September, 2025.- At Roastbrief, we sat down with Chris Colliton, the newly appointed Executive Creative Director at Zulu Alpha Kilo New York (Z.A.K. NY), who steps into the role after more than a decade at Droga5, where he helped shape some of the industry’s most iconic campaigns. His arrival comes at a pivotal moment for the agency’s New York office, which celebrates its third anniversary amid rapid growth and high-profile client work with brands like Booking.com, Harry’s, and Stonefire. Colliton brings a bold philosophy rooted in the belief that advertising must be daring, provocative, and culturally resonant to truly matter. He sees creativity not as fitting into formulas but as venturing into uncharted territory where marketing blurs seamlessly with entertainment. Reuniting with Tim Gordon, Z.A.K.’s Chief Creative Officer, marks a full-circle moment that strengthens a partnership founded on trust, humor, and relentless idea-making. With Colliton at the helm, Z.A.K. NY is poised to become a hub for fearless storytelling, pushing creative boundaries while staying true to brands and engaging audiences in ways that stand out in culture.
Q: After more than a decade at Droga5, what motivated your move to Zulu
Alpha Kilo, and why did this feel like the right moment for such a transition?
I’ve always really wanted to help build and shape an agency in New York, and the opportunity to do it with people like Tim, Meghan and Emily doesn’t come around every day. It feels like the right place at the right time with the right people.
Q: How do you plan to translate that ethos into your creative leadership and
the work you’ll be spearheading in New York?
It’s really about having a dreamer’s mentality. Don’t put unnecessary guardrails on yourself. Be bold. Be provocative. Be crazy. The scarier it feels, the better it usually is. I want Z.A.K. NY to feel like the place for that type of thinking. The world has enough boring advertising. Let’s push boundaries and take big swings. That’s what’ll make people care.
Q: You’ve led award-winning campaigns ranging from Tourism Australia’s
“Dundee” to Molson Coors’ “High Stakes Beer Ad. ” How do you envision
applying those creative learnings to brands like Booking.com, Harry’s, and
Stonefire at Z.A.K.?
The thing about those two pieces of work – and all the work I’m most proud of – is that they ventured into uncharted waters. A tourism ad disguised as a movie… a commercial you could actually bet on… a sausage campaign written by sausage employees… all crazy for different reasons. But they were all successful because they broke the traditional advertising mold, while always staying true to the brand. That’s how you break into culture. And that’s exactly what I hope we can do with Z.A.K. NY’s amazing roster of clients.
Q: Working alongside CCO Tim Gordon again seems like a full-circle moment.
How would you describe your creative partnership and what makes it
particularly effective?
It really is a full-circle moment for me. Tim hired me at Droga5 in 2012, giving me my first real shot in advertising. Now, over a decade later, we get to do it again…. a bit older and (questionably) wiser. But even though it’s been a minute since we were at the same agency, it feels like we haven’t missed a beat. It’s so nice skipping the awkward “how do we work together phase” and just getting right into it. There’s a lot of trust. A lot of laughs. And a lot of making the ideas better.
Q: Zulu Alpha Kilo NYC is marking its third anniversary at a moment of rapid
growth and high-profile campaigns. What excites you most about shaping
the next chapter of the agency’s creative department?
It really is an insane time at Z.A.K., NY right now. Between the people, the clients and the work in the pipeline, you can feel the energy. Big things are coming. It’s what drew me here, and what I’m so excited to help shape. We have to take the work to the next level, bring in the right people and have a hell of a lot of fun doing it. (And maybe get some more office space).
Q: Looking ahead, what trends or shifts in the industry do you believe will
define the next wave of creative storytelling?
I’m not going to talk about AI because that’s the easy answer. I’m all about the continued blurring of lines between marketing and entertainment. Content creation has gotten absolutely insane, in the best way. And if marketing is going to compete, it really can’t feel like marketing. It has to entertain. It’s okay to go full weird. The old rules are old for a reason, which is something we embrace wholeheartedly at Z.A.K., NY.
Also AI.
