Zulu Alpha Kilo has added a familiar face to its roster of creative directors, hiring Nick Asik.
Asik is rejoining Zulu Alpha Kilo, where he worked as a copywriter from 2010 to 2015. During his first stint at the agency, his work included Coca-Cola’s “Arctic Home” campaign and Interac’s “Be in the Black” brand re-launch. In his new role, he will be a “working creative director,” overseeing some of the agency’s creative teams while also contributing directly to the work.
During his time away, Asik was a creative director at Calgary’s Wax, leading the agency’s creative offering and working with clients including Honda, Servus Credit Union, Moxie’s and Opa! of Greece.
Asik came back to Zulu in March, and had left Wax prior to its unexpected closure. Zak Mroueh, founder and CCO at Zulu, says he began speaking with Nick in November and made him an offer to join before the holidays, but his first day with Zulu Alpha Kilo came after the agency moved to a work from home situation. One of his first projects after rejoining the agency was Subaru’s ad recognizing the work of frontline workers across Canada.
“He knows our culture and many of our clients, he’s an unbelievable creative talent, and also a great mentor to young creatives,” Mroueh says about bringing on Asik. “We’re always on the hunt for all of that, even during times like right now.”
Other major hires at Zulu this year include business group director Jessica Hill and ECD Wain Choi. Choi’s hiring marked the first time the ECD role at Zulu had been filled in several years, as the agency had been operating under a flatter creative structure reporting directly to Mroueh, who is now able to split up more of the creative workload.
“As crazy of a time as it is, there’s a lot of good creative momentum with Nick and Wain joining,” Mroueh says. “And because of the constrictions of how we can produce things, it’s forced us to be even more creative. It’s an interesting time to come up with ideas that are inexpensive, easy to produce and don’t rely on big budgets.”
