Brett Obourke

About Brett Obourke

I am a creative executive with extensive experience in content creation and strategy, film and television production and brand marketing. I’ve managed teams, projects, and budgets - big and small - while creating award-winning video for companies like GE-Hitachi, Bridgestone Tires, Four Seasons Hotels, Aflac, AirTran Airways, and many others. I have 20 years of storytelling experience across all media. I began my career as a reporter and editor at The Miami Herald; I’ve written, produced and directed documentary programming for ESPN, National Geographic, PBS, A&E, The History Channel, and Discovery, as well as edited the Internet arts and culture website Flavorpill. My feature writing has appeared in XXL, Spin, Jazziz and Blueprint Magazine. As the founder and executive creative director of Common Machine, I\'ve worked closely with brands and corporations to help them craft their messaging into compelling stories. My creative work for AirTran Airways won a Golden Bulldog for Best Use of the Internet in the consumer category and brand content work with the Integer Group for Pella Windows helped garner multiple Addy Awards. I am the director and producer of the Emmy®-winning documentary film Hecho a Mano: Creativity in Exile (2011) and Plastic Paradise (2013), a cultural history of America’s 20th century Polynesian obsession, both documentaries aired extensively on PBS affiliates across the US. To see a full credits list of my film and television work go to

Experience

1. Senior Director, Content Studio

   Upshot Agency

   Jun 2022 — Present · Chicago, IL, US

   Head of production for all things Upshot.

Education

• Florida International University

  Journalism, Creative Writing

  1996 — 1999