Mary is an award-winning creative leader with more than 25 years of experience helping brands connect with their most important audiences. Currently, she is the SVP, Group Creative Director for the global brand experience agency Jack Morton Worldwide, overseeing activations for some of the world’s top brands, often on the world’s biggest stages, from the U.S. Open to NY Fashion Week to the Olympics to the Grammys. She has particular expertise in the luxury space, spending more than a decade as the lead experiential creative director for the iconic American automotive brand Cadillac.
In her work, Mary is most interested in pushing the boundaries of brand storytelling, exploring new mediums, creative technologies and cultural collaborations to create truly meaningful experiences. She strives to make people participants vs. observers, interacting with brands in a personal way that forges emotional connections. Examples include the first-ever Cadillac ELECTRIQ Theater, a 360-degree immersive cinematic experience tying the brand’s innovative history to its all-electric future; Letters to Andy Warhol, a traveling art experience developed in partnership with the Warhol Museum showcasing Cadillac’s pop-culture influence; and Lights, Layers and Reflections, a sculptural installation celebrating the iconic Escalade, created with famed indie filmmaker Autumn de Wilde.
Mary also is a member of Jack Morton’s Global Creative Council, advising on the creative vision for the agency. She also sits on the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion team, ensuring it remains a business priority, both for internal culture and as reflected in client work.
Today, Mary lives in Detroit where she contributes to the city’s creative comeback. More than a decade ago, she co-founded Public Pool art space, at the time one of the only outlets for contemporary art experiences. She also co-founded 53North, a rural/urban art exchange where Detroit artists use barns as their mediums, developing large-scale installations two hours north of the City. Mary is also a board member of Signal Return, a Detroit nonprofit community letterpress arts center.
Mary began her career as a writer, working in various corporate and agency roles, before discovering the 360-degree world of brand experiences. She has never looked back. Mary attended Michigan State University and graduate school at the University of Michigan.
mtrybus@sbcglobal.net
+1 313 506 9048