Leading global influencer agency, Billion Dollar Boy, announces that Ed East, Global CEO and co-founder, will transfer from the agency’s UK headquarters in London to its office in New York on February 28th, 2023.
East joins Permele Doyle, President and co-founder, to support with scaling up the existing US business, including developing the agency’s operational structures and ways of working, its marketing and client relationships. East also brings specialist knowledge of a wide variety of sectors including technology, gaming, and food & drink.
Billion Dollar Boy also announces the appointment of Alex Williamson as Global Creative Director. Williamson will be responsible for leading the agency’s creative output in both European and US markets, as well as continuing to build its creative and design teams in both regions.
Williamson brings more than 12 years of experience in the creative industry to the role, including senior roles at Ogilvy and The Audience where he worked across international creative briefs. Since his recruitment to Billion Dollar Boy as Creative Director in August 2021, Williamson has doubled the size of the creative department with diversity at its heart including hires from theater, film production, fashion and creative agency backgrounds. And he has overseen the launch of innovative creator-led campaigns including The Candy Cave by Candy Crush, The Quest for Extra Fresh by Heineken Silver, and a re-imagining of Martini’s iconic early 20th century posters.
The leadership changes will help Billion Dollar Boy to build upon the 100% year-on-year growth in the agency’s US revenue, which helped the agency to generate $40 million USD revenue total last year and led to a 50% growth in staff.
As part of its growth plan, Billion Dollar Boy will aim to double the size of its US operations year-on-year until 2025, including growing its physical presence in New Orleans and New York and exploring new hires across other major US cities.
The leadership changes will enable Billion Dollar Boy to further capitalize on a growing creator economy in the US, with total influencer marketing spend set to rise to $4.62 billion USD this year – a 12% increase from 2022.
The announcement follows news in December 2022 that Billion Dollar Boy appointed Serafin Sivcak as Account Director for the DACH region to support the expansion of BDB’s European presence, covering Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. BDB also appointed co-founder, Thomas Walters, as Europe CEO and is actively recruiting new hires in the Nordics and Germany as it looks to grow its local teams in key strategic European markets.
Commenting on the news, Ed East, Global CEO and co-founder says:
“I firmly believe that the creator economy is the future of marketing, and New York is the mecca for both exceptional and diverse creator talent and brands who are willing to try bigger and bolder influencer campaigns than ever before. I look forward to settling in and further growing our agency operations stateside, and keeping Billion Dollar Boy at the forefront of industry innovation and creativity.”
Permele Doyle, President and co-founder adds:
“We’re proud of the agency’s achievements to date – from major award wins like Cannes Lions, to realizing 100% annual revenue growth in the US in 2022. Our aim is to now build on those successes in the US market while continuing to redefine advertising in the creator age. I look forward to welcoming dear friend and business partner Ed to the US to help us realize our ambitious growth plans while continuing to deliver cutting-edge creative campaigns. We will benefit enormously from his energy and leadership.”
“Alex has transformed our creative offering in the US since he stepped in this past summer. He is a brilliant thinker and mentor and knows the exact questions to ask to get to not the right answer – but the unexpected one. I am thrilled to see him continue to push our team and clients to innovate and think of what’s next as we continue to be a leader in the creator economy.”
Alex Williamson, Global Creative Director, comments:
“I joined BDB in 2021 because I felt the world of influencers and creators was brimming with potential and I was determined to do something with it. I entered the company with ambition, maybe a bit too much enthusiasm, and was met with open ears and a willingness to innovate which I couldn’t be more grateful for. This new Global role further proves the BDB attitude for me – the ongoing commitment to explore ‘what’s next?’.
“In this role, I hope I can guide our incredible teams across the globe to challenge more, to speculate more and to debate more. I’m excited to work with every single valuable person in the BDB family across the globe that help us to stay at the forefront of the creator economy.”
About Billion Dollar Boy
Billion Dollar Boy (BDB) is a global creative agency for the influencer age, using industry-leading tech solutions to deliver integrated, creator-led advertising and end-to-end campaign management.
Founded in 2014 by Edward East, alongside co-founders Thomas Walters and Permele Doyle, Billion Dollar Boy was among the first global influencer agencies and now has offices in London, New York and New Orleans.
Since its inception, BDB has partnered with some of the world’s leading brands – including Heineken, King, Nintendo, PepsiCo and L’Oréal – connecting them with more than 10,000 vetted content creators and reaching over 10 billion users globally.
BDB client campaigns have been awarded at the 2022 Cannes Lions, Influencer Marketing Awards, Webby Awards, The Drum Awards and Adweek.
