Margaret Johnson of GSP named 2024 AICP Next Awards judging chair

Matt Miller, President and CEO of AICP, announced that Margaret Johnson, Chief Creative Officer and Partner at Goodby Silverstein & Partners, has been named as the 2024 AICP Next Awards Judging Chair. In this role, Johnson has assembled a roster of Jury Presidents who will, in turn, select judges for all AICP Next Awards categories. 

“I couldn’t be more excited to be serving as the 2024 AICP Next Awards Judging Chair,” says Johnson. “It’s a competition that focuses on work that defies convention and points to the future of advertising innovation. And the work honoured is preserved in the archives of The Museum of Modern Art’s Department of Film for future generations to study. This is a big deal for me, and I think for the other judges as well. It’s also unique in its emphasis of production and craft, both in the work considered and in the makeup of the juries.”

The AICP Next Awards recognise outstanding work and the creative forces behind it, but are much more than an Awards competition, Next is a platform for thought leadership and analysis. The entry deadline for the AICP Next Awards, along with the AICP Show: The Art & Technique of the Commercial and the AICP Post Awards, is March 5, 2024. Details can be found here.

“It’s gratifying when we get a leader of Margaret’s stature to serve as Judging Chair, since this competition was founded to recognise the kind of work people like her have been associated with throughout their careers,” says Miller. “Since the Next Awards debuted, work from Goodby Silverstein & Partners has consistently been honoured, most recently with several pieces last year. To have Margaret at the helm of the Next judging process, and selecting peers which she’s hand-picked, ensures that only work that’s truly worthy will be recognised.” 

A 25-year veteran of GS&P, Johnson leads the storied agency’s creative department, a position she assumed in 2015, after being named a partner in 2012. In 2016 she was named the agency’s first Chief Creative Officer. Under her leadership, Fast Company ranked GS&P as number 36 in its list of the Most Innovative Companies in the World and the Most Innovative Ad Agency of the Year, and Campaign magazine named GS&P Agency of the Year. Over the years she has been named one of the industry’s top chief creative officers by Ad Age, Forbes, Business Insider, Adweek and The Drum. 

A graduate of UNC Chapel Hill, where she majored in journalism and mass communications, she pivoted to art direction, which she studied at the Portfolio Center in Atlanta, before launching her agency career at Leonard, Monahan, Lubars & Kelly in Rhode Island. She later joined The Richards Group (now TRG) before heading West to San Francisco to join Goodby Silverstein.

The 2024 AICP Next Awards Jury Presidents & Curators at Large 

As Judging Chair, Johnson was tasked with identifying a range of industry professionals to serve as Jury Presidents. She says her criteria was relatively simple: “It’s a little bit like Ocean’s Eleven. We’ve pulled together an eclectic team of experts, each of whom will bring a specific expertise and a unique perspective to the process of guiding their respective juries.” 

She adds that her tenure at GS&P, an agency well familiar with breaking the mold, will be of added benefit to work with this panel: “At GS&P we don’t subscribe to one specific style—we work at the speed of culture. For AICP, I’ll be working hard to make sure the work reflects what’s happening in the real world.”

The 2024 Next Awards Jury Presidents will each, in turn, select the judges for their respective categories. The full lineup includes:

• Jeff Benjamin, Chief Creative Officer, Tombras (Experiential) 
• Keith Cartwright, Founder/Chief Creative Officer, CARTWRIGHT (Integrated Campaign) 
• Brian Coate, Executive Producer, Meta (Innovation) 
• Chloe Gottlieb, Founder, DesignMeCo (Creative Data) 
• Lauren Greenfield, Director, Institute (Purpose Driven) 
• Genie Gurnani, Head of Brand Editorial & Social Creative, The Walt Disney Company – Freeform (Influencer) 
• Judy John, Global Chief Creative Officer, Edelman (Digital Experiences) 
• Ari Kuschnir, Founder/Managing Partner, m ss ng p ec es (Web Film) 
• David Shing, Digital Prophet, Shingy (Social) 
• Jimmy Smith, Chairman/CEO/CCO, Amusement Park Entertainment (Branded Content & Entertainment) 
• Xanthe Wells, VP, Global Creative, Pinterest (Real Time Engagement)