Niels began his career on the swing shift of a snowboard factory in Oregon, but lately, he’s been working with slightly bigger organizations such as IBM. He’s also worked on Motorola, Samsung, MasterCard, Volvo and the New York Mets.
His work has been honored with Cannes lions, One Show pencils, a Guinness World Record and included in Google’s list of the “creative internet.” Watson, the IBM computer he helped introduce and explain to the public, was named “person of the year” by the Webby Awards.
Niels was the creative lead behind IBM’s groundbreaking film, “A Boy and His Atom.” Made by moving individual atoms with a scanning tunneling microscope, the movie premiered at the Tribeca Online Film Festival and was featured on news sites from BBC to Buzzfeed to Scientific American.
Niels lives in Ann Arbor, MI with his wife, their two sons, and a groundhog he's trying to scare from their backyard.
EXPERIENCE
Indeed
Creative Lead (contract), Jan 2021 - Present
Toptal
Head of Content, Oct 2019 - Oct 2020
Freelance
Creative Director + Writer, Jul 2018 - Sept 2019
Confidant, WeTheMany, Ogilvy, Toptal
Ogilvy & Mather/NY
Creative Director, Mar 2016 - Jul 2018
IBM, Lenovo, Legion Gaming Computers
Google Creative Lab
Creative Director, Aug 2015 - Mar 2016
R/GA
Creative Director, Feb 2014 - Aug 2015
Mastercard, Samsung, Volvo
Ogilvy & Mather/NY
Creative Director, 2013 - 2014
Associate Creative Director, 2011 – 2013
Senior Copywriter, 2006 - 2011
IBM Brand, IBM Sports, IBM Mid Market, New York Mets, UN Climate Change Conference
FCBi/NY
Senior Copywriter, 2005 – 2006
Office of National Drug Control Policy, Motorola
Arnold Worldwide/NY
Copywriter, 2002 – 2004
Bermuda Tourism, Hasbro, GlaxoSmithKline, McDonald’s, Perriet Jouët, The US Open
Freelance
Copywriter, 2002 – 2004,
DiNoto Lee, New York – Tierney & Partners, Philadelphia – TMP, San Francisco
Angotti, Thomas, Hedge/NY
Copywriter, 1999 – 2000
Barron’s, Foster’s, Fujifilm, Hardee’s, New York Restaurant Group, RCN
AWARDS
Gold - Cannes Branded Entertainment Lion
Gold - Cannes PR Lion
Silver - Cannes PR Lion
Silver - Cannes PR Lion
Silver - Cannes Design Lion
Bronze - Cannes PR Lion
Bronze - Cannes Promo and Activation Lion
Bronze - Cannes Cyber Lion
Bronze - Cannes Lions Health
Gold - One Show Advertising Pencil
Gold - One Show Interactive Pencil
Silver - One Show Interactive Pencil
Silver - One Show Innovation Pencil
Silver - One Show Design Pencil
Silver - One Show Design Pencil
Bronze - One Show Branded Entertainment Pencil
Bronze - One Show Integration Pencil
Gold - London International Awards, Integrated Campaign
Silver - London International Awards, The New
Silver - London International Awards, Branded Content
Silver - ADC Awards, Online Content
Gold - Clios, Content & Contact
Gold - Clios, Branded Entertainment & Content
Bronze - Clios, Content & Contact
Yellow Pencil - D&AD, Digital Design
Graphite Pencil - D&AD, Crafts for Design
Wood Pencil - D&AD, Online Branded Films
Wood Pencil - D&AD, Integrated & Earned Media
Winner - Webby Awards, Best Visual Design
Nominee - Webby Awards, Animation
TED Ads Worth Spreading
Most Contagious
Creativity - Yearly Best in Film
Ad Age - Ads we loved in 2013
Gold - Effie Awards x 4
Silver - Effie Awards x 5
Bronze - Effie Awardsx 4
EDUCATION
University of Oregon
B.A. in Journalism, International Studies & Spanish
LOCATION
Ann Arbor, Michigan