NEW YORK CITY, U.S.A. — David Lubars, Chief Creative Officer of advertising firm BBDO Worldwide, will be retiring by the end of 2024, after working for forty-three years in the industry. He will be succeeded by Chris Beresford-Hill, who was named Chief Creative Officer of BBDO The Americas in December of last year, proving that he is indeed a worthy successor.
Possessed of boundless passion and a keen mind, David is considered by many to be a legend in the world of advertising. From the BMW short films, to Snickers’ iconic “You’re Not You When You’re Hungry” campaign, he has collected many prestigious accolades, with notable ones including the Titanium award at Cannes (the first ever to win that particular award) for the aforementioned short films, and Agency of the Year for the company as a whole, an award they won no less than 15 times. Such high esteem has earned BBDO Worldwide recognition as the dominant creative force of New York City, and one of the best in the world.
It’s understandable, therefore, that he’d want to step down from his throne after doing so much over such a long time.
“It’s kind of exhausting, you know?” David says, likening his work to a marathon. “So I guess I’m tired. And to do it well, you’ve got to run super hard. My knees are sore, I don’t want to run, I want to walk. And anybody in the industry knows it’s not a walking industry.”
Born and raised in Brooklyn, David discovered his enthusiasm for creative work early on. His father, Walter Lubars, was a high-ranking advertising executive himself and Dean of the College of Communications at Boston University, where David would later graduate from. He would go on to become a copywriter for Leonard Monahan Saabye, before moving and becoming a writer for Apple. Six years later, he returned to Leonard Monahan, but only long enough to found Leonard Monahan Lubars before leaving once more to assume his role as CEO and CCO of BBDO West. In 1998, he took a creative job in Minneapolis, where his BMW films would earn him a seat among the greats of the advertising world.
And the rest is history.
