About Me

Hi there!

I'm Faris.

I'm a strategist and a geek.

I'm the chief innovation officer at MDC Partners - we're a different kind of agency network. Trust me.

I do a lot of my work with kbs+p - one of our integrated agencies in NYC.

I'm also a co-founder of the mysterious Spies&Assassins - our creative technology boutique.

Before this I was EVP Chief Technology Strategist at McCann Erickson New York.

Before that I spent 5 years as the Digital Ninja at Naked Communications, in London, Sydney and New York.

I think being involved in our industry is important for all of us, so I do some teaching at BoulderDigitalWorks, and do some award judging.

I've been on the juries for the OneShow Interactive, the Effies, the Campaign Big Awards and am this year the jury chairman for the Content and Contact and the Integrated categories at the Clio Awards, and the NEW category for the London International Awards.

I'm trying to work out how we communicate in a networked world, how we can make people happy, how we can make awesome stuff that is useful or entertaining or both.

Sometimes I talk about technology and communication at conferences.

I've spoken at MIT's Future of Entertainment Conference in Boston, The Wave Festival in Brasil, The Idea Forum in Romania, The Digital Brand Conference in South Africa, Summerfest in London and Holland, and a bunch of other places.

If you'd like me to come speak at something drop me a line and we can chat about it.

I write about brands, media, communications, technology and that for:

Forbes, Fast Company, The Financial Times, Maxim Magazine, Mediaweek, Contagious Magazine, Media Magazine, Boards Magazine, AdNews (AUS).

I contributed chapters to both Age of Conversation books that were sold for Variety the Children's Charity.

If you want me to write stuff for you drop me a line and we can chat.

I also write this blog.

I hope you enjoy it.

[Everything I write is written by me and represents only me, my opinions and stuff I steal. Not my employers or indeed anyone else for that matter.]

I was awarded the President's Prize from the IPA for my thesis on the future of brands.

Campaign magazine in the UK said this was one of the top 10 ad blogs in the UK - and that I was a Face to Watch, which was nice of them.

In the hope of getting people to hang out more I set up the Plannersphere Ning:

http://accountplan.ning.com/

I'll see you on the internets.