systems. He attended Virginia Commonwealth University and received his BFA in Graphic Design at Art Center College of Design and earned his MFA in Design at Cranbrook Academy of Art. An avid educator, he lectures worldwide on Design and Moving Media and held teaching positions at Center for Creative Studies in Detroit and Temple University Tokyo.
Recognition includes the Tokyo ADC Award, Cannes Titanium Lion Nominations for Nike Presto, Cannes Cyber Lion, ADC NY Gold, the American Illustration Prize, ONE Show Gold and Silver, D&AD, ResFest, onedotzero and The Japan Media Arts Festival Excellence Prize.
