Editors’ Note: Black history is American history. Reel 360 News’ Reel Black List is a commitment to recognizing the impact of Black voices across film, television, music, media, and culture every single day of the year. In a moment when DEI initiatives have been challenged and hard-won progress feels increasingly fragile, it’s more important than ever to amplify the voices of Black artists, leaders, and innovators who have shaped the industry and continue to move it forward. Today, we are so incredibly honored to spotlight and chop it up with the talented Creative Director, Marcus Moore.
Marcus Moore is a globally awarded Executive Creative Director who has spent 25+ years building brands that move culture. From repositioning Mazda into luxury and earning Best in Show, to shaping Qatar’s World Cup narrative and driving health equity storytelling for Pfizer and AbbVie, his work lives at the intersection of behavior, AI, and cultural fluency. He leads across continents. He builds across industries. And outside the boardroom, he’s the founder of CookByColor.com – a flavor brand where science meets soul.
Let’s meet Marcus!
What’s the version of your origin story you don’t put on LinkedIn?
I was born in Chicago, an Afro-Cubano kid glued to the television, not for the sitcoms, not for the cartoons, but for the commercials. I knew at five. Dunkin’ Donuts: “It’s time to make the donuts.” Wendy’s: “Where’s the beef?” Meineke: “Don’t pay too much for a muffler.” Those weren’t ads to me. They were a cinema in miniature. Thirty-second of air. I was obsessed. Commercials raised me.
Which dream did you outgrow? Which one won’t go away?
I outgrew the dream of titles meaning arrival. The one that won’t leave me alone is bigger, a relentless pursuit to build something that shifts culture, outlives me, and writes my name into the record books as one of the great graphic communicators.
Was your career a choice, an accident, or a survival instinct?
An accident. A beautiful one. No one should’ve let me see those commercial breaks between cartoons and sitcoms. Those short, sharp story intermissions hijacked my brain. LOL. That’s when it was decided and I never looked back. I love this business.
Who were your mentors?
Jimmy Smith. Geoff Edwards. Robert Clifton Jr. George Lois. David Angelo. Brian Lefkowitz. Jason Sperling. Different eras. Different temperaments. Same message: Be brave. Be clear. Make it matter. My leadership coach, Sarah Gibbons, for sharpening my self-awareness. Creative leaders across DDB, TBWA, and Publicis who taught me scale.
What’s a risk you took that looked insane to everyone else but felt necessary to you?
Leaving stability in the U.S. for Doha and Dubai. Leading in MENA. Helping shape Qatar’s World Cup narrative. To some, it looked volatile. To me, it felt like oxygen. And juggling the love of being an Ad man by day and a Chef by night.
Tell us a story that’s 100% true and still sounds like bullshit?
I helped usher Mazda into the luxury conversation and won Best in Show. Then, I pivoted into pharma health equity storytelling. Somewhere in between, I earned my MBA in Berlin while leading globally. At night, I build a color-based seasoning brand rooted in behavioral science.
It sounds fictional.
It’s just my Gourmet Taco Tuesday. LOL
What lie do you tell yourself to keep going?
That I’m a machine.
It’s me vs. me.
But if I’m honest? I’m in competition with the world.
You wake up in a film universe? What is it? Who do you play?
A fusion of Big and Inception. I’m the kid with adult access, imagination untouched, architecting layers while everyone else thinks it’s just another meeting.
What’s something people assume about you that’s completely wrong?
That I’m always intense. But I’m truly a big soft smiling bear and I actually crave quiet. White walls. Good light. A kitchen humming at 6 a.m.
What are you chasing next: clarity, chaos, peace, or power?
Clarity. Power without clarity is noise and lacks love.
What does success look like when nobody’s watching?
When the team feels bigger than the moment.
When the work holds up without me in the room.
When the color of my skin isn’t the determining factor, just the brilliance of the idea.
And when I close the laptop after a pitch and feel God tap my shoulder and whisper, “That was dope.”
What does 2026 look like for you?
Releasing my first Cook+Look Book, where fashion and food share a runway.
Finishing my self-help book by summer.
Leading at scale. Owning more. Compromising less.
Work that bends the room when it enters.
For more Reel Black List honorees, click here.
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