John Godsey has served as North America chief creative officer since January 2017. He joined legacy VML a decade ago and helped win the agency’s first Cannes Lion in 2012. Since then, he has helped bring home nearly 60 more Lions — including VMLY&R’s first Grand Prix for Wendy’s “Keeping Fortnite Fresh.” Recognized as an industry expert in branded entertainment, Godsey has created three full-length branded films — with his most recent film, “It All Begins with a Song,” being honored at multiple film festivals, including the International Film Festival Rotterdam. The film also won three Cannes Lions, which helped VMLY&R become Cannes Entertainment Agency of the Year in 2018 — for the second year in a row. Godsey’s 25 years of brand-building expertise includes stints at Team Detroit — where he helped create a branded content discipline for Ford — and at FCB. While at FCB, his work was parodied by “Saturday Night Live,” “Scary Movie 3,” and ESPN — and demonized by Rush Limbaugh (a personal career highlight). Godsey is based in VMLY&R’s principal office of Kansas City.