Sid Lee Continues to Break the Ordinary, Appointing Perry Tell to Lead US Growth & Innovation

Sid Lee has appointed Perry Tell as Executive Vice President of US Growth & Innovation based in Los Angeles. With a career spanning more than three decades built on taking chances, changing direction and challenging expectations, Perry brings a fresh perspective as he leads the agency’s US growth strategy and shapes its next chapter in the market.

Perry’s willingness to take risks began long before his advertising career. A former member of synth-pop band Figures on a Beach, signed to Warner Brothers Records, he toured the world before trading the stage for the agency world. Armed with a musician’s creativity and the drive to prove himself in a new industry, he went on to lead and scale businesses across design, product and innovation. Most recently, he was CEO of Edenspiekermann USA, where he spearheaded work for Mercedes-Benz and BMW, following his tenure as Managing Director at AKQA, where he led Potato, its product design and innovation studio. He also founded Inmoji, an interactive messaging platform used by Starbucks, Disney and Netflix, and served as its chief revenue officer.

“Bold has always been how we work, and the US is where we’re ready to take it a step further,” said Marie-Lise Campeau, CEO, Sid Lee Group. “And Perry is the right person to lead that. He has an edge that comes from choosing the harder, more interesting path, and he has never settled for the comfortable answer. That’s the exact spirit we want Sid Lee to bring into every room.”

Part of Sid Lee Group, an international creative services firm, Sid Lee has established a strong US presence alongside sister companies Sid Lee Sport, Yard, Digital Kitchen, GDP and Never Not. With operations in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, the agency partners with some of the country’s most prominent brands to create internationally recognised work. Recent honours include, Best AI Integration in Social Media at The Webby Awards for Destruction Receipts, a campaign for Electronic Arts (EA) Battlefield 6, and the Grand Prix at the Marketing Elevation Awards for Money in Harmony, created for Fidelity Information Services (FIS). Building on that foundation, Perry will help bring Sid Lee’s multidisciplinary capabilities to more brands ready to pursue ambitious work.

“Great work happens when you give talented people the space to think and the trust to follow through,” said Johan Vakidis, Chief Creative Officer & President, North America, Sid Lee. “Our US clients have seen what that produces, from ideas that move their business to work the industry has recognised. We’re thrilled to have Perry, who has the drive to push that to the next level.”

As emerging technology continues to transform the landscape for brands, media and advertising, Sid Lee has spent the past several years embedding AI into its creative, strategy and production work, with human creativity and judgement at the centre. Perry will serve as the bridge between US brands and Sid Lee, bringing its AI capabilities alongside its expertise in creative, media, production and content to deliver ideas and solutions that challenge convention and keep pace with change.

“Doing something different has always mattered more to me than doing something safe. It’s how I judge work worth doing,” said Perry Tell. “That’s what drew me to Sid Lee. The creative is sharp, the people behind it care about every detail, and nobody here is content to repeat what’s already been done. I didn’t join to maintain something good, rather to build on it.”

Perry will lead revenue, growth and team leadership for Sid Lee’s US business. His appointment marks the next step in Sid Lee’s US momentum, bringing its commitment to Break the Ordinary to more brands and audiences across the country and beyond.

Source: Sid Lee

  AKQA, Edenspiekermann USA, Johan Vakidis, Perry Tell, Sid Lee, Warner Brothers Records