Jim Holbrook
EMAK Worldwide, Chairman, Executive Management Committee
Chairman Emeritus of the Board

After chasing his dream of qualifying for the Olympic sailing team, and graduating from Vanderbilt University in 1981, Jim began his career at Procter & Gamble, getting his first position by refusing to leave the lobby until they granted him an interview. (It took six trips, but he got the job.)

 He then moved on to Ralston Purina in 1984, where he further honed his marketing skills. He launched Purina O.N.E., one of the most successful new products launched since Puppy Chow. He led the Purina/Wal*Mart business team, taking revenues from $30 million to $300 million in three years. He also had the opportunity to spend time with his idol, Mr. Sam Walton.

He eventually became head of the Beech-Nut baby food subsidiary and assistant to the Chairman of the Board of Ralston Purina. (Part-time, he earned his MBA from Washington University.)

In 1996, he joined marketing agency Zipatoni as president, and took his vision about innovative marketing to the agency world. Jim engineered the sale of Zipatoni to the Interpublic Group (IPG) and stayed on as a group head of several agencies.

In late 2005, Jim became CEO of EMAK Worldwide, a family of marketing agencies including Upshot, Equity Marketing, and Neighbor.