Hutson Kovanda

From the Booth to the Brand.
Western & Southern, Cincinnati’s rock-solid financial planning company, wanted a fresh take on their long-time spokesperson—former Bengals great and Sunday Night Football color commentator Chris Collinsworth.

To strengthen the connection, we launched the campaign during Sunday Night Football, putting Chris front and center with viewers who already knew and trusted him.

As Creative Director and Art Director, I helped concept, pitch, and produce the work—bringing smart timing and local pride to a national stage.

Where Legends Lounge.
When asked to pitch the legendary Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami—a playground for icons like Sinatra and Elvis—we knew the campaign had to honor its storied past while feeling fresh and timeless.

Inspired by the photography of Slim Aarons, who captured “beautiful people doing beautiful things,” we created Famously Fontainebleau—a campaign that blended vintage glamor with modern allure.

It won the business. Then it ran.

Sharpening a Legacy.
Wüsthof had a perception problem: while beloved by seasoned chefs, younger cooks saw the brand as their parents’ knife—reliable but outdated. To flip the script, we launched Defining the Edge, a campaign spotlighting rising culinary stars who were redefining the craft on their own terms.

Each chef got a bold moniker reflecting their personal philosophy, and we brought their stories to life through original films, recipes, and a rich microsite experience. The result? A refreshed brand edge that resonated with a new generation—so much so, the campaign evolved into an ongoing series.

As Creative Director, I partnered closely with our writer and art director from the first spark of an idea through execution.

Think Big. Win Bigger.
To promote the Ohio Lottery’s Big Ticket Instant Games—with top prizes up to $5 million—we needed an idea as oversized as the winnings. Enter Colossal Inc., a fictional mega-corporation built around doing everything absurdly, hilariously big.

From concept to execution, the campaign delivered tongue-in-cheek scale and plenty of personality—proving that to win big, you’ve got to go big.

Gold Meets Platinum.
Core Power, the official drink of Everyday Awesome, wanted to make a splash during the 2016 Olympics—so they partnered with a certain world champion gymnast making her Olympic debut. We all know how that turned out.

As Group Creative Director, I led our team from concept through production, helping build a campaign that matched her energy, strength, and star power.

Award: Hermes Platinum

Marcum Awards | Platinum

Communication Award | Platinum

Telly Award | Bronze

To Hell with Timesheets.
Today’s retirees aren’t slowing down—they’re finally speeding up. This campaign tossed out the old clichés and celebrated the freedom of retirement with a bold message: Make every day paid time off. Long live retirement.

I wrote the scripts and co-led the creative with another CD, crafting these spots in-house using curated stock footage and music to bring the vision (and the movement) to life.

It’s Not a Game.
Research showed a common misconception: many people think problem gambling is just a series of bad choices. But the truth? It’s a disorder—and it needs real treatment, not judgment.

To flip the narrative, we used humor to disarm and educate, showing that problem gambling isn’t a choice. The campaign drove audiences to a dedicated website offering support and resources for those affected.

I served as Creative Director and Art Director, co-leading concept through production.

Award: One Show | Shortlisted

5 Days. 4 Prizes a Day. All Magenta.
To celebrate the holidays and show some love to loyal customers, we launched 5 Days of Magenta—a high-energy social giveaway on Twitter. From home gyms to hotel stays, we gave away four amazing prizes a day. The only ask? Follow us and share the T-Mobile love using #ILoveTMobile.

As a contracted Creative Director with T-Mobile’s in-house studio, I helped ideate, pitch, and bring the campaign to life—working closely with our team and in-house animator to make the magenta magic happen.

Turning Sales from Red to Black

Rite Aid was struggling with lagging front-of-store sales during the critical holiday season. That’s where we stepped in. We launched the “24 Days of Christmas”—a playful spin on the classic carol—to deliver daily savings on both seasonal and everyday essentials. By turning a beloved holiday tune into an irresistible countdown of deals, we created a promotion that cut through the holiday noise and brought shoppers into stores. The result? A dramatic turnaround that took Rite Aid’s holiday sales from red to black.

Music that’s felt, not filtered

WXPN is a member-funded radio station located in Philadelphia. Known for their knowledgeable DJs who play a wide array of music across all genres, XPN listeners are guaranteed to hear music that they most likely would never get exposed to by using any number of streaming services. Looking to boost membership in an ever increasingly challenging digital landscape, they knew they needed something that would get people to take notice. We understood with the rising resurgence of vinyl that there were music lovers out there that would instantly be attracted to the curated content that WXPN provides. I penned the line, “Vinyl at Heart” and the campaign took flight from there. This work also won us the business.

Gus, the second-most famous groundhog in Pennsylvania, started as a simple client request. They wanted a character to help revive their stagnant sales of scratch-off games. And revive them, he did. Gus not only increased sales of scratch-offs, but he also propelled the Pennsylvania Lottery to become the fastest-growing lottery in the country, with over $1 billion in sales. In fact, Gus is still going strong almost two decades later. Phil’s got nothing on you, Gus.

