John joined legacy VML in 2010 and helped win the agency's first Cannes Lion in 2012. Since then, he has helped bring home nearly 100 more Lions, including VMLY&R's first Grand Prix for Wendy's "Keeping Fortnite Fresh."

As an integral part of the agency's creative evolution, John has focused on combining human insights with brand truths to tell stories across multiple platforms. His mantra of "stop interrupting what people are interested in and become what people are interested in" has resulted in work that often crosses into pop culture and dramatically increases the return on media spends. His work on the Tennessee Tourism account has brought in earned media impressions that equal Florida's, a state with nearly 20 times Tennessee's media budget. And his leadership on Wendy's has helped the brand create a social media following that rivals many national media platforms.

Recognized as a leading expert in branded entertainment, John has created three full-length branded films. His most recent film, "It All Begins with a Song” was honored at multiple film festivals, including the International Film Festival Rotterdam. The film also garnered rave reviews from Tom Hanks and won three Cannes Lions, which helped the agency become Cannes Entertainment Agency of the Year for the second year in a row.

John's 30-plus years of brand-building expertise includes stints at Team Detroit -where he helped create a branded content discipline for Ford - and FCB. While at FCB, his work was parodied by "Saturday Night Live," "Scary Movie 3," and ESPN - and demonized by Rush Limbaugh (a personal career highlight).

John is based in VML's principal office in Kansas City.