CHRIS COLLITON JOINS ZULU ALPHA KILO NYC AS EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR
By thenewyorkegotist / /
Latest Bold Hire Marks Agency’s Third Anniversary in NYC
Zulu Alpha Kilo (Z.A.K., NY), a full-service creative agency, has announced that Chris Colliton, executive creative director at Droga5, NY, will join the agency’s New York office as executive creative director effective September 2.
Colliton is one of the most respected and awarded creative leaders in the U.S. He joins Z.A.K., NY, from Droga5, NY, where he led the creative business across Bosch, Paramount+, Molson Coors and the nonprofit HT40. In two separate stints at Droga5 (December 2022 to current, and May 2012 to November 2018), he collected dozens of advertising’s most prestigious awards, including a Titanium Cannes Lions for Tourism Australia, and was named to Adweek’s Creative 100 “Rising Stars” list.
At Z.A.K., NY, Colliton will oversee and continue to build out a talent-heavy creative department alongside agency CCO and partner Tim Gordon. He will direct the creative development for all key client partnerships, including Booking.com, Harry’s, Stonefire, and more, and will play a key role in pursuing and managing new business partnerships.
“Chris has been top-of-mind since the moment we decided to create this role,” said Gordon. “His combination of creative talent, his desire to push the limits of what advertising can be and his entrepreneurial spirit make him an ideal fit for the agency we are building. In addition to his ability to help us fight sameness in the industry and our culture, Chris is a wonderful and warm human being who cares deeply about the people who work with and for him. We look forward to Chris helping us shape not only our agency but also the industry for years to come.”
In his 11 years at Droga5, NY, Colliton collected the top industry awards for clients that included Newcastle Brown Ale, Johnsonville, Dos Equis and Under Armour. His “Dundee” campaign for Tourism Australia won a Titanium Lion. His “High Stakes Beer Ad,” the world’s first “bettable” Super Bowl commercial, for Molson Coors, won 2 Gold Effies and a Cannes Lion. In between his two tours at Droga5, he spent two years at 72andSunny Amsterdam and led global creative work for Fanta. His “Idiots Are Amazing” campaign for Fanta, a Nike-inspired homage of the internet’s biggest idiots, was one of the most successful global campaigns in Fanta’s history.
“Sometimes the stars line up, and this is one of those times,” says Colliton. “I’ve loved working with Tim since the moment he first hired me at Droga5 in 2012. He’s one of the sharpest creative and organizational minds in our business. It’s no surprise the team and roster of clients he’s assembled with Meghan and Emily are second to none. You can feel the relentless ambition to fight sameness from everyone. It’s special. I can’t wait to help build and shape the next chapter of Zulu Alpha Kilo, NY.”
Colliton joins Z.A.K., NY, during a run of great success. The agency’s massively popular 2024 and 2025 Super Bowl ads (with Tina Fey and Miss Piggy, respectively) f Booking.com led to an expanded remit that includes a 2026 global brand campaign, MLB and WNBA sponsorships, brand stewardships and some B2B responsibilities. Z.A.K., NY, was named strategic, creative and media lead on the re-brand campaign for Harry’s, a leader in men’s grooming. The agency relaunched the Stonefire Flatbread brand in North America and continues to partner with Global Action on Gun Violence to help end gun violence in the U.S. and globally.
August 2025 marks the third anniversary of the opening of Z.A.K.’s New York office. The agency was founded in 2008 in Toronto and Vancouver by Zak Mroueh with the mission to fight sameness in advertising and defy norms of behavior. The New York office is located on the border of Brooklyn’s incomparably desirable Greenpoint and Williamsburg neighborhoods.
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