DIGITAL KITCHEN ADDS CHRISTOPHER BURNS AS MANAGING DIRECTOR OF INNOVATION & BRAND EXPERIENCE
Chicago – July 23, 2015 – Digital Kitchen has announced the appointment of Christopher Burns as Managing Director of Innovation & Brand Experience. Chris comes to DK with 15 years’ experience in brand strategy and management, marketing, business strategy and consulting across diverse industries. In a new role created for Mr. Burns, he will be responsible for stewarding customer experience strategy, content marketing, experiential design and product development across the agency’s three offices and client portfolio of category and industry leaders, including HBO, Microsoft, Netflix and The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Mr. Burns reports to DK’s CEO, Bill Fritsch.
Chris Burns is the former Vice President, Marketing for Catamaran, one of the nation’s largest pharmacy benefits managers (PBM). Chris joined Catamaran through the merger of Catalyst Health Solutions and SXC Health Solutions, and prior to the merger he served as Catalyst’s Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer.
He recently left Catamaran to pursue personal passions around filmmaking and to consult for startup businesses on marketing and brand issues. He is a Founding Partner in Stick & Rudder Films, a small independent film company that produced the award-winning short film “Caring for the Recently Deceased” and is currently producing an animated 4D series and feature.
Prior to joining Catalyst, Mr. Burns worked at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas – a DK client – where he served as the Director, Content & Entertainment Curation. In that role, he drew on his wealth of experience in building and positioning brands to curate The Cosmopolitan’s unique guest experience and bring a differentiated resort offering to the Las Vegas market. The branding and experiential design efforts he led were brought to life across all aspects of the resort’s operations through details like the content displayed on more than 500 digital screens throughout the property, the music selection in the casino, and restaurant uniforms and menus.
During his time at The Cosmopolitan, his collaboration with DK led to work that garnered both a prestigious Grand Prix Design Lion at the Cannes International Festival of Creativity and a Gold Design Pencil at the One Show.
“Chris’s experience set hits the sweet spot in terms of the role DK plays as brand builder and transformation agent for our clients. He understands how strategic content, technology and emotionally resonating creative work are the foundations for true innovation within a client’s business,” said Bill Fritsch, CEO, Digital Kitchen. “As we grow, our clients and practice groups will benefit greatly from his expertise.”
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“As a past client of DK, I developed a deep respect for their mastery of production craft and their ability to collaborate around the conception and execution of creative ideas that impacted the brand,” said Burns. “The last few years, I’ve been closely following their work and their evolution into an agency that more closely resembles a creative consultancy. This role presents a unique opportunity to leverage my experience in brand strategy and content creation to advance DK’s agenda of helping their clients create breakthrough brand experiences and ultimately enable those clients to stay ahead of the innovation curve.”
Mr. Burns’ other experience includes management roles at top marketing agencies and consultancies, including Arthur Andersen Consulting, Edelman and Prophet Brand Strategy, where he has led brand strategy, internal communications, customer segmentation, innovation and strategy articulation projects. He has worked in a variety of industries, including healthcare, financial services, agriculture, consumer products and hospitality.
Mr. Burns holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business with concentrations in strategy, marketing management, international business and entrepreneurship, a bachelor’s degree in international business from American University and he studied improvisational comedy at The Second City Training Center in Chicago.
About Digital Kitchen: Digital Kitchen is a creative content agency with offices in Seattle, Chicago and Los Angeles. Their unique approach of blending strategic creative development, film, animation, digital, experiential design and rich brand storytelling provides high-engagement brand solutions for a diverse roster of clients. Noteworthy projects include Emmy-winning main titles for Showtime’s “Dexter” and experiential environments for The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas and the Bradley International Terminal at LAX. In May 2015, DK was acquired by kyu, the strategic operating unit of Hakuhodo DY Holdings Inc. of Japan.
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