Rod Ribeiro
25+ years, two markets (General + Multicultural), one obsession: creative solutions that move the needle. I've led teams from hundreds to just me—$556M in agency billing, $1.8B in client ROI, and a hand in IBM's collaboration suite that sold to HCL. I rarely make appearances at events because I'm always cooking solutions. My clients include some of the world's biggest brands, such as Spectrum, IBM, Verizon, Coca-Cola, Disney, the NFL, Walmart, Pfizer, and many more. My awards include Effies, David Ogilvy, Addys, Faxies, AHAA, Tellys, and thankfully others. I always appreciate recognition from my peers, but it's ultimately about ROI for our clients' businesses. My philosophy: Embrace change, lose the ego—go fast alone, go far with a team.
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A taste of 25+ years
It was hard to fit 25+ years into 3 minutes, but I figured I'd highlight some of the more recognizable projects from this journey called life. It's been an incredible ride, one I don't take for granted. I'm deeply grateful and honored by the trust and all the opportunities from my partnerships along the way. It's always a fun ride, and I don't look at it as work; it's a passion, a thrill, and a constant invitation to push into new horizons — to build something from nothing, to make history, and to bring along the people who share that same vision and want to be part of something bigger. On to the next one.
Spectrum's Multicultural Video Case Study
Check out how my client partnerships, my teams, and I took a brand-new telecom company (Spectrum) back in 2017 and helped make it the largest multicultural Internet, Mobile, and Entertainment telecom subscriber base in the country today. Showcasing the year-over-year success, growth, and growing the business to 12.2 million subscribers, plus winning over 40 industry awards.
Tripling the fees, owning the category
Challenge
Arriving from IBM, rebuild the agency's core business and run the New York office — then turn Spectrum's multicultural direct-marketing work into a category leader in telecom across General, African-American, and international audiences.
Approach
- Built the "DM Machine" process, recruited and trained creative talent, built out dozens of teams to manage all client segments.
- Stabilized the business to grow billings, opening new multicultural and international lanes.
- Partnered closely with Spectrum on out-of-the-box, cutting-edge creative.
Result
- Tripled agency fees.
- Established Spectrum's multicultural telecom footprint as a category leader.
- Drove a haul of industry awards across the work.
There's no professional challenge a team can't conquer with Rod at the helm. — Andrés Aguilar Esparza, Senior Copywriter · INFUSION by Castells
Launching Watson, building a $1.8B asset
Challenge
Modernize the web and mobile experience across 40+ social-collaboration tools and product sites — Collaboration Services, Social Business, Kenexa, Watson Work, Watson Talent — without breaking IBM's rigorous NorthStar standards, while a pilot internal agency tried to win the Watson Virtual Agent launch from IBM's agencies of record.
Approach
- Led a global creative team in an Agile Scrum environment (RTC, JIRA).
- Owned visual design of 40+ desktop and mobile pages with weekly client and sponsor reviews.
- Set the bar so incoming creatives shadowed my work as IBM's standard.
Result
- Won the Watson Virtual Agent creative over IBM's agencies of record.
- Rebranded the Social Business sites later sold to HCL for $1.8B.
- 100% NorthStar adherence across 40+ properties, on Agile timelines.
Impressed at the level of detail he tracked across our stories — he made my wires come to life. — Amy Cencetti-Lee, Lead UX Architect · IBM
A turnaround mandate, hired from the top
Challenge
Hired directly by Bravo's NY presidency to correct, stabilize, and grow the Best Buy business — aligning a single brand voice across General and Multicultural markets through TV, digital, and retail.
Approach
- Teamed with Y&R sister agencies on pitches incl. Dish Network, Viagra, Best Buy.
- Brought cultural insight to a unified, cross-market brand voice.
- Oversaw all UX/UI to completion; mentored junior and senior creatives.
Result
- Stabilized and grew the flagship Best Buy account.
- Won Best Buy Puerto Rico and Viagra U.S. Hispanic Digital.
- Strengthened the bench across creative and production.
Exceptional at managing and leading a team to success. — Antonio Parada, Award-Winning Executive Producer
Pioneering total market
at billion-dollar scale
Challenge
Help formulate and pioneer "U.S. total market" creative concepts for one of the country's leading multicultural agencies, serving Fortune-class brands across TV, digital, retail, and 360° in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.
Approach
- Led teams of 30+ across TV production, print studios, plus provided hands-on support and guidance on all executions where needed.
- Spearheaded $3.5M in out-of-scope retail business.
- Oversaw all UX/UI projects to completion across accounts.
Result
- Helped grow GlobalHue toward $1B in billings.
- Agency of the Decade, 2010.
- Won Verizon, Corona, Citi Group, MGM Grand, Wal-Mart, Susan G. Komen, and more.
The ultimate miracle worker — plain and simple,
he gets the job done. — Michelle Toledo Gautier, Senior Marketing Planning Manager · T-Mobile
What teams say about working with Rod
The ultimate miracle worker — plain and simple, he gets the job done, executing campaigns flawlessly in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.
One of the most inspiring and effective creative leaders I've worked with — clear, thoughtful feedback that pushed the work better without ever compromising the team.
A leader who leads with passion, empathy, and grace — cool, calm, and collected in the most extreme situations.
He leads with both creativity and empathy, pushing for high-quality work without ever sacrificing team morale — on brand, strategically sound, and culturally relevant.
Exceptional at managing and leading a team to success — he ensures every project meets and exceeds the client's expectations.
He breaks down concepts of titanic proportions into bite-size, achievable goals — driving the team straight into success.
He drilled "Attention To Detail" into us and always pushed us to create better work. We fought and won many battles.
The most sincerely caring and passionate designer I've ever crossed paths with — the morale compass every team needs.
A gifted designer who understands the balance of form versus function — with an impressive level of detail and follow-through.
He delivered brilliant creative treatments in short time frames, time and again. Clients and co-workers trust him at once.
A genuinely inspired creative, 100% committed to outstanding results. We hit a massive new-business pitch out of the park — he's a creative superstar.
More a mentor and teacher than a boss. He fought for me to become the person I am today, and gave me the will to push through any fire put in front of me.