An opportunity to rebrand “the Love Boat,” take a 7-day cruise, and create a visually striking campaign. This is the kind of assignment an art director dreams about.

From Back of the House to Front and Center
Smithfield has long been a trusted name in the food service industry. But when the division that supports chefs, restaurant owners, and food service professionals decided it was time to step into its own spotlight, a rebrand was in order. That’s how Smithfield Culinary was born.

My team and I led the charge—developing the name, brand identity, and foundational messaging. We worked hand-in-hand with the client to honor the legacy of the Smithfield name while carving out a distinct, elevated presence for a brand made by and for culinary professionals.

My team and I tackled the rebranding of this long standing icon, working directly with our client every step of the way to honor the brand with a new identity that would set them apart.

Beer Meets Beta Test.
Yuengling had a loyal following—but mostly with older drinkers. To reach Millennials, we needed more than posters and coasters. We needed something unexpected. Tweets on Tap blended digital, social, and on-premise creativity by turning a casual brainstorm into something tangible: the world’s (as far as we know) first Twitter-activated tap handle.

Born from a hallway conversation and built by our lead developer, this innovative promotion let users tweet to pour—and made trying Yuengling shareable in every sense.

Awards: Philadelphia Addy Awards | Best of Show – Digital & Gold

A Sense of Place, Perfectly Placed.
Rosewood Hotel Group is a luxury brand defined by its philosophy of a sense of place—each property a reflection of its destination’s unique character. That insight became the heart of our campaign, designed to capture the brand’s refined spirit and global allure.

The result? A compelling creative platform that resonated with leadership—and helped us successfully retain the account during a competitive review.

Rider to Rider.
How do you promote motorcycle safety to a group that resists authority? You don’t preach—you listen. Live Free. Ride Alive is a digital-first campaign for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation that shares real rider stories with one goal: one less accident, one less fatality.

At its core is a moving documentary exploring the thrill of the ride, the pain of loss, and the life-altering impact of motorcycle crashes. Shown in theaters and at rallies, the film was supported by a statewide campaign—including banner ads, barroom postcards, and earned media—to reach riders wherever they gather.

Awards:
National Addy Awards | Gold
Philadelphia Addy Awards | Best of Show – Public Service
Philadelphia Addy Awards | Gold

Disasters Don’t RSVP

Tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, and fires—Mother Nature doesn’t send a save-the-date. Disasters can strike with little to no warning, so we needed residents to take emergency preparedness seriously. To break through the apathy, we brought a disaster to life—literally. In a playful live-action spot, a personified tornado delivered the message directly, encouraging viewers to make a plan before disaster shows up uninvited.

Digital Learning for the Real World
American Public University offers online courses taught by real experts, designed to prepare students for real-world challenges. To spotlight the career relevance of the curriculum, we created a campaign that juxtaposed actual courses with striking images of real-world events—making a bold, visual connection between learning and impact.

The result: a campaign that brought the classroom into sharp focus—and into the real world.

The Secret’s in the Cows.
Finlandia butter and cheese taste so damn good, we had to find out why. So we sent Sam the Cooking Guy to Finland to get the story straight from the source.

What we found? Happy cows on small family farms, living their best lives in the cleanest country on earth. That’s the not-so-secret ingredient.

Freelancing as Creative Director with Sawtooth Group, I developed the concept and wrote several of the scripts for this tasty campaign.

Meet Germy. You’ll Want to Avoid Him.
To raise awareness around hospital-acquired infections (HAIs), the Pennsylvania Department of Health needed more than a PSA—they needed a villain. Enter Germy: a grotesque, oversized monster made from real germ-carrying items found in hospitals, brought to life in our B-movie-inspired campaign, Attack of the Killer Germs.

An interactive website offered a deeper dive into Germy’s pieces and parts and provided critical information on preventing HAIs.

As Executive Creative Director, I mentored a junior art director through their first TV production—guiding the process while ensuring every detail lived up to the concept (and the creature).

Turning hunger into a rallying cry

For five years, I helped lead the creative work for Checkers/Rally’s, driving bold, unapologetic campaigns that connected with everyday fans. Our “You Gotta Eat” campaign turned the brand’s tagline into a national catchphrase—fueling record sales and earning Nation’s Restaurant News’ “Best Campaign of the Year.”

Because winning never gets old

To those who say “winning isn’t everything,” we say—poppycock! Winning is one of the greatest feelings in the world. And Sunoco knows a thing or two about it, having fueled champions both on and off the track for over 125 years.

For our campaign, “Here’s to Victory!”, we partnered with NASCAR legend Jimmie Johnson to celebrate the thrill of triumph and the legacy of performance that defines Sunoco. As Executive Creative Director, I collaborated closely with the copywriter to concept, craft, and produce the campaign—capturing the spirit of competition that drives the brand forward.