Gary Bonilla has been hired to the new position of SVP of Creative Strategy for Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group.
The announcement was made by Leigh Anne Brodsky, President of Nickelodeon and Viacom Consumer Products; and Russell Hicks, Executive Vice President and Executive Creative Director, Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group, both to whom Bonilla will report.
Bonilla's primary responsibilities include managing the creative development for Nickelodeon's consumer products business, developing strategies around consumer experiences and ensuring the network's branded consumer product offerings exemplify the Nickelodeon brand.
"Gary comes to Nickelodeon with more than 15 years of advertising and branding experience in multicultural and international markets," said Leigh Ann Brodsky, President of Nickelodeon and Viacom Consumer Products. "His strong background makes him a perfect addition to our leadership team as we take the Nick Brand to new global heights over the next few years."
Most recently, as the Vice President of Strategic Services at Winglatino/WWP, a multi-cultural advertising agency, Bonilla developed and executed plans for: Procter & Gamble, DIAGEO and Goya. Bonilla also designed the first-ever online consumer panels created to understand the influence of ethnic markets in the general U.S. population. His work and collaborations have received awards and nominations in advertising festivals worldwide including Cannes, The London Ad Festival and FIAP.
Prior to joining Winglatino/WWP, Bonilla was a founding partner of The CO- OP Agency, where he was instrumental in the re-branding, marketing and global brand architecture of IMAX. He helped reposition Madame Tussauds in the U.S. as it expanded and transitioned from an exhibit to a "theme-park" experience.
At CO-OP he also helped to solidify Thomson Screenvision's position as the world's leading cinema advertising company during its evolution to digital distribution of content and advertising. As Vice President of Strategic Planning and Marketing at Starmedia Network, he led the strategic development and implementation of ground-breaking multi-platform campaigns in the Latin American region for several Fortune 500 companies including: Pepsi Co., Procter & Gamble and L'Oreal.
Previously, at Saatchi & Saatchi, Bonilla helped grow the Latin American network of 13 offices including Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Puerto Rico and Miami, Florida. He has also held several public relations and media correspondent positions, including one as a television reporter for Time Warner's Lorimar Tele-Pictures, where he produced award-winning coverage of the Oscar Arias Peace Tour, Mother Theresa's U.S. visit, the Dupont Plaza Fire and the explosion of the U.S.S. Iowa.
Bonilla served as President of the Jury for 2007 Hispanic Account Planning Excellence Awards (HAPE), he also served as Committee Chair for the Planning and Research Committee, Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies from 2006 to 2007, led the Latino Identity Project, and was named by Graphic Design USA as the "advertising professional to watch in 2004." He is currently a board member of Images for Hope and Balance Integration. Bonilla graduated from Boston University's College of Communication.
