I am an award-winning Executive Creative Director obsessed with understanding and influencing human behaviour for the better. I believe advertising has the moral duty to give back to the audience an emotion at least as entertaining as the content it has interrupted.
I believe in hiring attitude and teaching skills and I’m constantly preoccupied with fostering an inclusive culture where diverse talent can generate the spark needed for bleeding-edge concepts and craft.
I whole-heartedly embrace challenges of all natures: time, budget, media, or stubborn clients, as creativity usually thrives on restrictions. I have extensive experience in guiding teams across the entire creative process from client brief to performance KPIs, collaborating with various stakeholders and selling to C-Suite levels. I am constantly up to date with the latest digital tools, but I never let technology become an excuse for a poor idea.
2019 - currently: Executive Creative Director at Cheil Worldwide SEE
Clients: Samsung, First Bank, ENGIE, NN insurance, Dr. Oetker, Mondelez, and Anais.
Highlights: Best Agency at Webstock Awards 2021, Best Local Agency at Cresta Awards, Top Local Agency in The FICE ranking, 8 x EFFIE winner, IAB Mixx Europe Grand Prix, D&AD Wood Pencil, winning the ENGIE, First Bank, NN Insurance, and Kozel Beer integrated tenders, winning the Global Pfizer Rare Diseases CRM account.
2018 - 2019: Executive Creative Director at TOMORROW Shanghai
Clients: Absolut, Ballantine’s, New Balance, AirAsia, Fairmont, Dynaudio, Burberry, Cartier, Loro Piana, Devialet, Sourcy, Sam’s Club and Kohler.
Highlights: Campaign Asia Greater China Independent Agency of the Year and Boutique Agency of the Year, winning the Saint Laurent, Starbucks, Accor Group, AirAsia, Sam’s Club, Cartier and Loro Piana pitches.
2017 - 2018: Creative Director at Jung von Matt/Spree Berlin
Clients: MINI Europe, BMW, Thomas Cook Airlines and Reporters Without Borders.
Highlights: winning a Yellow Pencil at D&AD 2018 for BMW
2013 - 2017: Executive Creative Director at GMP/JvM Bucharest
Clients: Volkswagen, SABMiller, Deutsche Telekom, IAA Worldwide, Coca-Cola, Garanti Bank, Vienna Insurance Group, Arctic, Baumax, Gandul.info, TVR, VierPfoten, and OMV.
Highlights: 2x Best Independent Agency in CEE at Golden Drum, 4 consecutive titles of Best Independent Agency at Effie Awards, winning the Volkswagen, Telekom, and Coca-Cola pitches.
2010 - 2012: Executive Creative Director at BBDO Bucharest
Clients: Pepsi, Lay’s, Deutsche Telekom, Whiskas, M&M’s, Dacia (Renault), SABMiller, Wrigley, OMV Petrom, Real Hypermarket, Carlsberg Group, MGSI/SBS, and Bayer.
Highlights: winning Agency of the Year at both ADC Awards and Effie Awards, winning the Prigat, Ursus Beer and Petrom tenders, coordinating work on Dacia for CEE and MENA and qualifying for the final of the global Tuborg pitch.
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2009 - 2010: Group Creative Director at BBDO Berlin
Clients: Allianz Worldwide, Bild Mobil, Tillman’s Toasty, Bombardier, 118.000 Verbindungservice, and Deutsche Schmerzliga.
2007 - 2009: Regional Creative Director CEE on Whiskas at BBDO Europe
Reporting to Global CD Keith Lewin at CLM BBDO Paris, creating integrated campaigns for 10+ markets.
2005 - 2009: Copywriter and ACD(since 2008) at BBDO Bucharest
Clients: Pepsi, Lay’s, Wrigley, Allianz, History Files Magazine, OTE Hellenic, Yellow Pages.
Highlights: Winning Gold in New York Festivals and several Effies, winning the Romtelecom integrated pitch.
2003 - 2005: Copywriter at Leo Burnett Bucharest
Clients: Marlboro, Altex, Lindt, Western Union, The National Natural History Museum and Chevrolet.
Highlights: Winning Campaign of the Year at ADC Awards.
Awards:
100+ international awards including the Eurobest Grand Prix, the IAB Mixx Europe Grand Prix, a D&AD Yellow Pencil, and an Effie Grand Prix, 2x Greater China Campaign Asia Boutique Agency of the Year, Greater China Independent Agency of the Year, 2x Best Independent Agency in CEE at Golden Drum, 10th ranked Independent Agency in the Global Effie Index, 1st ranked CD in Europe in the 2016 BestAdsOnTV.com ranking for interactive campaigns.
Award Shows Judging:
D&AD, Global Effies, Euro Effies, Eurobest, 2x ADCE Europe, 2x New York Festivals, 2x Ad Stars Awards, The Intercontinental Cup, 2x AutoVision Awards, Webby’s, Jury President at Golden Drum and WINA Dubai.
Languages:
English: fluent, Italian: conversational, French: conversational, German: beginner, Romanian: native.
Portfolio:
http://gongu.dunked.com
Academic:
Teacher of Integrated Advertising at Miami Ad School in Berlin;
Tutor at the Art Directors Club School and The Cannes Lions Academy in Bucharest.
Personal:
Father of Clara, 11-year-old Manga graphic artist.
Hobbies:
Stand-up comedy, geopolitics, basketball, and soccer. Not necessarily in that order.
