John Barker (advertising executive)
Encyclopedia
John Barker is an American entrepreneur and advertising executive based in New York City
, NY. He is the founder of 3 companies: integrated advertising and interactive agency Barker/DZP
; branded entertainment firm The ACME Brand Content Company, and multi-platform digital
content production company Digital Zen Productions.
in New Haven, CT. While at Yale, he was an editor
of several literary publications, including Zirkus and the Yale Literary Review and was also the winner of a 1984 Academy of American Poets Prize.
from college, John was selected to the management
training program of Ted Bates Advertising. In 1988, he joined Grey
Entertainment as a copywriter, where he developed campaign
s to launch ABC Television
series such as thirtysomething, NYPD Blue, Roseanne, and China Beach, including the development of the “Who killed Laura Palmer?” campaign to launch David Lynch’s Twin Peaks.
From 1990-95, he served as Director of Advertising at Sony Music, managing advertising
for Columbia
, Epic
, Def jam, and other Sony Music labels. John returned to Grey
Entertainment in 1995 as SVP, Group Creative Director/Group Account Manager, overseeing ABC Television
as well as the launch of The WB Network. In 1998, he moved to Grey
Worldwide as SVP, Worldwide Branding Director and later, as Executive Vice President overseeing Hasbro
, Globalstar
and DoubleClick
as well as the Grey Digital Business Group.
in 2007. The agency
was named one of the “Hot 100” new small businesses in America by Entrepreneur Magazine in 2005. As of 2010, the integrated advertising
and interactive agency served clients such as Procter & Gamble
, Estee Lauder
, The History Channel, Major League Soccer
, Hastens Beds, Conjure Cognac and Boylan
Bottling. The agency was listed by Advertising Age
as having billings of over $30 Million in 2008. http://www.digitalzen.net/
, John Barker founded The ACME Brand Content Company in 2008, with David P. Caruso serving as President. As a branded content and branded entertainment company, ACME helped create TAG Records in conjunction with Procter & Gamble
and Def Jam Records. In 2009, ACME was wholly acquired by United Entertainment Group, a division of United Talent Agency.
content company. Ray Rainville serves as Managing Director and Executive Producer. Clients include LAB Series, GCG, Soccer United Marketing
, Sean John’s “I Am King” fragrance, and AETN
International.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, NY. He is the founder of 3 companies: integrated advertising and interactive agency Barker/DZP
Barker/DZP
Barker/DZP is a full-service advertising and interactive agency based in the Soho area of New York City. Work includes Brand Identity and Positioning, Integrated Trade and Consumer Advertising, Digital Strategy, Interactive Development, Digital Media, Social Media, in-house Broadcast Production and...
; branded entertainment firm The ACME Brand Content Company, and multi-platform digital
Digital
A digital system is a data technology that uses discrete values. By contrast, non-digital systems use a continuous range of values to represent information...
content production company Digital Zen Productions.
Early years
John grew up in St. Louis, MO and attended St. Louis Country Day School (since renamed MICDS). From 1983-1987, he attended Yale UniversityYale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in New Haven, CT. While at Yale, he was an editor
Editor
The term editor may refer to:As a person who does editing:* Editor in chief, having final responsibility for a publication's operations and policies* Copy editing, making formatting changes and other improvements to text...
of several literary publications, including Zirkus and the Yale Literary Review and was also the winner of a 1984 Academy of American Poets Prize.
Career
Following graduationGraduation
Graduation is the action of receiving or conferring an academic degree or the ceremony that is sometimes associated, where students become Graduates. Before the graduation, candidates are referred to as Graduands. The date of graduation is often called degree day. The graduation itself is also...
from college, John was selected to the management
Management
Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
training program of Ted Bates Advertising. In 1988, he joined Grey
Grey
Grey or gray is an achromatic or neutral color.Complementary colors are defined to mix to grey, either additively or subtractively, and many color models place complements opposite each other in a color wheel. To produce grey in RGB displays, the R, G, and B primary light sources are combined in...
Entertainment as a copywriter, where he developed campaign
Advertising campaign
An advertising campaign is a series of advertisement messages that share a single idea and theme which make up an integrated marketing communication...
s to launch ABC Television
ABC Television
ABC Television is a service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation launched in 1956. As a public broadcasting broadcaster, the ABC provides four non-commercial channels within Australia, and a partially advertising-funded satellite channel overseas....
series such as thirtysomething, NYPD Blue, Roseanne, and China Beach, including the development of the “Who killed Laura Palmer?” campaign to launch David Lynch’s Twin Peaks.
From 1990-95, he served as Director of Advertising at Sony Music, managing advertising
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
for Columbia
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, Epic
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
, Def jam, and other Sony Music labels. John returned to Grey
Grey
Grey or gray is an achromatic or neutral color.Complementary colors are defined to mix to grey, either additively or subtractively, and many color models place complements opposite each other in a color wheel. To produce grey in RGB displays, the R, G, and B primary light sources are combined in...
