Special U.S. appoints Aussie expat Shannon Nunn to president role to fuel growth in New York

Special continues to invest in its New York presence. The global independent agency has brought Aussie expat Shannon Nunn on to be president of its growing New York office.

Nunn (above left) joins Special from Omnicom held TBWA\Chiat\Day, where he spent the last five years, most recently as managing director of the company’s New York office. In his new role, he will be reunited with long-time collaborator and creative partner Amy Ferguson (above right) who recently joined Special in New York as chief creative officer.

Nunn will lead the Special New York office alongside Ferguson and said the idea of joining an independent agency and building something from the ground up drew him to the opportunity: “When considering the next phase of my career, the opportunity to grow with and influence this bold, creative agency was very enticing. As an Aussie expat, I’ve revered what Special have built in Australia and New Zealand, the scale and breadth of the business, and their artistry and craft have always impressed me. I’m thrilled to be joining a team of brilliant minds who are passionate about creativity and committed to building a positive and vibrant workplace culture, and I get to do all of that alongside Fergs, my trusted partner in crime.”

Says Ferguson: “I am over the moon to partner with Shannon again and to build Special New York together. Shannon is a brilliant businessperson who champions creativity and develops strong, trusting relationships with clients. He and I have always been aligned on our people and culture-first approach to leadership which is something that will be front and center as we set out to grow this agency.”

Says Kelsey Hodgkin, CEO and partner, Special U.S.: “Special is deeply committed to delivering creativity that truly lives up to our name, and investing in the right talent to enable us to do that in every market. In Shannon, we know we have found someone who prioritizes collective ambition over personal ego, and is looking to build a modern creative culture designed to nurture the kind of ideas that our clients, our people and the world at large genuinely love. We couldn’t be more excited to have him join us.”

Special’s New York office is gaining momentum having recently earned AOR responsibilities on Hanes, project work for William Grant & Sons’ Monkey Shoulder, and is expanding Special’s existing partnership with Uber Eats and, more recently, Uber. Special received multiple awards for its work on the Uber Eats Super Bowl campaign this year, starring Jennifer Aniston and David and Victoria Beckham, including a Cannes Lion.

While at TBWA\Chiat\Day NY, Nunn helped solidify significant growth, with accountability for the business department, oversight of the company’s 400+ employees and the client portfolio. Nunn’s 18-year career in advertising spans roles at DDB, Australian independent agency Big Red and client side at U.S. retail group Southeastern Grocers. He has partnered with brands including LG, Meta, McDonald’s, Accenture, Mayo Clinic, Jetstar (Qantas), and Burger King (Hungry Jack’s). Nunn is a current board director of The Ad Council.

Since Special launched in New Zealand and expanded to Australia, it has become Asia Pacific’s leading independent agency, producing work for clients such as Uber Eats, Pepsi, Virgin Australia and ANZ bank. In 2020, 2021 and 2023 it was recognized as Global Creative Agency of the Year by Campaign UK. WARC recently ranked Special as the #1 most effective Independent network in the world.