Six Things You Didn't Know About Deutsch N.Y.'s New Top Creative, Kerry Keenan

Kerry Keenan, Deutsch New York's newly installed chief creative officer and partner, is one of the few high-level female creatives in adland. She started at the shop just days ago, taking over the role formerly occupied by Greg DiNoto, after spending time at heavyweight agencies including Leo Burnett, BBDO, Saatchi & Saatchi Bozell and Y&R. Known best for work on JCPenney, P&G and Crest, Ms. Keenan was most recently working at a brand content company, alongside producer Nathy Aviram. But as you'll see in this installment of Creativity's "Six Things" series, she's had some interesting experiences outside of the ad world. 1. At 12 years old, she got her fishing and boating licenses. Why? So she could make some money as "a lobsterman, or lobsterwoman, or really a lobster child." She would take her dad's Whaler out onto Long Island Sound and pull up her pots, collect the lobster, re-bait the pots and sell the lobster to her neighbors. "It was very profitable," she said. "Think I made about $8 a pound." 2. A primate attempted to ruin one of the most romantic moments of her life. Just after Ms. Keenan's husband asked for her hand in marriage, on a South African beach, they were attacked and robbed by a six-foot baboon. After he tired of chasing them, he commandeered their stuff as his own and ate the engagement ring box. The ring was safe -- she was already wearing it. 3. She is currently reading a book called "The Day My Butt Went Psycho." It's about people's butts trying to take over the world, and a group of butt hunters who have to stop them. It was recommended to her by her 8-year-old son. 4. She's a die-hard talk radio listener in the car. "It drives my children insane and they tell me I am very unfair," she said. 5. While in college, she spent a year-and-a-half living and studying in India. She travelled around with a mentally ill, alcoholic, Buddhist guru in a so-called 'acupuncture ambulance' that was really a Volkswagen bus with a red cross painted on the side. He was not really a guru nor an acupuncturist and eventually parents had to be called, she said. "From this, I earned a B.A, in Religion." 6. She intentionally failed typing class in high school. Ms. Keenan thought she would never need those skills. "Jokes on me."

Six Things You Didn't Know About Deutsch N.Y.'s New Top Creative, Kerry Keenan

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