Hi. I’m a Head of Copy. What’s a Head of Copy, you ask? It’s me.
But I also do other things, like executive creative direction and acting as the fixer (think The Wolf in Pulp Fiction, if that helps) for a very large and successful advertising agency.
As for what a Head of Copy is, I look after a discipline. A craft. And I do it across the whole agency and sometimes out into the larger network and holding company. I creative direct, mentor, teach, manage writers’ rooms, and whatever else the words ask of me. Not that I don’t have opinions on visuals (I’m also a photographer but that’s another portfolio).
Beyond that, I help define and manage various brands and currently act as the resident platform specialist. If you want to see me at my most-happiest in advertising, ask me to come up with a new brand platform. As in, ask me to give a brand meaning from scratch.
JOHN FIEBKE
HEAD OF COPY / CREATIVE DIRECTOR / COPYWRITER
AWARDS
2025 Cannes Copywriter of the Year.
In Cannes alone: 5 Grand Prix Lions, 2 Titanium, 9 Gold, 12 Silver, and 10 bronze. I'm attached to and have written, creative directed, and influenced work that has won pretty much every award in the industry but I am also not the best self-promoter so this is akward. ADC, One Show, Effies, wood pencils, gold pencils, black cubes, and so forth. Still, I've never been happier than when my nephew said, "Awesome ad, uncle John. I saw it in the theater!"
Oh, and I also won for best use of music or musical arrangement at AICP one year which was completely random but welcomed. We needed to make a song and I brought my friends into a studio and we made a great song.
EDUCATION
VCU Adcenter
Masters of Science in Communications/Copywriting
Virginia Commonwealth University
Bachelors of Science in Mass Communications/Advertising
WORK HISTORY
BBDO / FCB
EVP Head of Copy 04 / 2020 -current
Clients: ALL
Commonwealth-McCann
Group Creative Director 12/14- 03/2020
Clients: Chevrolet Domestic and Performance cars.
Energy BBDO
Creative Director 4/05-11/14
Clients: Orbit Gum, 5 Gum, Extra, SC Johnson, Lifesavers, Altoids, Bayer Aspirin, Aleve, Lay’s, Sun Chips, Knob Creek.
Y&R Irvine
Senior Copywriter 5/01-4/05
Clients: Land Rover, Jaguar, Lincoln, Pacific Symphony Orchestra, Sony.
The Martin Agency
Copywriter 6/99-2/01
Clients: Kohler, UPS, Timberland, Finlandia.
Virginia Commonwealth University
Adjunct faculty, Copywriting instructor 1/00-6/00.
CONTACT
john.fiebke@gmail.com