Trailer Park CEO and leadership

WILLIAM GELNER is the CCO of Special Group US, the newly launched independent creative company for the world's most ambitious brands.Before Special Group, he was CCO of Engine US where he brought big brand creativity to the data, media and insights practice. Here William helped shape the vision that performance marketing can be creative and creative can perform. In the first year he led the team to win numerous awards for the HBO "Sopranos Nicknames" effort and oversaw Mike Bloomberg's 2020 campaign. William is the former CCO and Managing Partner of 180LA, an agency he helped start up in 2007. For Boost mobile, William and his team proved doing good and good business weren’t mutually exclusive when they addressed voter suppression with "Boost Your Voice", a grassroots effort that identified neighborhoods with low voter turnout and turned Boost stores into voting stations. It won Grand Prix in Cannes and 2017 Creativity's Campaign of the Year.For UNICEF, the "Unfairy Tales" animated campaign touched hundreds of millions around the globe, calling attention to the Syrian refugee crisis and the toll it took on innocent children. This project won the Grand Prix for Good at Cannes in 2016.For The University of Phoenix, he oversaw the launch of the impactful "Rise" campaign that reframed the perception of the school by focusing on the drive and determination of their students striving towards a better life for themselves and their families. He pitched, won and relaunched Expedia with the "Find Yours" campaign, moving the brand from a rational and transactional place to a more emotional and transformational one. The "Find Your Understanding" film was recognized by TED as one of the top ten ideas worth spreading. Other initiatives such as "Thrown Back Thursdays" and the "Dream Room" effort for their St. Judes partnership won numerous awards at Cannes, One Show, D&AD and more. More importantly, the stock price of the company more than tripled during these years.Before joining 180LA, William was Group Creative Director at BBH NY where he led all creative development on the Axe account, helping it become one of the most successful and famous brands in North America. He led and co-created the award winning branded content TV series, Gamekillers, for Axe that aired on MTV. There he also launched the global “Striding Man” Keep Walking campaign for Johnnie Walker.