Rick Boyko

"It all starts with a passionate idea. The rest is the relentless pursuit of perfecting it."

Rick Boyko is an advertising legend whose career has defined creative leadership in modern advertising. Beginning as a designer and art director, he rose through the ranks to become Co-President and Chief Creative Officer of Ogilvy North America — where he helped shape the creative vision of one of the world’s most influential agencies and led it to be named Advertising Age’s Agency of the Year. A fearless believer that great work demands passion, curiosity, confidence, and the courage to fail, Rick built some of the most iconic brand campaigns of our time — for American Express, Dove, Nike, IBM, Jaguar, Pizza Hut, Ford, Reebok, and Huggies, among others. His approach to creativity was always grounded in a relentless pursuit of truth: What is the brand’s story? What makes it meaningful? And what would you do if it were your own? In true pirate fashion — not the navy — Rick made a bold pivot from executive to educator, stepping down from Ogilvy to become Director of the Virginia Commonwealth Adcenter. Over nine transformative years, he expanded the curriculum, rebranded it as the Brandcenter, raised funds for a landmark building designed by Clive Wilkinson, and turned the school into one of the most creative institutions in the country. Today, in partnership with the Advertising Club of New York, Rick continues to inspire the next generation through the Inspiration documentary series — a celebration of advertising’s most legendary creative minds.