An operator for creative shops where the craft matters.

18 years in and around agencies. From the big networks (Ogilvy, Publicis) to specialty shops like Celtra, MX, and Ad Pros. From Digital Project Manager to Executive Producer to VP of Operations.

I build the operating infrastructure that lets a 10–75 person creative shop run without the founder in every room, and I hand it to the next Head of Operations before I leave.

Born and raised in Germany. Diplom-Kaufmann from TU Ilmenau (MBA equivalent). Now in Evanston, Illinois. Dual US/German citizen. Fluent in all three languages spoken inside agencies: Business (the numbers), Creative (the work), Technology (the systems).

Steps along the way.

When Chapter

Role · Scope

2008–2015 Ogilvy.

Junior Digital Project Manager in Zurich, then Digital Project Manager and Senior Digital Project Manager in New York. Seven years of learning agency work from the ground up, across global brand work in both offices. ogilvy.com

2015–2020 Publicis.

Associate Director, Program Management. Five years running cross-functional delivery across the network’s biggest accounts. Capped off as Executive Integrated Producer for a multi-million-dollar education app. publicisgroupe.com

2020–2023 Celtra.

First as Senior Director of Creative Production, then VP of Creative Operations. Built up an in-house studio from 15 to 45 people, and learned how to run a business. This engagement is where I stopped seeing departments and started seeing dependencies. celtra.com

2023–2024 BNY Mellon.

Contract role as Head of Creative Production for the bank’s global marketing org. Rebuilt the SLA across 20 deliverable categories on a new-vs-update / standard-vs-urgent matrix. Replaced ‘custom’ with concrete defaults. Stakeholders could plan launches against the matrix instead of negotiating every ticket. bny.com

2024 MX.

VP of Operations at a 100-person independent B2B agency working through a post-acquisition integration of another specialty shop. Wrote the integration playbook, mapped the pricing architecture, proposed the three-pillar change thesis the team aligned around. themxgroup.com

2024–present Fractional COO.

Fractional practice for creative shops that need a COO and can’t justify one full-time. Every engagement is scoped, bounded, and exit-ready by design. Every engagement ends with documentation, a handoff, and a shop that runs without me.

2025–2026 Ad Pros.

VP of Operations at a 25-person performance marketing agency going AI-first. Shifted the founder out of day-to-day execution by building a cross-functional accountability layer between department heads. Eliminated 500 hours of monthly operational drag through workflow redesign and automation, and compressed goal-tracking from 40+ metrics to 9. adpros.com

2026–present Reputation Rhino.

Operational partner to the CEO of a 16-person online reputation management firm. The brief spans operational architecture, capacity and forecasting, P&L health, accountability frameworks, and workflow automation across client success, sales, fulfillment, HR, and finance. Building the leadership infrastructure that lets the CEO focus on growth instead of running every conversation. reputationrhino.com

[Erik] was a known wizard in operationalizing some of the most complex projects and accounts in the agency. He helped me grow not only as a professional but as a person, with a very direct yet compassionate and empathetic managerial style.
Justin Wildung·Strategist and Operator·Reported to Erik at Celtra; peer at Publicis

Fundamental beliefs.

Most agencies don’t have a talent problem.

They have a delegation problem. The founder is still the best operator, so they are still doing the work. The fix is systems, not headcount.

Document before you optimize.

You can’t fix what you don’t understand. I meet the agency where it is, then build from there.

There are no universal best practices.

Strategy decks in a drawer are worthless. I build what’s right for your team, train everyone, and stick around until it works.

What I enjoy when I’m not helping agencies.

Photography.

I co-author the world’s longest-running daily photoblog with my best friend. A 20+ year daily practice, recently migrated from Squarespace to a custom AI-powered pipeline.

Networking.

Member of Operators Guild and The Bureau, invite-only mutual support communities for specialist operators in leadership roles.

Mentoring.

Pro bono mentor on ADPList, helping young professionals with advice on growing their careers.

A thirty-minute call.
A read of your shop.

Thirty minutes on Zoom. You describe the shop, I ask sharp questions. We figure out together whether what’s stuck is operational, structural, or something else.

Book a discovery call →