I have been working in the creative industry for over 25 years. Although my passion for advertising and creative strategy was born before my years at UPenn, it was my BA degree in Communication (with a concentration in Marketing and Arts) that enabled me to stand out as a strategic problem solver in the creative roles of my early career. I started off in the late 90’s in San Francisco where I worked in Ketchum Interactive and Lot21 Interactive Advertising, two pioneering agencies of the time. Because I had the chance to work with amazing teams and had inspiring creative directors as mentors, my early career as an Art Director was so flourishing. Early on, I had such clients as eBay, Disney, Palm, Amazon, Bank of America, (Sony) Ericsson and Pacific Bell with which I won a One Show award at a time when banner ads were really conceptual. In 2002, I had to take a leave of absence from my job and spend some time in my hometown of Istanbul. My arrival coincided with a time when online advertising was still raw in the country, that’s why I found myself at the traditional side of the industry when I decided to stay in Turkey. Thereafter, I had creative jobs including ones with the film director/producer Abdullah Oğuz, Pars/McCann Erickson advertising agency, and several one-on-one clients. In 2008, I co-founded a creative studio in Asmalımescit, Istanbul and were extremely lucky to have mutually fulfilling and fruitful long relationships with such clients as Atos, Gymboree Play&Music, Lineadecor and OverGame. After 15 years of running my own agency, I am now open to collaborating with companies, agencies and creatives worlwide as an Independent Creative Director.
My first book, a collection of 20 short stories in Turkish, was published in August 2022. Both in advertising and writing short stories, I’m passionate about finding metaphors, telling meaningful stories, connecting with people and creating ripple effects.
Şebnem Gökçen 