Entertainment in 1995 as SVP, Group Creative Director/Group Account Manager, overseeing ABC Television
ABC Television
ABC Television is a service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation launched in 1956. As a public broadcasting broadcaster, the ABC provides four non-commercial channels within Australia, and a partially advertising-funded satellite channel overseas....
as well as the launch of The WB Network. In 1998, he moved to Grey
Grey
Grey or gray is an achromatic or neutral color.Complementary colors are defined to mix to grey, either additively or subtractively, and many color models place complements opposite each other in a color wheel. To produce grey in RGB displays, the R, G, and B primary light sources are combined in...
Worldwide as SVP, Worldwide Branding Director and later, as Executive Vice President overseeing Hasbro
Hasbro
Hasbro is a multinational toy and boardgame company from the United States of America. It is one of the largest toy makers in the world. The corporate headquarters is located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States...
, Globalstar
Globalstar
Globalstar is a low Earth orbit satellite constellation for satellite phone and low-speed data communications, somewhat similar to the Iridium satellite constellation and Orbcomm satellite systems.-History:...
and DoubleClick
DoubleClick
DoubleClick is a subsidiary of Google that develops and provides Internet ad serving services. Its clients include agencies, marketers and publishers who serve customers like Microsoft, General Motors, Coca-Cola, Motorola, L'Oréal, Palm, Inc., Apple Inc., Visa USA, Nike, Carlsberg among others...
as well as the Grey Digital Business Group.
Barker/DZP
In 2003, John Barker founded DZP Marketing Communications, renamed Barker/DZPBarker/DZP
Barker/DZP is a full-service advertising and interactive agency based in the Soho area of New York City. Work includes Brand Identity and Positioning, Integrated Trade and Consumer Advertising, Digital Strategy, Interactive Development, Digital Media, Social Media, in-house Broadcast Production and...
in 2007. The agency
Advertising agency
An advertising agency or ad agency is a service business dedicated to creating, planning and handling advertising for its clients. An ad agency is independent from the client and provides an outside point of view to the effort of selling the client's products or services...
was named one of the “Hot 100” new small businesses in America by Entrepreneur Magazine in 2005. As of 2010, the integrated advertising
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
and interactive agency served clients such as Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble is a Fortune 500 American multinational corporation headquartered in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio and manufactures a wide range of consumer goods....
, Estee Lauder
Estée Lauder Companies
Estée Lauder Companies, Inc. is a manufacturer and marketer of prestige skincare, makeup, fragrance and hair care products. The company has its headquarters in Midtown Manhattan, New York City.-History:...
, The History Channel, Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
, Hastens Beds, Conjure Cognac and Boylan
Boylan Bottling Company
Boylan Bottling Company is an American gourmet soft drink manufacturer. They were located in Haledon, New Jersey from the late 1950s until 2001 and then moved to Clifton for a short time before moving to Moonachie, New Jersey, where they are currently located. The Boylan Bottling Company brand was...
Bottling. The agency was listed by Advertising Age
Advertising Age
Advertising Age is a magazine, delivering news, analysis and data on marketing and media. The magazine was started as a broadsheet newspaper in Chicago in 1930...
as having billings of over $30 Million in 2008. http://www.digitalzen.net/
The ACME Brand Content Company
In addition to Barker/DZPBarker/DZP
Barker/DZP is a full-service advertising and interactive agency based in the Soho area of New York City. Work includes Brand Identity and Positioning, Integrated Trade and Consumer Advertising, Digital Strategy, Interactive Development, Digital Media, Social Media, in-house Broadcast Production and...
, John Barker founded The ACME Brand Content Company in 2008, with David P. Caruso serving as President. As a branded content and branded entertainment company, ACME helped create TAG Records in conjunction with Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble is a Fortune 500 American multinational corporation headquartered in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio and manufactures a wide range of consumer goods....
and Def Jam Records. In 2009, ACME was wholly acquired by United Entertainment Group, a division of United Talent Agency.
Digital Zen Productions
In April 2010, Barker launched a third company, Digital Zen Productions, a multi-platform digitalDigital
A digital system is a data technology that uses discrete values. By contrast, non-digital systems use a continuous range of values to represent information...
content company. Ray Rainville serves as Managing Director and Executive Producer. Clients include LAB Series, GCG, Soccer United Marketing
Soccer United Marketing
Soccer United Marketing is a business to business soccer sponsorship company wholly owned by Major League Soccer and is responsible for the US English and Spanish broadcasting rights for the World Cup...
, Sean John’s “I Am King” fragrance, and AETN
A&E Television Networks
A&E Television Networks is a U.S. media company that owns a group of television channels available via cable & satellite in the US and abroad...
International.