ABOUT
Eric David Johnson, p/k/a DJ Bunny Ears, is a music & branding specialist, music producer, music supervisor, record producer, director, musician, filmmaker, writer, artist, photographer and DJ. Rooted as an independent artist, he is a multi-award-winning music creative, having spent over two decades in the advertising industry. Prior to his role as Executive Creative Director at UnitedMasters’ Sound System, Eric began his career with ad agency Wieden + Kennedy, followed by executive roles with Young & Rubicam (VML), DDB Chicago, Randall Poster’s music supervision firm, Search Party Music, McCann New York and MassiveMusic.
Eric has won numerous industry awards and accolades working with/for such clients as: Nike, Mastercard, Microsoft, Cadillac, TikTok, MGM, Coke, Verizon, L’Oreal, Pepsico, Budweiser, Reebok, ULTA, McDonald’s, LG, Honda, ESPN, Bacardi, Gatorade, NHL, NASCAR, State Farm, Skittles and Colgate. Along the way, he has worked with such incredible musicians/artists as: Bob Dylan, Spike Lee, Alicia Keys, John Legend, SZA, Pearl Jam, Lady Gaga, Peter Gabriel, J Dilla, Four Tet, St. Vincent, Alessia Cara, Ben Gibbard, Macy Gray, Jennifer Hudson, M. Ward, Zooey Deschanel, Camila Cabello, Max Richter, Will.I.Am and Mariah Carey, to name just a few.
Widely regarded as a thought-leader in best practices for music-centric creative advertising/marketing, Eric regularly participates in international panels, juries and conferences, such as SXSW, Cannes Lions, the ONE SHOW, AICPs, CLIOs, Mondo, BUMA Music In Motion (Amsterdam), Canadian Music Week, MIDEM, Music Finland, SPOT (Denmark), Roskilde Festival, Reeperbahn, A2IM Indie Week, Iceland Airwaves and London International Awards.
Originally from Milwaukee, Eric's nomadic career has led him to make homes in the cities of Portland, Los Angeles, London, Chicago, Brooklyn -- now splitting time between upstate New York and NYC. Beyond his main career, he is also a member of The Recording Academy (Grammys); was the creator/host of the radio show Imaginary Soundtracks on SONOS Radio; has written and directed music videos and TV commercials for Nike; is part of the music/art collective Pulseprogamming; Trustee to the ARChive of Contemporary Music and still regularly DJs at events and venues around the world.
PANELS
Grand Ideas: Music Behind the Work That Wins
What makes great creative work rise above the rest? This session brings together leading voices across music, advertising and marketing to take a closer look at some of last year’s Clio Music Grand-winning work—watching it together and unpacking the ideas, choices and execution that made it stand out.
The panelists will share what they find especially compelling, where music makes the difference, and how they might have approached the original brief themselves. Part showcase, part creative critique, it’s a candid look inside exceptional work—and the thinking that turns a great idea into an award-winning one.
Tuesday, October 13, 2026, 2:00 PM