Peter Mayer

TOTAL NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES
Office Employees	51-100
Total US	51-100
Total Worldwide	51-100

BIOS

Mark Mayer, President

As company President, Mark oversees the strategic direction of the agency, its new business initiatives and the Account Management team.

Mark got his start at Newsweek, working his way up to Circulation Marketing Director. While at Newsweek, Mark tapped into the pulse of readers to help increase magazine circulation and was responsible for all direct marketing for the magazine. Five years later, he headed back to New Orleans to lead Peter Mayer into the future.

Mark is committed to and has a long history of community engagement. He has served on the boards of the Business Council of New Orleans, the New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau, Metairie Park Country Day School and Ben Franklin Public High School. He currently serves as Chairman of the Board for the Bureau of Governmental Research, a New Orleans-based good government organization.

Education: BA in English, Grinnell College; MBA with concentrations in consumer marketing and marketing strategy development, Harvard Business School

Tourism Account Experience: New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation, New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau, Sonesta Hotels, Harrah's Casino, Waldorf Astoria Hotel, Paragon Casino Resort, Roosevelt Hotel New Orleans, Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation & Tourism, Delta Queen Steamboat Company, Hilton Hotels, South Seas Plantation, Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Audubon Nature Institute, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, The National WWII Museum, Asheville Tourism, Delaware North Parks & Resorts and Emerald Coast Tourism, Arlington (TX) Convention & Visitors Bureau

Josh Mayer, Chief Creative Officer

As Chief Creative Officer, Josh ensures that the strategic creative direction on accounts is appropriate and that the creative product contributes to achieving client advertising objectives, resulting in quality and strong and lasting client/agency relationships.

Before joining Peter Mayer in 1991, Josh worked with some of the best New York shops – Dentsu, Young & Rubicam and J. Walter Thompson – before his talents took him to Bangkok, Thailand, where he created memorable campaigns for DDB Worldwide and J. Walter Thompson’s most important international clients.

When he’s not leading Peter Mayer’s Creative department, Josh supports the Louisiana Children’s Museum, the New Orleans Museum of Art and LSU’s Manship School of Mass Communication.

Education: BA in Film and Television, University of Southern California

Michelle Edelman, EVP, Chief Strategy Officer

As Chief Strategy Officer, Michelle oversees brand planning, strategy, media, research and connections planning to ensure integrated, 360-degree solutions for clients.

Prior to joining Peter Mayer, Michelle was president and director of communications planning at NYCA, managing partner and director of planning and brand stewardship at Ogilvy & Mather and SVP/chief planning officer at Leo Burnett USA.

Michelle is a frequent speaker and award show judge and our resident blogger on travel and cultural trends, and she has coedited two marketing books. Michelle was named Advertising Executive of the Year in 2016 by the New Orleans Ad Club.

Education: BS, Northwestern University; MPH, Feinberg School of Medicine; MBA, Kellogg School of Management

Desmond LaVelle, EVP, Executive Creative Director

Desmond joins us from Facebook where he served as Global Lead in Facebook’s Creative Shop. There, he helped the world’s most valuable brands and their agencies bring their ideas to life across all media. Prior to Facebook, Desmond was the SVP Creative Director at Leo Burnett leading the Esurance and McDonald’s businesses. And at FCB San Francisco, Desmond led creative efforts on Dockers for Levi Strauss and Co., helping to turn a declining brand into a billion-dollar business.

Fluent in all media, Desmond brings his skill of transmedia campaign development to Peter Mayer. He has a passion for brandcraft, but also has experience building for people at every stage of the consumer journey.

Desmond’s work has won nearly every major industry award for creativity. You will also find a few Effies scattered about his bookshelf for campaigns that produced business-changing results.

Education: Journalism, The University of Kansas

David Crane, VP, Director of Account Management

As Director of Account Management, David directs clients in the development and implementation of strategic marketing plans that lead to successful communication programs.

In 1989, David was named Advertising Person of the Year by the Ad Club of New Orleans, and he was named Agency Account Executive of the Year in 1995 and again in 2000.

Education: BA in Marketing and Communications, University of New Orleans