Whit Friese spent the last nine years as the Vice President and Group Creative Director of Creative Marketing at CNN.There, he was responsible for creative content encompassing all network brands and shows from domestic to international across all platforms, including over 40 Original Series, CNN Films and CNN Digital marketing.
Friese is an alum of Leo Burnett, first as a creative director in the Chicago office where he first began collaborating with Nick Wood, and then as executive creative director in the Tokyo office.
He led transmedia campaigns for global brands such as Nike, Coca-Cola, McDonald's and P&G that resulted in numerous industry accolades including a Grand Prix at Cannes.
He moved from show production to entertainment marketing when he joined Troika Design in Los Angeles. At Troika, he worked across a wide range of networks including AMC, A&E, ABC, HBO, ESPN and Discovery.
During Whit’s tenure at CNN, Syn was a frequent collaborator with his creative marketing team, winning an Emmy together for the 2015 ‘Why We Go’ campaign, as well as a Promax Global Excellence Award for ‘2021 Might Not Suck’.
Additional collaborations with Whit during his tenure at CNN include music licensing for Stanley Tucci’s ‘Searching For Italy’, and a collaboration with Anthony Bourdain and Anderson Cooper for ‘The Upfronts’.
As of 2023, Whit and Syn continue to deepen this collaborative spirit and explore new opportunities in the experiential space.
Whit’s creative expertise is responsible for the creative positioning on Syn’s newly launched website in 2023.
