Christopher Owens

Adjunct Lecturer

Christopher was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio.  His path to planning is an unlikely one given his first love was music – specifically, drumming and percussion.  This led him to the University of North Texas where he eventually ditched jazz studies for degrees in language and communications.  That, however, did not end his musical aspirations.  After college, he hit the road playing drums in a ska band.  Who wouldn’t?

Eventually, his affinity for media, communications and pop culture collided when he discovered the discipline of account planning while working at a small agency in Dallas.  Then, in 1999, he attended the Miami Ad School’s second ever Account Planning Boot Camp in Miami where he graduated “Top Dog”.  Woof! 

He joined The Richards Group in March 2000, where he’s lead planning efforts for a broad range of brands – like Nokia, The Home Depot and Patron Spirits.  Today, he’s a multiple Effie award-winning Brand Planning Group Head leading efforts for GameStop, TGI Friday’s, and Sub-Zero Freezer Company as well as aiding in the integration of digital strategy to the agency as a whole.

Christopher is the first Boot Camp graduate to ever be invited back to actually teach in the program.  He’s done it five years in a row now – and loves the chance to fire up a new generation of strategic minds when the need arises annually.

In his free time, he’s busy teaching Advertising Research as an adjunct lecturer at SMU in Dallas as well as raising two young daughters, Ivy and Ella, with his lovely wife Mary.  As for his drumming, he holds high hopes for a ska revival reunion tour in the future.  He’ll keep us posted.

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