Hutson Kovanda Named Neiman Group's Executive Creative Director

HARRISBURG (November 14, 2008) - Neiman Group today announced Hutson Kovanda as its new executive creative director. Kovanda brings a burning hunger for great work, a patient way of helping clients to get there, and a determined focus to help make Neiman Group one of the best places to work in advertising.

Kovanda has been doing great work on national brands for 18 years, at agencies such as BBDO and JWT in Chicago and R&R Partners in Las Vegas. Prior to arriving at Neiman Group, Kovanda worked at MARC USA for six years, where he worked on Moen faucets, Mohawk flooring, Bryant Heating and Cooling and was senior creative director overseeing the Pennsylvania State Lottery account. His national brands include Checkers Fast Food Restaurants, Rite Aid Drug Stores, Sherwin-Williams Paint Stores, 7-Eleven Convenience Stores, Princess Cruise Lines, Luxor Hotel and Casino, Flamingo Hilton Casino, Wrigley's Juicy Fruit and Doublemint gums, Kraft General Foods and Kellogg's cereals.

Kovanda, who joined Neiman Group in July 2007, has taken the lead on Pennsylvania's efforts to encourage HIV testing and prevent hospital-acquired infections ("Clean Hands Save Lives"). He also leads the statewide "Determined to Quit" anti-tobacco effort and worked on the team that developed the MLB 2K8 launch for video-game powerhouse 2K Sports. Most recently, Kovanda oversaw the creative group responsible for bringing the Trex decking business to the agency. Trex is the national leader in the composite decking category. Creative duties previously were held by Arnold Worldwide.

"Hut is the Neiman Group story," said Neiman Group CEO Tim Reeves. "He's a top-notch creative talent who's worked at world-class agencies across the U.S. He came to Neiman Group because he saw a chance to do great work with great people in a positive, uplifting environment that is all too rare in our business. And once there, he flourished—so much so that, when it came time to name our next ECD, our choice was clear."

Kovanda, who is bald and proud of it, will divide his time between Neiman Group's Philadelphia and Harrisburg offices. He resides in Philadelphia with his wife, daughter and their French bulldog, Boris. In addition to great work, Kovanda is passionate about Ashtanga yoga and art collecting.

"I am extremely excited to help take our agency to the next level," Kovanda said. "We've got a great team and the drive and energy we need to make it happen. I'm happy to be a part of the action."

As for his decision to throw his hat in the ring for ECD, Kovanda explained, "I've worked for a lot of idiots over the years. Now, I want to be the idiot."