Yamamoto Welcomes Michael Stelmaszek as Chief Creative Officer

Michael Stelmaszek is joining full-service creative agency, Yamamoto, a Stagwell (NASDAQ: STGW) company, as Chief Creative Officer.

Stelmaszek, who wrote “The Middle,” the 2021 Jeep Superbowl ad featuring Bruce Springsteen, brings extensive experience with CPG, automotive, financial services and healthcare brands to the Minneapolis-based agency. Stelmaszek’s creative leadership chops, professional network and keen eye for culture will accelerate growth and amplify relevance for a shop that has already doubled in size in the past four years.

“Michael is a perfect creative and cultural fit for an agency that prides itself on moving mountains for its clients,” said Kathy McCuskey, CEO of Yamamoto. “He is an exceptional writer and storyteller, and he’s going to energize and inspire a creative team that is already capable of competing with agencies twice our size. In addition to elevating creative for our current client list, Michael will play a key role in the agency’s new business efforts to help us meet our ambitious growth goals.”

Before joining Yamamoto, Stelmaszek was Partner and Chief Creative Officer at Detroit-based LUDWIG+, where he led the boutique agency to wins for the Ram REV truck, FIAT 500e, Milo’s Tea Company, fintech lender Biz2Credit and others. Previously, Stelmaszek served as Executive Creative Director at Doner and Group Creative Director at Campbell-Ewald. Former clients include Chevrolet, Fairlife Milk, The United States Postal Service, Kaiser Permanente, Food Lion and the University of Michigan.

“The foundation at Yamamoto is exceptional,” Stelmaszek said. “We have all the right people in all the right places. The curious, courageous, creative culture perfectly aligns with how I want to work. I’m excited to come in and play my part and do what I can to make this great team even better.”

Stelmaszek takes on a role at Yamamoto that has been vacant for the past 18 months as the agency has sought to find the right fit. He will be leading a team of creatives that is scheduled to grow in 2024. Stelmaszek will work out of his home office in Detroit but will frequently travel to Yamamoto’s Minneapolis and Chicago locations.

“Michael is an incredible writer and thinker and cultural maven,” said Shawn Pals, Executive Creative Director at Yamamoto. “I’m excited to partner with him on new business and also to have a co-conspirator in developing our talented team as we continue to grow.”

Source: Yamamoto

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