Hassan S. Ali
Creative \ Writer \ Weirdo Chicago, IL
“It’s funny how a chubby kid can just be having fun, and people call it entertainment.” -Garth Brooks
Hello Internet! My name's Hassan. I live at the intersection of comedy, brands, and tech innovation.
I currently serve as Brand Creative Director at Potbelly Sandwich Shop. Previous life: Creative Marketing Director of Onion, Inc. and lead creative at its in-house agency, Onion Labs.
Three more quick facts:
Early adopter of chatbots. Here are two I made: Botline Bling, Boy Bye Bot. More coming!
Editor and founding member of Slackjaw, the finest humor publication on Medium.
Was named a "50 On Fire" by Chicago Inno for my work infusing comedy into tech.
Some stats:
13.5 million Vine loops (RIP Vine)
300,000 Youtube views
5 million + Facebook video views
11,000 followers on Medium
Find me here:
Twitter: http://twitter.com/hassanisms
Medium: https://medium.com/@hassanisms
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/hassan-s-ali/4/96b/67a
Experience
Creative Marketing Director
January 2015 – Present • Chicago, IL
I create branded content campaigns for brands, strategically marrying the brand’s objectives and KPIs with The Onion’s comedic voice.
I’ve helped oversee the RFP-to-production process for 20 campaigns, accounting for over $14 million in new business.
On a given day, I could be concepting ideas, managing and mentoring writers, working with account/strategy/sales/marketing departments, presenting to clients, or making edits to a video featuring a guy in a panda costume.
Editor, Founding Member
January 2016 – Present
Founding editor of the largest humor publication on Medium.com.
Copywriter
Energy BBDO
August 2013 – January 2015 • Chicago, IL
Wrote, concepted, and produced work for Quaker, Wrigley, K9 Advantix II, and Pearle Vision. (Winning Effie Awards for Pearle Vision)
I also started and ran the agency’s Instagram account.
Independent Content Creator
Freelance
2009 – 2013 • Chicago, IL
Video projects included ad campaigns for The Onion and AV Club.
Writer, Producer, Director
Current TV
August 2005 – January 2009 • Chicago, IL
Funny story: I had a comedy TV show. Along with writing and producing, I oversaw a team and worked with sponsor T-Mobile to integrate native ads into the show. I also worked with Current TV executives to help build the brand’s unique voice, targeted at culturally diverse Millennials.
Education
University of Chicago
BA, Economics
2003 – 2007 • Chicago, IL
Awards
2018
Webby Award Nomination, Webby Awards (For Ace Hardware)
2018
Best Content Studio, Digiday (Awarded to Onion Labs) [link]
2017
Finalist, Digiday Video Award, Digiday
2016
50 on Fire, Chicago Inno [link]
2016
Addy Award, Chicago Advertising Federation (For “Dr. Jimm” campaign with Intel)
2016
Digiday Content Marketing Award, Digiday (Finalist for “Dr. Jimm” campaign)
2015
Addy Award (1 Gold, 3 Bronze), Chicago Advertising Federation (Awarded for work on Quaker Oats.)
2015
Effie Award, Effie Awards (Effie Award for work on Pearle Vision)
Clients
Intel Quaker Wrigley Progressive Insurance Trugreen Clorox Simmons Beautyrest Tito's Handmade Vodka The Onion Pearle Vision K9 Advantix II eBay Allegra Scotts 7-Eleven Sony Pictures YUP! / Fairlife Wild Turkey American Honey Barbasol
Specialties
branded content copywriting photoshop comedy humor social media mobile content YouTube video Vine TV .gifs