Jim Nelson has left his role as chief creative officer of the company, but he will continue to work with Carmichael Lynch on a contractual basis.
Jim Nelson, chief creative officer for Minneapolis-based advertising agency Carmichael Lynch, has left his role at the company.
President Doug Spong told Twin Cities Business on Tuesday afternoon that he made the announcement about Nelson's decision last week, although the agency and Nelson had been in discussions for some time about the move, and it was a mutual decision.
Nelson will continue to work for the agency on a contractual basis, as he desired to focus more on creating work for the agency rather than managing the creative staff, Spong said.
The agency has no immediate plans to fill the recently vacated position, according to Spong. Creative Directors Randy Hughes, who oversees the company's Subaru business, and Dave Damman, who's in charge of the agency's work for Jack Link's, previously reported to Nelson and will now report to CEO Mike Lescarbeau.
Nelson had been with Carmichael Lynch for nearly two decades during which he worked with clients including Harley-Davidson, Porsche, and Northwest Airlines, according to a report by Media Bistro. He and his team recently won a Webby award for their Subaru “Mediocrity” ad campaign.
Spong said that Corey Johnson, director of consumer engagement, also recently announced that he will resign from Carmichael Lynch to start his own agency, although the timing with Nelson's announcement was coincidental.
"It's just part of our continued evolution as an agency, and we're going to have a growth year for both revenue and profit," Spong said, adding that the company will continue to work with Nelson for "the foreseeable future."
Carmichael Lynch is Minnesota’s third-largest advertising agency based on net revenue.
—Jake Anderson
(janderson@tcbmag.com)