overview
PETER HOFFMAN is the CEO & Executive Creative Director of the Peter Hoffman Communications Group, based New York, Palm Beach, and Miami, Florida. Named by the New York Times as one of the “Voices Of The New Generation,” he is a globally-recognized two-time CLIO winning top-level advertising creative director, and recipient of dozens of the industry’s most prestigious awards and honors.
For over a quarter of a century, he has created thousands of successful, high-profile, innovative, fully integrated, and strategically insightful national, global, and regional television, radio, print and new media campaigns at New York’s top ad agencies - as well as for many agencies throughout the country - working on hundreds of the world’s most notable blue-chip accounts, including those considered to be the most legendary in the history of advertising, e.g. Sony, Nike, BMW, Miller Lite, Federal Express, Dunkin' Donuts, National Football League, Coca-Cola, Comcast, Merrill-Lynch, adidas, Verizon, Pfizer, Pepsico, Club Med, MCI, Barneys New York, Volvo, Bank of New York, Mercedes-Benz, Champs Sports, Shearson-Lehman, New Balance, Reebok, Nestle, Gillette, Valvoline, and many others.
Peter has both introduced and branded numerous well-known products and companies, many of which have become iconic brands with enduring tag lines and campaigns.
He has wide-ranging expertise in over two dozen product and service categories (please see resume).
In addition, Peter has been an Instructor and lecturer at the premier advertising graduate school programs in the country. He currently (Fall, 2019) is teaching a course as an Adjunct Professor of Playwriting, at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida.
Most recently, he garnered two Gold MarCom awards for two print and radio campaigns of his, using actress Betty White.
Peter's numerous cover stories, op-eds, featured essays, articles, profiles, short stories and poetry on a variety of topics have appeared in the most prestigious publications in the country, including the New York Times, New York Times worldwide syndication, Boston Globe Sunday Magazine, New York Newsday, New York Daily News, New York Post, The Forward, Advertising Age, South Florida Sun Sentinel Sunday Magazine, South Dakota Review, Jewish Currents, Newsbeat, and many others.
His plays have been performed and publicly read in New York on Broadway, off Broadway, and regionally around the country.
He has also been interviewed as a featured guest and appeared on a number of major television and radio shows in connection with his work, including national TV specials on NBC and PBS. He has been a guest on WBBM Chicago radio, was a one-hour solo guest on the Florida Arts Channel, and has been interviewed by and featured in AdWeek.
In sum, Peter’s ground-breaking creative work, his many branding successes, long track record of new business wins, cornerstone tag/branding lines, mentorship as a C-suite creative director, professor, lecturer, wide array of skill-sets, top publication credits, and his overall industry leadership along with his broad and deep understanding of the cultural zeitgeist, has earned him a place as one of the most accomplished, proven, and highly-regarded creative executives working in advertising today.
major and traditional media
Peter's television campaigns have been seen countless times on every major network broadcast television and cable network, here in the U.S. and across the globe, totaling billions of impressions, on the highest-rated shows, e.g. the World Series and other top sporting events, as well as the most-watched network dramas, sitcoms, news shows, movies, Hollywood award shows, et al.
His radio campaigns and commercials have been heard on all networks and in dozens of major regional and local markets.
His thousands of consumer print campaigns, individual ads, and B2B print ads, have appeared in hundreds of major magazines and newspaper publications.
He has written in all advertising forms, which include numerous long-copy brochures, white papers, OOH, promotions, collateral pieces, internal company presentations, speeches, corporate theatrical events and concepts, and cooperative advertising. He has also created trade show work, major league sports stadium concept and graphic/signage efforts, experiential concepts, direct mail, contest ideas and executions, national, regional and local dealer ad templates, sales and outdoor advertising.
In addition, Peter has written and directed several industrial short films for various clients.
digital space
In new media and social media, Peter works on the cutting edge of cultural digital technology. His work has been described as being “visionary” and “ground-breaking,” finding unique and imaginative ways of taking full advantage of the power of the web by combining conceptual creative with technological and infrastructural theory, integration, implementation, and analytics, resulting in a broad, deep, and fully-dimensional communication effort at all touch-points.
He works seamlessly with developers, digital designers, techs, digital media planners and researchers to produce highly original, compelling, and effective digital campaigns encompassing print, graphic, e-blast, viral, highly original social media concepts, and video executions, supporting traditional major media campaigns and also as stand-alone digital work.
He both writes and designs the conceptual architectures for web sites. He also creates integrated videos for web sites and the digital space.
Teaching & creative direction
Teaching has always been a core component in Peter's life, and as such he has taught professional, graduate advertising courses as an Instructor at The School of Visual Arts in New York City, the nation’s preeminent advertising program for writers and art directors going into the business as well as for junior creatives already in it and looking to take the next step.
He also has taught and lectured recently at the equally excellent graduate Miami Ad School, in their "Heroes Of The Industry" program.
Peter currently (Fall, 2019) is teaching a course as an Adjunct Professor of Playwriting, at Lynn University, in Boca Raton, Florida,
Additionally, Peter taught creative writing and literature to college and adult education students for three years, as an Instructor at the Writing Skills Workshop at Queens College, in New York.
