Ari Weiss, a adorned advert business veteran with a popularity for breakthrough artistic concepts, has died after a prolonged battle with most cancers. He was 46.
Weiss—whose CV consists of storied businesses resembling BBH, DDB, Wieden+Kennedy, and Goodby, Silverstein & Companions—was the founder and inventive chairman of impartial company High quality Expertise.
Beforehand, he served at DDB for seven years, beginning as North American chief artistic officer (CCO) and changing into world CCO in 2019. Beneath his management, he helped DDB win Community of the Yr at Cannes Lions in 2023.
Final yr, Weiss debuted High quality Expertise. The boutique store—together with companions Cristina Reina, Dan Gonda, and Colleen Leddy—had in a short while produced standout work for Shutterfly and Tonal.
Weiss instructed ADWEEK throughout an October interview that he and his fellow founders noticed “large alternative” within the present atmosphere to hold their very own shingle because the business behemoths moved towards consolidation and purchasers tightened their purse strings.
“When [brand] cash is flush, the massive networks have the aggressive benefit due to their scale and sources,” Weiss stated. “However in lean instances, the independents and startups have the higher hand—there’s so much much less waste, and there’s a price we are able to go on.”
Throughout his profession, Weiss created award-winning work for purchasers together with Starburst, Twix, Miller Lite, Coors Mild, McDonald’s, and Volkswagen. One in every of his lauded tasks was the Skittles various to Tremendous Bowl 2019, a one-night-only Broadway present starring Michael C. Corridor. ADWEEK referred to as the merger of theater and promoting “weirdly fantastic.”
His cofounders posted an obituary on High quality Expertise’s LinkedIn web page on Saturday that learn, partially: “His unwavering ardour, ambition and relentless pursuit of excellence will proceed to encourage, leaving an enduring influence on all of us and on the business. Whereas we’re grieving his loss, we’re so grateful to have been in a position to go on the journey of realizing his dream of constructing High quality Expertise collectively over the previous yr.”
As others within the business realized of his passing, they posted tributes to him and condolences to his spouse, Dara, and their three kids, Layla, Luca, and Lev.
Liz Taylor, world chief artistic officer at Ogilvy, stated of Weiss: “Fierce competitor, wildly humorous, grasp of craft. A profession full of jealousy-inducing work. What a expertise. What a loss. The business misplaced a artistic large. Many misplaced an unimaginable pal.”
The One Membership for Creativity posted on Instagram on Saturday: “Past the numerous accolades he has received for his phenomenal work through the years, we are going to greatest keep in mind him as a selfless pal of The Membership, at all times keen to get entangled, whether or not it was sitting on a jury, talking at an occasion, or simply sharing his ideas on how creativity generally is a guiding power for good on this world.”
