NICE IS NECESSARY SAYS NEW CCO
From transforming a blood-orange moon into the universe’s largest Fanta vending machine, to designing the first electric guitar that plays music through a cheeseburger for Hard Rock Cafe, and most recently, dreaming up Lenovo’s global YOU campaign to introduce the brand’s new AI PCs, Jared Kozel’s nearly two-decade career has been defined by boundary-pushing, award-winning campaigns for brands like Coca-Cola, Amazon, Starbucks, Delta, Porsche and Arby’s.
The Atlanta-based creative leader is leaving behind VML to launch Super Nice, an independent agency. “Starting Super Nice is my chance to break free, have fun, and show what’s possible when creativity and empathy collide,” says Kozel, Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer. “In an industry where overthinking often overshadows action, Super Nice’s approach is radically simple: Be nice. Be bold. Be better.”
Kozel explains that Super Nice is more than just a name: it’s a philosophy that drives everything they do. Based in Atlanta and Los Angeles, the agency’s mission: “Nice isn’t just a virtue, it’s a winning strategy. Not just because it feels good to be friendly, honest, and relatable, but because nice is necessary. It’s about connecting deeply and understanding what’s being said – and what’s not,” Kozel explains. “Even the boldest ideas remain just ideas without trust, inspiration, and motivation. Nice makes big things happen and that’s what we’re all about.”
Kozel teams up with longtime colleagues Barry Sonders and MJ Speakman — who bring experience in content production, strategy, and tech to the new agency. Super Nice Co-Founder and Chief Content Officer Barry Sonders is a seasoned Executive Producer with an impressive track record for redefining the possibilities of agile production and branded content for top agencies including W+K, 72andSunny, Crispin, Anomaly, and Mojo Supermarket as well as brands including Amazon, Google, Activision, Starbucks, Audi, Walmart, Spotify, and Playstation. “Super Nice is more than an agency just built for bold ideas. We’re about enabling new ways for brands to stand out and drive culture with next level content and creations,” states Barry.
“We see Super Nice as a creative agency that delivers work that goes far beyond traditional ads and media,” says Kozel. “To truly connect with audiences today, brands need to become valuable in new innovative ways. One example of this mindset in action is our work with Coca-Cola’s Gold Peak Tea while at VML, where Barry and I teamed up to create the award-winning Golden Hour phone lens. We invented an entirely new way for customers to interact with Gold Peak Tea, by creating a lens capsule you fill with the golden tea to shoot photos and videos through using your phone for a real beautiful golden hour effect – showcasing the refreshing qualities of Gold Peak Tea in a way that was not only visually captivating but also redefined how brands can connect with their customers.”
Kozel and Sonders are joined by MJ Speakman, Super Nice’s Partner and Head of Strategy, who brings nearly two decades of brand strategy expertise, working with Silicon Valley tech darlings including NerdWallet, Ramp, Kickstarter, Life360, Scribd, Yahoo, and Dropbox. “We’re bringing a real tech startup mentality to the agency, mixing speed and efficiency with innovation and insights. We’re out to prove that the best work centers the audience, not the advertisers. Super Nice is about daring to have a distinctive point of view, connecting meaningfully with people, and having fun in the process,” says Speakman.
“Jared and I have a history of putting this mindset into action. With Life360’s ‘Parent Puberty’ campaign, we tapped into the humor and relatability of parents navigating their children’s teenage years. By flipping the script and having teens give their parents “the talk,” we started conversations all over social media that really hit home. We’ve all collaborated on so many projects together, and we know that if an idea makes us all laugh, we’re onto something…and building that same trust with clients is when magic happens.”