Critical Mass Stages Creative Coup with Key Hires in Los Angeles and London

CALGARY, Alberta & CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Critical Mass (www.criticalmass.com), an Omnicom digital marketing agency, strengthens its creative ranks with an arsenal of new hires working across the agency’s premier accounts.

“As we all know, the distinction between traditional and digital no longer exists. Our ability to deliver extraordinary work for clients depends on attracting top-notch talent with a fundamental understanding of how to build experiences around the customer—regardless of the channel”

Michael Goodsell Richardson joins Critical Mass as Creative Director, from his previous post at TBWA\Chiat\Day, where he directed creative on the Nissan line of business. Michael's portfolio includes integrated advertising campaigns for Nissan, Pennzoil, Jimmy Dean, Rain-X, Visa, Johnsonville and the Heisman Trophy, among others. His creative and strategic thinking were instrumental in the successful advertising launch of the world’s first mass-market electric car, the Nissan LEAF.

Shawna Bigby also joins Critical Mass as a Creative Director, from her former position at TBWA\Chiat\Day. There she developed above-the-line advertising ranging from mobile, digital, TV, print, event to direct for the Nissan LEAF. In addition to her agency experience, Shawna was also an instructor at the Art Institute of California in Los Angeles, where she taught a range of artistic disciplines including interactive design, typography, digital imaging and interface design. Shawna has a BFA in Graphic Communications from the Art Center College of Design and a degree in mechanical engineering from CSUN.

Mike Gobeli has been named to the position of Senior Art Director at Critical Mass. With eight years design and art direction experience, Mike has created e-commerce sites, digital experiences, in-store POS, business and consumer print/digital campaigns and mobile applications for Fortune 500 companies. Prior to joining Critical Mass, Mike was the lead art director on Fox Broadcasting Digital Marketing team. There he managed, designed and art directed all digital sites and mobile applications for award-winning shows such as Fringe, New Girl, The X Factor, American Idol, Bones, Family Guy, Glee, and The Simpsons, among others. Before that, Mike was an art director at Sapient, where he collaborated on site redesigns for sonystyle.com, linksys.com, and bareescentuals.com, as well as created online and offline campaign work for Hondajet.com. He also has experience developing online and offline campaigns for the Sony B2B division.

Karie Jamison has been appointed Senior Art Director for Critical Mass. With more than 15 years experience working with top brands, Karie has comprehensive knowledge of the creative process, user-centered design, campaign development and visual design. Prior to joining Critical Mass, Karie was a Senior Art Director at JUXT Interactive in Newport Beach, Cal., where she led the art direction of groundbreaking cross-platform interactive solutions for such brands as Aquarium of the Pacific, Cisco, Honda, Motorola, PacSun and Toyota. She has garnered industry recognition in a range of award competitions, including 2012 FWA Site of the Day, 2012 Comm Arts Web Pick of the Week, and a 2011 EventTech Award's Best Online + Offline Event Campaign.

Finally, Rob Corradi joins Critical Mass as Creative Director in the London office. He has been working as a digital creative for almost twenty years, delivering award-winning branded content, interactive stories, compelling games and entertaining education across all digital platforms. He has held key roles at top UK agencies and went on to start and run his own successful digital agency for ten years. Rob’s work has been recognized by BAFTA, D&AD, Cannes, SXSW, Webbys, EMMYs and Creative Review, and he has been featured twice in Campaign's list of top digital creative directors. He has served a diverse range of clients including BBC, Coca-Cola, Disney, Diageo, Mercedes, MTV, Sony and Unilever. He also contributed play- and game-inspired installation pieces to digital art events including London's V&A Late-Nights in conjunction with OneDotZero and at the Iconologica festivals in Spain.

“As we all know, the distinction between traditional and digital no longer exists. Our ability to deliver extraordinary work for clients depends on attracting top-notch talent with a fundamental understanding of how to build experiences around the customer—regardless of the channel,” said Dianne Wilkins, Critical Mass. “We’re excited to deepen our bench with an exceptional team of award-winning creatives, who can help us deliver integrated solutions that engage customers and ultimately drive business for our clients,” Wilkins added.

About Critical Mass

Critical Mass, an Omnicom digital marketing agency, helps the world's leading companies use digital media to create extraordinary experiences—experiences that bring together creative thinking, smart ideas and emerging technologies to drive our clients’ businesses. Consistently recognized as a leading interactive agency, Critical Mass operates globally from offices in Calgary, Toronto, Chicago, New York, Nashville, London, Los Angeles, Amsterdam and Costa Rica. For additional information, visit our website: www.criticalmass.com, our blog: http://experiencematters.criticalmass.com, www.facebook.com/criticalmass.agency or follow us on twitter: @criticalmass.