The XD Agency is bringing on board Anna Mader as Head of Creative across the agency’s Atlanta, New York and San Francisco hubs, effective immediately. Mader joins from Freeman Company where she was an Executive Creative Director and worked for over a decade in the experiential marketing industry leading award-winning creative teams and spearheading experiences for some of the world’s most iconic brands.
Her most recent work includes the launch of Amazon’s first-ever appearance at the NewFronts and leadership of several design teams for major Google events. Mader’s deep experience ranges from tech, healthcare, fashion and retail including brands like Adobe, AT&T, Intel, LinkedIn, Salesforce, Visa and YouTube. She succeeds Cara Oppenheimer who left to found venture capital backed startup goodbuy, which aligns consumers shopping online with companies that share their personal values.
XDA founder and CEO Steve Shlansky said, “We are thrilled to add Anna to our team. Anna has undeniably established herself as a creative leader in the industry. Her impressive experience in big tech positions XD Agency for further growth in that vertical. She is a high-impact contributor known for her creative strategy and vision, energy, collaborative approach, and deep network of talent. We are confident Anna will take our already great creative offering to new heights.”
Mader’s multi-disciplinary design background and strong digital chops paired with a fearless passion for experiential storytelling make her a powerhouse of a creative leader and a good match with XDA which in the last year alone has grown in staff size by 63% with a particular emphasis on integrated strategy which has seen significant expansion. This growth has been fueled by a number of new client wins including HBO, Canoo, Aramark and Waste Management. The agency has also earned numerous accolades including spots on Event Marketer’s It List 2021, the Ex Award for Best Pandemic Era Virtual Event (B-to-B) and the EDTA award for Best Pandemic Era Pivot Experience (B-to-B) for Cisco Live 2020.
Matt Schrader, Head of Client Development commented: “I am pumped to have Anna join XDA and lead our creative team. She is a superstar in our business and will bring our creative story-telling to a whole new level. I look forward to working closely with Anna to elevate the shared experiences we create for our clients and to work together to find bold brands to add to our growing list of clients.”
Mader shared, “I’m thrilled to lead this already incredibly talented team of creatives and empower them to create even more strategic, provocative and all-around rad work. Buckle up — it’s about to get interesting.”