D—K
Creative Director

Selected Works
  1. Coca-Cola Halftime
  2. Intel
  3. Coca-Cola Times Square
  4. Audi
  5. $WOMN - YWCA
  6. International Delight
  7. Allstate Purple Purse
  8. Museum of Science and Industry
  9. Oldies

About

dezim@mac.com
+1 312-351-1232
Linkedin 
Instagram

SF—CA


©2026

Olá, tudo bem?

I'm Denison Maeda Kusano, a Brazilian-born, U.S.-based creative with over 20 years of experience turning ideas into smart, entertaining, and well-crafted work.

Currently, I’m a Group Creative Director at VML, where I lead teams and shape campaigns that range from tactical one-offs to fully integrated, award-winning platforms. Throughout my career, I’ve partnered with brands big and small, working across everything from healthy budgets to the scrappiest productions. I bring a strong focus on creativity, craft, and delivering real results that move the needle for clients.

When I’m not chasing the next big idea (or my two kids around the playground), you’ll probably find me on the soccer field, chasing the ball instead.




If you’re looking for a team, I’ve been lucky enough to team up with the amazingly talented Ralf de Houwer.
Here’s a site featuring our work: ralfanddenison.com


EXPERIENCE

Jul 21—Present
VML
Group Creative Director

Feb 19—Jun 21
VCCP US (Muh-tay-zik | Hof-fer)
Associate Creative Director

Mar 17—Jan 19
VSA Partners
Creative Director

Oct 12—Feb 17
Leo Burnett Chicago
Associate Creative DirectorDec 08—Oct 12
Deutsch LA
Art Director

Feb 07—Dec 08
David&Goliath
Senior Art Director

Sep 04—Feb 07
Y&R Chicago
Art Director

RECOGNITION

One Show
1 Gold, 2 Merit 

Cannes Lions
3 Finalists

London International Awards
1 Silver, 1 Finalist

National ADDY
2 Silver 

New York Festivals
1 Bronze, 2 Finalist

Young Guns
2 Finalist 

ADDY
2 Gold, 3 Silver

Chicago Creative Club
Best Public Service, Best Newspaper

Beldings
Best Point of Purchase, Best Consumer Magazine Campaign 

Athena Awards
1 Bronze

Graphis Advertising Annual 

Creativity “Pick of The Day” 6x


All the work presented on this site is the result of my collaboration with extremely talented people. 

Some of them are:

Dave Loew, Tohru Oyasu, Mike Ward, Greg Christensen, Chris Von Ende, Jon Wyville, Ryan Ebner, Mark Figliulo, John Guynn, Colin Jeffery, David Angelo, Ben Purcell, David Povill, Fede Callegari, Amanda Mourenza, Eric Waetzig, Mara Evans, Ray Connolly, Chris Ribeiro, Peter Trueblood, Rob Goldenberg, Barney Goldberg, Ryan Inda, Jason Pickar, Brett Landry, Erick Mangali, Chris DeNinno, Eric Hirshberg, Ryan Hitzel, Ryan Scott, Brett Craig, Mark Hunter, Matt Miller, Phil Jungmann, Jo Shoesmith, Tim White, Kate Harding-Jackson, Adam Ferguson, Sam Snyder, Jeremy Adams, Stella Na, Lindsay Stevens, Chris Cole, Mark Wegwerth, Charley Wickman, Brandan Jenkins, Sarah Block, Scott Smith, John Kistner, Mikal Pittman, Jim Bernardin, Jonathan Fussell, Robin Laurens, Melanie Sawyer, Rainer Schmidt, Lisa Plachy, Johnny Mei, Bob Winter, Evan Thompson, Tim White, Josh Witherspoon, Andrea Dunn, John Matejczyk, Joel Kaplan, Jesse Wilks, Gerardo Agbuya, Greggy Adriano, Johann Lopez, Taylor Dahl, Trevor Larson, Caroline Burke, Maiken Krohn, Karolina Edgren, Ralf de Houwer, John Godsey, Allison Pierce, Derek Clark, Santiago Cuesta, Matt Clark, Yelan Tong, Esteban Izquierdo, Rafael Pitanguy, Gabriel Jardim, Guto Monteiro, Pedro Assis, Breno Oliveira, Lorran Gurman, Thomaz Marsiglia, Thomaz Maksud.