NEW YORK, USA // When threatened with the prospect of failing Freshman Level Earth Science in High School, Craig was approached by his football coaches. In an attempt to keep him eligible for the season, they recommend he drop Earth Science and take an easier elective class in its place. His coaches recommended Auto Shop. But because of his love of comic books, Craig decided to take Introduction to Drawing instead.

There, Craig learned that he could actually draw. And paint. And do photography. And sculpture. He actually excelled at anything artistic. In fact, much to the fright of his parents, he made the decision that he wanted to try and make a living being creative.

This was absolutely terrifying to his Father, a Professor of Surgery, who assumed that this career choice meant his son would forever be broke, painting on street corners, begging him for money. After complaining to his friends about this fact at a dinner party, his father was introduced to a man at the party that was a Creative Director at a New York Advertising Agency. He begged this man to talk to his son and convince him that he should be in advertising. It didn’t take much convincing. After one visit to an ad agency at age 16, Craig knew what he wanted to do for the rest of his life.

Craig went on to attend Syracuse University, where he majored in Advertising Design, with minors in Film and Photography. He then went to Miami Ad School to sharpen his portfolio. While attending Miami Ad School, he was sent to study at Fallon in Minneapolis, Leo Burnett in Chicago, and Merkley Newman Harty in NYC.

At the end of his internship at Merkley Newman Harty he was offered a job as an Art Director, which he gladly accepted. In his 8 years at Merkley, Craig worked on both retail and brand campaigns for accounts like Mercedes-Benz, Arby’s, JetBlue, and the American Museum of Natural History. But what is most important is that Merkley is where he met his future wife, Jennifer.

Craig went on to become an Associate Creative Director at McCann Erickson, New York. There he worked on campaigns for Verizon, Holliday Inn, Avis, and General Mills.

Later, Craig joined McgarryBowen, where he created campaigns for accounts like Chase, Marriott, Staples and United Airlines. After a short time there, he was given the opportunity to creatively lead accounts, and has managed Intel, Subway, Crayola and Northrop Grumman.

In his free time, Craig creates iPhone applications (see Spotasuarus), works on screenplays and novels that will go no where, and feeds his insatiable hunger for live music. But mostly he enjoys hanging out with his wife and kids, Mason and Violet, in Brooklyn.

Proudly, he’s never had to ask his father for a cent.