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John Rea
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AI in Action

As an award-winning Creative Director, AI educator, and creative strategist with more than 25 years of experience, I use today's leading AI platforms to accelerate ideation, storytelling, design, image generation, video production, and content creation. From ChatGPT and Claude to Adobe Firefly, Midjourney, Leonardo, Krea, Flora, and emerging tools, I combine human creativity with AI to produce smarter ideas, faster workflows, and more engaging experiences.
The work below represents AI not as a shortcut, but as a creative partner that helps transform ambitious ideas into award-worthy solutions.

Apretude (HIV Protection) Branded

The HIV prevention category hasn’t had an innovation in 10+ years. Now, with Apretude, the first and only long-lasting injectable PrEP, not only do sexually active people have a more convenient option, it’s also the first PrEP approved for cisgender and transgender women.

PrEP (HIV Protection) Unbranded

Problem: Pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, is highly effective for preventing HIV when taken as prescribed. However, staying compliant with a daily pill can be challenging.

Solution: Create an integrated, dynamic, unbranded platform that informs this switch target of their evolving PrEP options, which now includes a convenient injection vs daily pills.

In addition to digital content that both entertain and inform, this OOH effort continues to run each year during Pride Month in NYC, LA, SF, Chicago, Dallas, Miami and Philly. The creative was designed to be in keeping with the spirit and celebratory nature of the events.

Results: This multi-channel effort had over 150 million impressions during its run, and 182,000 site visits in August, the highest month ever.

Karamo hosts People Talk PrEP

The lack of more widespread PrEP adoption is one of the causes behind the roughly 37,000 new cases of HIV each year in the U.S.

Solution: Given his visibility and history of HIV advocacy, we recruited Queer Eye star Karamo Brown to host “People Talk PrEP,” a series of conversations about sex positivity and sexual health to help reach the multiple communities that could benefit from PrEP - gay men of color, gay men in general, transgender women and also cisgender women.

Bimzelx (Psoriasis)

Living with psoriasis is a battle not just of the skin but of the soul. Sufferers navigate daily life under the weight of physical discomfort and the unseen burden of societal stigma.

Enter the launch of Bimzelx. Bimzelx alleviates the physical symptoms and, by extension, the emotional pain. To amplify this message, UCB launched the "Get Yourself Back" campaign during the recent Academy Awards broadcast, marking a significant effort to reach out to the psoriasis community, encouraging them to reclaim their lives from the shadows of this chronic disease.

Debra Foundation (Pro Bono)

Problem: More people suffer from Epidermolysis Bullosa, than from ALS or Cystic Fribrosis, yet EB is the worst disease you’ve never heard of. It affects the skins connective tissue of children at birth.

Solution: Create a campaign that puts a spotlight on EB and the families who are struggling to live with it. The video assets created have been successful not only in building awareness but they continue to be shown in the White House and on Capital Hill to elected officials in the Senate and congress to influence legislation for more funding.

The work was featured in a TEDx Talk in London.

AWARDS:
• W3 for Best Online Video Documentary
• AdAge Marketing Impact Award
• Clio Health: Disease Awareness
• Impact Award Video Campaign of the Year (Gold)

A Positive Life

Turning stigma into a point of pride is no easy task, particularly for people who are struggling with HIV. Yet this unbranded website helps them achieve it with flying colors by showing how dealing with an HIV positive diagnosis can still lead to living A Positive Life. And a 400%+ increase in visits since the relaunch speaks to the highly positive results.

Nucala (Asthma)

Patients with severe asthma don’t have a name for what they have. All they know is that what they’re experiencing is frustrating, relentless, scary and debilitating.

Solution:
Create a campaign that elevates these emotions and frustrations around severe asthma and show our target they are not alone. Whatever they call their asthma, Nucala can treat it.

Vascepa (CV)

As cardiovascular diseases continue to rise, how can Vascepa shake up their hesitant target to seek out a better, clinically proven treatment?

Solution:
Create a fully integrated platform that gives this apathetic audience something to celebrate: less risk and added cardio protection with a pill that’s clearly different.

DTC Perspectives Award: Best New Brand or Indication TV

Coppertone DermaPhoto Project

How could Coppertone re-establish itself as the sun-care authority?

Solution:
Create the Coppertone DermaPhoto Booth, the brand's first multi-channel campaign to help bring awareness to the hidden damage the sun can cause and demonstrate Coppertone's leadership in the category. This concept was used across all their sun care brands in a fully integrated effort. The Booth-on-Tour events were featured on NBC's The Today Show, CBS's The Doctors, and Dr. Phil.

Souvenaid

After hearing about the story of Souvenaid’s 60+ years of synapse research, the idea of a Memory Project was born. It became the perfect theme to help convey the science of memory retention to doctors through an engaging, interactive e-detail and a support program for patients.

Digital Firsts, Digital Stories

The key to a successful integrated campaign is in developing a series of touchpoints that work together to deliver a cohesive brand experience. During my 12+ years at Havas Tonic as Digital Marketing Director, I guided several teams and disciplines to extend brand platform concepts across several channels. This video highlights some of our best efforts.

AI in Action

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Apretude (HIV Protection) Branded

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PrEP (HIV Protection) Unbranded

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Karamo hosts People Talk PrEP

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Bimzelx (Psoriasis)

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Debra Foundation (Pro Bono)

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A Positive Life

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Nucala (Asthma)

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Vascepa (CV)

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Coppertone DermaPhoto Project

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Souvenaid

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Digital Firsts, Digital Stories

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