10 most important people in the Charlotte ad agency community

Here’s a list of the 10 most important ad agency leaders driving the advertising industry forward here in Charlotte.

[Agenda related guide: Complete list of top ad agencies in Charlotte]

Jennifer Appleby

President, Chief Creative Officer, Owner at Wray Ward

Running the largest, most successful ad agency in Charlotte. 

Fun Fact: Jennifer drinks 8-10 cups of coffee a day.

What to Watch: Now that Wray Ward has established itself as a leader in the home category, will the agency build on their Charlotte roots or their vertical knowledge in content marketing to grow the business?

Involvement: As the leading communications owner in Charlotte, Jennifer is a part of all kinds of boards including: Charlotte Chamber, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library and the Central Piedmont Community College Foundation and is a member of The President’s Advisory Circle at Johnson & Wales University. She’s a past board member of ASC and Charlotte Center City Partners.

Peggy Brookhouse

President & Partner at Luquire George Andrews

Leading the second largest ad agency in Charlotte. 

Fun Facts: Peggy has four children, loves celebrity gossip and is a diehard Bon Jovi fan.

What to Watch: Winning the Visit North Carolina account was huge for this agency (even though the work is almost entirely seen outside the state). As the ad agency transitions generationally from Steve Luquire to Brooks Luquire, can it continue to respect its past while investing in its future?

Jaime Cardenas

CEO, Founder at AC&M Group

Delivering results in key growth areas – soccer fans and hispanic population.

Fun Facts: Flies under the radar in the Charlotte ad agency seen, but with clients like Sherwin-Williams, Bojangles’ and New Balance, Jaime has led this soccer and Hispanic ad agency to become one of Charlotte’s only national ad agency players.

What to Watch: As Charlotte’s hispanic population and soccer-loving population continues to grow, can Jaime win key local accounts like Bank of America and Lowe’s.

Background Before Starting AC&M: Wake Forest MBA and executive at HanesBrands.

Ron Edelen

CCO & Co-founder of Myjive

Continuing to innovate in digital marketing, technology and production.

Client work: Fiji Water, Discovery Channel, No nonsense, Ecko Clothing, Jeep, HGTV, Volvo Trucks, Fox Sports, Zynga, NAPA Filters, NFL Network, Velux, Regal Boats, Duke Energy and Dr Pepper.

Different: Ron’s deep understanding of technology sets him apart from other Charlotte ad agency leaders.

Matt Ferguson

Managing Partner at Eric Mower + Associates

Winning awards.

National Attention: Matt along with the EMA creative team led by creative directors Patrick Short and Ruben Lopez recently brought home awards from Cannes, Clios and the One Show.

The Agency: EMA has nine offices in the United States. One interesting thing to note is that EMA Partner and Digital Strategy Director Erin Naismith leads the entire agency’s digital strategy and media team from her office in Charlotte.

Fun Fact: Matt is a dad of five kids with an age span of 12 years between youngest and oldest.

Lee James

President & CCO at Mythic

Blending creativity with an ability to grow a powerful agency.

The Agency: Mythic is now about a 40 person agency (top 5 in Charlotte) with clients like Time Warner Cable/Charter, Crescent Communities, Meineke, UnitedHealthcare, Charlotte Ballet and more.

Jim Mountjoy

Former Creative Director/Founder at LKM and Director at EYE Creative Lab

Impacting the next generation of advertising leaders.

Background: Jim is the godfather of many current Charlotte ad agency executives. He’s been a friend, mentor and creative leader in town for over 30 years. The new crop of creatives may not know him, but their bosses do. LKM reigned as a top Charlotte ad agency for many years.

David Oakley

Creative Director & Owner at BooneOakley

Widely considered the top ad creative in our city.

Fun Fact: David recently wrote a tell all advertising book titled, Why is Your Name Upside Down?

Recent Work: Mellow Mushroom selected BooneOakley to create the TV spots you just saw while watching ACC football games this season.

John Pietrafesa

Creative Director and Partner at MODE

Creating the best work.

The Agency: John and partner Tyler Hawes have quietly built what many in the ad agency world view as the agency producing the best work in Charlotte. MODE doesn’t get the regional recognition it deserves and many of their clients come from outside Charlotte.

What to Watch: Given their history of beautiful design and technology work, MODE is set up perfectly to grow over the next few years. They also just moved into a gorgeous new South End office about 100 yards from Sycamore Brewing.

Banks Wilson

President & Creative Director at UNION

Proving that you can start your own agency in Charlotte, even if you’re young. Banks started his agency at 21, only 6 months out of college.

The Agency: UNION has grown into a 30 person full-service digital agency that helps brands connect with today’s highly connected consumers. Banks has built this agency with trusted partner Christy Holland to include a roster of clients like NASCAR, CPI Security, Discovery place, and Cafe Rio Mexican Grill.