Thompson Harrell: The color project

I’m an independent creative based in New York City, where I split my time between integrated, high-level concept work for brands, social innovation and conceptual art.
Most recently, as Creative Director and Head of Marketing, I led the brand development and all marketing efforts for the tech startup Skillshare, a community marketplace revolutionizing how the world learns. While there, I grew the company over seven hundred percent and Skillshare was named one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company and the number one startup to watch by Mashable.
Previously, I was a creative at BBH New York and independently worked at some of the world’s top advertising agencies creating work for Google, Levi’s, Johnnie Walker, Axe, LG, Miller Lite and NYC & Co. The most notable being the “Spread the Cheer” holiday campaign for Office Max featuring Elf Yourself which still ranks as one of the top viral campaigns of all time. More recently, I created work for Coldplay’s latest album and live concert event which broke YouTube’s viewership record at 20M, crashing both YouTube and Twitter.
Independently as an artist, I conceptualized and created The Color Project, an ongoing art exhibition using Google Earth to tell stories through the power, emotion and language of color. I teamed up with MPC Digital who helped execute the concept and it’s currently one of five permanent installations at the IFP Media Center. I also co-founded The Starving Artists Project, a social art initiative amplifying the voice to NYC’s homeless. The project was launched in collaboration with photographer Andrew Zuckerman and the NYC Coalition Against Hunger. It exhibited at the Dumbo Arts Center in 2012.
With a bit of luck, my work has been featured in every major advertising award show as well as The NY Times, CNN, Rolling Stone, Good Morning America, Today Show, USA Today, Entertainment Weekly’s The Must List, VH1’s Best Week Ever, NPR, Fast Company, PSFK, Buzzfeed, Animal, Upworthy, Huffington Post and Wired.