Dark Horses wrangles in Droga5 ECD Steve Howell as creative partner
London-based sports marketing agency Dark Horses has snapped up Droga5's executive creative director Steve Howell as creative partner, a senior hire that will draw from his rich experience.
Dark Horses's new hire Steve Howell (left)
Howell was promoted to executive creative director at Droga5 back in 2016. Howell and his co-ECD Rick Dodds were described by David Kolbusz, chief creative officer at Droga5 as "modern-day leaders" he added — the perfect mix of suit, planner and creative — and their talent is enormous." Before joining Drog5 in 2012, he clocked time at Saatchi & Saatchi as a copywriter.
Dark Horses outlined that the hire sets the tone for what is to come after it won Nissan's global sports comms brief, Just Eat's World Cup activity and launched fitness brand Peleton - in addition to creating work for Under Armour, Wiggle and Southampton FC.
Howell said: "I’ve had an incredible time at Droga5, on both sides of the pond, and I will always look back with very fond memories. But the time is right for a new challenge and as a sports fanatic, this opportunity was simply irresistible.
"I’m very much looking forward to working alongside Simon and the Dark Horses team, shaping the agency's culture and helping it achieve its massive potential.”
Dark Horses founder Simon Dent said: "It's testimony to our success and ambition that we've been able to attract someone of Steve's calibre. We think there is a huge opportunity to raise the creative bar in this sector and hope this signing serves as a statement of our intent."
Throughout his career, he has built relationships with clients including Under Armour, New York City FC, Kwiff Sports Betting, Amazon and Strongbow. He has secured more than 20 Cannes Lions and back-to-back British Arrows Grands Prix.