He has extensive experience running/supervising creative groups and creative departments, and has always enjoyed the guiding & mentoring part of the business.
pro bono, org, and volunteer work
Peter believes in giving back, and thus has created pro-bono advertising and has been adviser and consultant for organizations like the Big Dog Ranch Rescue of Palm Beach, the largest no-kill animal rescue shelter/adoption agency in the Southeast; they also provide medical are via donations for many critically ill abused and otherwise sick animals. He has also created advertising campaigns for the Children's Defense Fund, as well as the Cardiomyopathy Foundation which raises funds to find a cure for this devastating and often fatal disease affecting many children.
Very recently he wrote the new tag/branding line ("Funding The Best Minds To Heal Minds" - recently trademarked by the client) and created a print campaign, for the Hope For Depression Research Foundation, who works tireless to fund research by the world's top psycho-pharmaceutical researchers - including Nobel Laureates - for new Depression medications, as well as raise awareness for the toll Depression takes on individuals and their families.
When he headed up Champs Sports at the Publicis Group, NY, he came up with the idea for a program whereby the company would donate a pair of sneakers to children when they came in with a parent or supervising adult.
Peter, as a volunteer, has both organized and directed numerous theatrical and literary programs at various branches of the New York Public Library. These include casting and directing original play performances and readings using some of New York's finest award-winning Actor's Equity theatre actors as well as notable screen and television actors. Peter led the audience discussions afterward. These programs are appreciated by those in the neighborhood who love the theatre but for physical or financial can't get out to see a Broadway or off-Broadway play, and most especially by neighborhood seniors; it's bringing theatre to them.
He has also put together many poetry readings, including reading his own work, in New York and South Florida libraries and cultural centers, and led discussions about the work following the readings.
In addition, he - in his late teens and early twenties - taught remedial writing and literature appreciation to underprivileged students, in order to bring them up to their grade level.
Peter was a trained volunteer NYPD Auxiliary Police Officer on street patrol, helping to protect his neighbors and fellow citizens.
media appearances
Peter has appeared as both a solo guest and as an integral part of a number of national network and regional television specials, documentaries and radio shows, and has been the subject of major print publication articles, all dealing with his advertising and other creative work. Please see resume page for details.
production and celebrity talent
With a background in film, theatre and television production, Peter has directed many of his own television campaigns when the opportunity has presented itself, and has supervised the entire production of all of them. He has both cast and directed all of his radio campaigns and commercials.
He has had the good fortune and great pleasure to have been able to cast and direct the world's top acting talent in his work, including Oscar, Tony and Emmy award-winners such as the aforementioned Betty White, Nathan Lane, Danny Aiello, Kathy Bates, Brenda Vaccaro, Len Cariou, Wilford Brimley, Darren McGavin, Pat Hingle, Norman Lloyd, Frances Sternhagen, Faith Prince, Simon Oakland, Don Pardo, John Cunningham, Robert Morse, Hall-Of-Fame catcher Gary Carter, Lester Rawlins, Murray Hamilton, Chris Groenendaal, Mark Blum, Joel Fabiani, John Cullum, Lloyd Bridges, Henry Morgan, Boyd Gaines, Arnold Stang, Marsha Lewis, Michael ("Fred The Baker") Vale, Joe Gannascoli (The Sopranos), and many others.
writing and journalism
In addition, Peter's other writings have been frequently published in many of the country's best known newspapers and magazines, which include his op-eds, cover stories, long-form feature essays, articles, profiles, stories & poetry on a variety of subjects for The New York Times, New York Times worldwide syndicated essays, New York Newsday, Boston Globe Sunday Magazine, New York Daily News, New York Post, Advertising Age, The South Florida Sun-Sentinel, The Forward, South Dakota Review, and many others.
His poems have won three national 2nd place awards from the Poetry Society Of America, the nation's pre-eminent poetry organization.
His plays have been performed and publicly read on Broadway (Edison Theatre), off-Broadway, and regionally. He's also won a DGA/CBS New American Play Festival award.
ART
Peter's paintings, photography, and mixed-media piece have been shown in over two dozen group and one-person shows in art galleries and juried exhibitions in New York & Palm Beach, FL.
These include in New York: Hudson River Gallery, Flat Iron Gallery, The Art Barn, Citibank Artists Series, Driftwood Gallery, WNBC Television NY, Ossining Library, Northern Westchester Photographer's Show, et al. In Palm Beach: Two showings at the Palm Beach International Airport Gallery Space (latest one curated by internationally-known gallerist Biba St Croix), Sims Center, and Boynton Beach Civic Center Exhibition.
personal
Peter enjoys all major sports as both a viewer and participant, and is a runner. He has a great interest in literature, film, travel, music of all styles, art, architecture, interior design, and vintage automobiles. He is an animal rights advocate, and is a dog lover in particular - especially fond of Labrador Retrievers. He is a gourmet cook, wine collector, and a beach guy who loves the sand and surf of his adopted tropical beach town in South Florida, as well as the beaches of the Caribbean, Maui and Micronesia. But of all the islands, New York City - where he was born and and where he built his career - will always feel like home.