Lisa Kang Gambino
CEO / Co-Founder
Lisa began her advertising career at BBDO from 2000-2005 and re-joined BBDO in 2014 as SVP, Senior Director.
Lisa began her stint at BBDO on Charles Schwab in 2005. After a year and a half of stocks, mutual funds and retirement, she moved onto Visa, where she worked on the Visa Check Card and Signature Card products, high profile sponsorships like the Olympics, NASCAR, NFL and Disney, and annual 4th quarter promotions.
While working on Visa, Lisa also managed a pro-bono assignment for the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, a cause that was near and dear to the President of BBDO Worldwide. Lisa quickly learned the challenges of networking and negotiating with agency resources to develop all stages of production pro-bono. But she also found it to be rewarding and empowering just as quickly.
Lisa then joined mcgarrybowen for the next 8 1⁄2 years. She helped develop strategies to stem line loss and proactively pitched strategic and creative work for Verizon FiOS, leading the agency to win the business.
From there, Lisa took up a new challenge and leveraged her past experience in financial services to work on Chase Card Services. She helped to sell in a huge One Brand campaign that united Card Services and Retail Banking under one platform. She also helped to launch the second phase of the successful Chase Freedom card, developing strategies and “chasing what mattered” to consumers - fraud protection and rewards.
Over the years at mcgarrybowen, Lisa had the opportunity to expand her knowledge in a variety of categories, across multiple brands. She managed a range of businesses like The Wall Street Journal, Aussie, Crayola, Central Park Conservancy, The Kelley School of Business, as well as global brands like Disney, Marriott and Sharp. She spent her last few years at mcgarrybowen working on Pfizer, successfully repositioning the brand and launching a new campaign for VIAGRA.
Lisa brought her success and knowledge of VIAGRA back to BBDO where she continued to manage the VIAGRA business as the brand prepared for Loss of Exclusivity (LOE). And in the process, Lisa was awarded the DTC Perspectives Agency Vanguard Award in October 2016, an award that recognizes standout agency team members driving innovation and improving communication in the DTC space. She was among the inaugural recipients of this recognition, as 2016 was the first year that agency partners were included. In addition, the VGA campaign went on to win numerous awards, including DTC National Advertising Awards, Rx Club Awards, Multicultural Healthcare Marketing Awards, and PM360 Trailblazer Awards, to name a few.
Lisa also helped to launch the powerful P&G My Black is Beautiful campaign, “The Talk”. The video takes on racial bias by not only raising awareness of the effects of conscious and unconscious bias, but also sparks dialogue and inspires change. The campaign has been hugely successful and has won multiple awards, including the Cannes Grand Prix, One Show Pencils, and Effies, just to name a few.
After VIAGRA went LOE, Lisa then managed the Humana business for BBDO, where she not only helped build the brand with the launch of a new brand campaign, but was also instrumental in winning the social business.
Lisa received her B.A. in English Literature from the University of California at Los Angeles (go Bruins!). She grew up in Orange County, California and currently lives in Manhattan. In her spare time, she enjoys baking, exploring New York City’s art and food scene, and traveling.
Mike Gambino
Chief Creative Director / Co-Founder
Since 1995, Mike Gambino has been employed principally in marketing, working at agencies such as BBDO New York, DDB Chicago and McCann. He’s created campaigns for many of the world’s great brands like Visa, FedEx, Coca-Cola, Bud Light, McDonald’s, Mars, AT&T, and Verizon, winning virtually every award, including Gold Cannes Lions, Gold One Show Pencils, D&AD Pencils and even a few Effie Awards. His Visa commercial, Broadway Tribute, was nominated for the EMMY Award.
Mike cut his teeth at DDB Chicago, working on McDonald's and the Make it a Bud Light campaign.
After DDB, Mike served a stint at McCann, as an art director on the enduring MasterCard Priceless campaign.
Mike then served eight years at BBDO/NY, working primarily on the Visa It’s everywhere you want to be campaign, and its many sponsorship campaigns for the Olympics, the NFL, the TONY Awards, the Triple Crown, and NASCAR, while also creating campaigns for the Signature Card and the Visa Check Card. At BBDO, Mike he also created campaigns for Cingular/AT&T, M&Ms, Milky Way, AOL, Armstrong Floors, and the New York Yankees. His work on the Relax, it’s FedEx campaign was highly awarded with the Gold Cannes Lions and numerous One Show pencils.
Mike went on to serve four years as Group Creative Director SVP at McCann on Verizon FiOS, co-creating the popular, long-running Cable Guy character. Each quarterly launch included a fully integrated campaign, an extensive digital push, social media, events, and an extensive TV, radio, print, and OOH push.
Mike then served four years the Executive Creative Director at The Halo Group. Halo's strong emphasis on social and digital media broadened Mike's creative range, and informed his views on the importance of a cohesive media scope. His work for St. George’s University and Halo’s in-house promotions garnered 8 Telly Awards, in 2014.
In 2018, Mike co-founded Kangbino with his wife, Lisa. Together, they collaborate on every aspect of the business, learning from each other every day.
Kangbino's philosophy is to bring in the very best minds for any particular job. "Over the years, we've worked with the very best marketing people in the world, including creatives, producers, media buyers, search experts and strategists. Because of our strong long-term friendships, we are able to call upon the best talent. If your new campaign needs a writer who's an art-loving, vegan, motorcyclist specializing in episodic video, we know that guy."
"Together, we are establishing Kangbino as a collaborative agency known for crystalline strategic insights that lead to refreshing work, all for the sole purpose of making our clients rich and famous."
As a painter, sculptor and photographer, Mike has exhibited work with solo shows at galleries in New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, Washington DC and New Orleans.
Mike wrote the film Space Cadet, which premiered as an Official Selection at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival.
Mike enjoys teaching Creative Concepts, Art Direction and Film & Video at Fashion Institute of Technology (SUNY) in Manhattan, where he is an alum. He also studies jazz and blues guitar, and occasionally cooks six-course Italian meals like his little grandma used to make.