Brian Hurley is a collaborative, empathetic and wildly imaginative Creative Director whose work has driven results for the past 25 years. He is a passionate leader whose strength lies in uncovering the core truth that exists in a brand and pouncing on it. His work has been recognized by numerous industry organizations, including The One Show, D&AD, Emmys, Addys, Effie’s and a recent Best of Show award from the AAF. However, his real barometer of success is measured in the relationships he has built with client partners who continue to trust his creative leadership on their brands.
Brian’s passion for and love of art direction started at a young age, filling notebooks full of cartoons and whatever else he could imagine. As an Art and Advertising double major in college, he began screen printing and selling posters for local punk rock shows. That work helped him land his first job at Martin | Williams, running its large format printers and doing paste-up for the agency’s presentations. Within months, he was promoted to Art Director, creating visually breakthrough campaigns at multiple agencies, while attracting national attention for his concepts and their craft.
Brian Hurley is a Creative Technologist who thrives at the intersection of art, code, and curiosity. Best known for blending emerging media in unexpected ways, he creates work that feels both playful and deeply human. From creating the world's only touch-tone website for pizza brand, to immersive out-of-home AR experiences for greek yogurt, Brian’s approach reimagines how technology can be used to make a memorable impact with the people who engage his work. When he’s not tinkering with new ways to create with technology, Brian likes to spend quiet time alone with his beloved cat, Rocket.
Brian Hurley is the President/CEO of Hurley Hurley Hurley Worldwide. Previously, he founded the independent advertising agency, Public Works™, growing it to over $8M in annual revenue before moving on to greener pastures. A seasoned leader in assembling and leading teams that deliver big ideas for brands, Brian brings his bold vision and a track record of results to every venture. When he’s not working (which doesn’t happen very much!) he loves spending time with his beloved dog George.
Brian Hurley is a Creative Technologist who thrives at the intersection of art, code, and curiosity. Best known for blending emerging media in unexpected ways, he creates work that feels both playful and deeply human. From the world's only touch-tone website for pizza brand to immersive out-of-home AR experiences for greek yogurt, Brian’s approach reimagines how technology can be used to make a memorable impact with the consumers who engage his work. However, when he’s not tinkering with new ways to create with technology, Brian likes to spend quiet time alone with his elderly cat, Rocket.
Brian’s path to becoming an editor happened more by necessity than choice. A combination of low budgets, fear of asking others for help producing his ideas and a strong desire for creative control has found Brian editing much of his own work over the years. In fact, he’s gotten good enough at it that he even edits other people’s work at times. A resourceful and compelling visual storyteller, Brian has brought to life many film and video campaigns on the cheap that have earned awards specifically for their craft in editing, but his real passion lies elsewhere: maintaining a great looking lawn.
Big ideas don’t need big budgets when Brian is sitting in the director’s chair. Brian leverages his endless curiosity and ambition to bring thoughts to life. He takes great care in compelling the best performances possible from his talent– whether they are kids, mice or even cartoons. That attention to detail has paid off over the years, delivering real ROI for brands, and earning recognition for his work, including a 2025 Best of Show award for his work with Supercuts. When he’s not calling the shots on set, he stops them as a soccer goalie every week in his Sunday co-ed league games.
Influenced at a young age by some of the great poster artists of the 1990s-2000s, Brian's attention to design has been a pivotal part of his work. By insisting design support a larger idea, Brian spends less time chasing fleeting trends in his work and focuses more on the best design to convey a lasting message. This approach finds him getting using very unconventional approaches to creating his work, whether he is sawing up hockey pucks for Nike Bauer, or channeling Super Bowl III for Supercuts. When he's not kerning and leading, he loves to spend time with his two children, Rose and Joe.
Brian's path to being an award-winning writer began rather humbly. Not content with writing lorem ipsum in layouts early in his career as a Jr. Art Director, Brian wrote real copy instead. And some of it was pretty good! Now, when a project comes across his desk, he takes an active role in the writing, challenging his teams an himself to create succinct and compelling messaging. This added focus has paid off for brands and has also earned recent recognition with Brian's writing being shortlisted by D&AD. When he's not penning the perfect headline, Brian loves doing all the art direction, too.
Hailing from the prestigious school of Adobe After Effects 5.5 in a Book, Brian has been bringing designs, illustrations and everything else imaginable to life in video since the early 2000s. This self-taught approach has served him well for the past 25 years, continually incorporating new advancements in technology into his repertoire including Character Animation, 3D modeling, Title Design and Special Effects. He most recently earned Gold at the AdFed Show for his VFX work for Spray Foam World Wide. When he's not setting things in motion at work, Brian is an equally passionate home remodeler.
Known around the offices of Hurley Hurley Hurley as "The Velvet Hammer," Brian brings fairness, transparency and over a decade of small business management savvy to his role at the agency. Prior to this position, Brian founded and ran all financial aspects of the agency Public Works, where he managed tens of millions in revenue, over 200 vendors and dozens of clients while keeping the company profitable during every year of his ownership. By charging a reasonable price for services while paying a fair rate to everyone else involved, his approach pays big dividends and fosters great work.
When the expectations are high and budgets are low, Brian typically gets the call. As comfortable filming at a mouse-breeder's home in Chaska as he is in a soundstage, he always gets the shot. Brian is driven by the opportunity and occasional absurdity of where his teams' ideas will take him. His devil-may-care approach to bringing scripts to life has seen his productions receive regional and national acclaim. In his spare time, which is about as limited as his craft services budget, he loves to head to the north shore of Minnesota to snowboard and gather by the fire with his family.
