Gifted Youth strengthens its bicoastal foothold, bringing aboard advertising veteran Josh Morse as its executive producer in New York and partnering with Barrie Isaacson Management as its East Coast sales team. Morse’s experience spans the ad agency and production sides of the business.
A Queens-native (and current resident), Morse while studying film at Cornell University worked as a PA on film sets and it was his post-graduation job at a camera rental house that gained him entré to the advertising world, where he traded camera equipment for the opportunity to interview at J Walter Thompson NY. From there, Morse moved to Cliff Freeman & Partners, an agency renowned for its comedic ads, followed by TBWAChiatDay, where he cultivated an impressive portfolio including successful campaigns for Absolut and Jameson.
In 2012, Morse joined Barton F. Graf and was instrumental in helping the then-young agency build its production unit. Working across all disciplines–film, video, print, art-buying, digital, experiential–Morse became head of integrated production, forging a name with campaigns for clients like Keep A Child Alive, Bulleit Bourbon, Axe, Jameson Whiskey, Kayak and gaming giant Supercell. Under his direction, the Barton F. Graf’s Super Bowl spot for Supercell’s Clash of Clans went viral, amassing nearly 73 million YouTube views to date. Morse’s work has won virtually every industry award, including numerous Cannes Lions, Facebook Global, and D&AD awards.
Morse has always been drawn to comedy, saying, “When advertising takes itself too seriously, it can feel silly and a bit insincere. Comedic advertising, to me, has always felt more authentic. I’m excited to bring my experience with agencies, as well as the worlds of digital and experiential media, to expand Gifted Youth’s offerings into new and exciting avenues. And also make people laugh at the same time.”
On joining managing director Dal Wolf’s team, Morse said, “I’m aligned with the culture here, which is absolutely key to making the best work possible. Their team, they have an insanely high quality of creative standards. The Gifted Youth roster and the reach they have–that goes well beyond the advertising world into all facets of entertainment–sealed the deal.”
Gifted Youth, whose parent company Funny Or Die touts Will Ferrell and Adam McKay as its founders, celebrates its sixth anniversary this year.
