Tonise Paul is the OG of fearless.
Energy BBDO became the little engine that could. We won global accounts, became recognized by WARC and Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity as one of the most effective and highly creative agencies in the world and I created the best work of my career.
More importantly we created an incredible culture. People cared about each other, we were kind but honest with each other and with our clients. We treated each other with respect. We showed the world that you can have fun doing great work, and that you don’t have to act like an asshole to do it!
I started at the agency months after I got married, I had my first son 14 months later. I had three boys in four years, it was a blur and I loved it. I also started at the agency months after losing my sister Maria to a three-year battle with colon cancer, she was 36. In 2013, my mom had a debilitating stroke at 71. Our family cared for her for 12 years at home before she passed away last February. In 2015, my brother Michael had a sudden, massive and fatal heart attack minutes after he and I were texting on Good Friday about how excited he was to come to my home on Easter Sunday. He was 38.
Through it all, the people at Energy BBDO were there. They lifted me up. They got me through it all and I was there for them, teaching, growing and building my teams and the rest of the organization. It was a beautiful mutual exchange of care and respect.
I was going to be there for the rest of my career until I wasn’t….
I received the lesson I have been given many times before, sometimes life just happens.
I am grateful for all that I was given at Energy BBDO. The beautiful box in this picture is filled with handwritten notes from different people I have worked with over the past 19 years. Handwritten notes sent from all over the country, some from different parts of the world, each with a story about how I made an impact on them. I am profoundly grateful to each person who took time to share a story and wrote it down on a piece of paper. I will cherish each one forever.
In 2025, I am launching Fearless Brand Marketing focusing on Fractional Chief Marketing Officer/Marketing Executive work. It’s about being bold and decisive, driving long term growth by building distinctive brands and bringing them to life through creativity. I am leveraging everything that I learned throughout my career working at the world’s best marketing organizations. This is what I love doing.
To everyone at Energy BBDO, BBDO Worldwide, BBDO New York and Omnicom, thank you for the impact you made on me over the past 19 years.
2025 get ready, I cannot wait for Fearless to take flight!!!!! Here we go!!!!
