Iconic 90s Nike Ads, Phillip T. Annand and ‘Severance’: The Work That Made Yogi Hakim

Yogi Hakim is the executive creative director at Kamp Grizzly, a Portland-based independent agency recognised for its culturally resonant, idea-driven work with brands such as adidas, Apple, Amazon, Fanatics, and Uber Inc.

Yogi’s creative vision fuels the agency’s mission to craft work that shapes and reflects culture. Now in his twentieth year at the agency, his leadership has been central to elevating Kamp Grizzly as a leader in brand and talent campaigns and activations.

Yogi has led standout projects such as Uber Eats’ Bronze Lion–winning ‘Don’t Run Out’ Halloween campaign starring Keke Palmer, Apple TV+’s ‘Severance’ season two activation at Grand Central, and adidas’ landmark North American activations.

By blending sharp creative instincts with collaborative leadership, he consistently delivers culturally resonant work. His experience spans talent and product marketing, film, art direction, copywriting, experiential design, and digital strategy. This expertise has helped define Kamp Grizzly’s unique voice in modern brand culture.

Yogi sat down with LBB to discuss the timeless Jim Riswold Nike campaign posters that covered his walls, The Madbury Club, and recent work at ComplexCon 2025

The ad/music video from my childhood that stays with me…

Yogi> The ads that stuck with me growing up were all the Nike campaigns Jim Riswold created at Wieden+Kennedy. My walls were covered in posters and magazine clippings from those iconic campaigns. The way he built personal brands around athletes in the ’90s was unmatched, and honestly, it’s still what so many of us are chasing today.

The ad/music/video/game/web platform that made me want to get into the industry…

Yogi> As a huge sports fan, I was obsessed with the old Nike, adidas, and Gatorade ads. Those campaigns made me want to be part of the sneaker world. I’ve been lucky enough to spend most of my career working with adidas at Kamp, which still feels surreal.

The creative work I keep revisiting…

Yogi> Anything and everything from Phillip T. Annand. The Madbury Club (RIP) and Phil have always been a massive source of inspiration for me. His projects have their own DNA; they’re distinct, honest, deeply creative, and truly his own.

My first professional project…

Yogi> My first projects at Kamp were for a local appliance store in Portland, Oregon. I made their weekly ads featuring the Trail Blazers’ legendary TV announcer, Bill Schonely.

Definitely humble beginnings, but it taught me a lot.

The piece of work that made me so angry that I vowed to never make anything like that…

Yogi> Honestly, nothing in our industry makes me angry. At the end of the day, we’re just making ads, content, and experiences.

I may sound Unc, but social 9:16 cropping on content, so… I guess that.

The piece of work that still makes me jealous…

Yogi> The adidas ‘AE1’ campaign. The JL and adidas team absolutely crushed it. They set such a strong foundation for Kamp to build out activations and extensions around Anthony Edwards’ story. That campaign wasn’t just about launching a product, but about building a narrative around an athlete and the world around him.

The creative project that changed my career…

Yogi> The adidas ‘LVL3’ experience was a turning point for me at Kamp. It was a basketball activation for the nation’s top high school players, and it showed me how powerful live experiences can be, shaping culture, fostering connection, and generating meaningful, shareable content.

The work that I’m proudest of…

Yogi> The ‘Severance’ season two Grand Central activation remains one of my proudest moments at Kamp.

It was a seamless collaboration with Apple TV and the Severance team, with every Kamp team member putting care into even the smallest details.

Watching people engage with the experience and seeing it gain traction across social and earned media was incredibly rewarding. This whole thing wouldn’t have even been possible without the team that worked on the ‘Severance’ season one activation at ComicCon.

I was involved in this, and it makes me cringe…

Yogi> Anytime I accidentally end up in the background of one of our event photos.

The recent project I was involved in that excited me the most…

Yogi> The one I’m actually flying home from right now, ComplexCon 2025. We created an immersive world for adidas’ collaboration and launch with Hellstar. The Kamp team went all in, blending experience and commerce to bring Hellstar’s vision to life in a tangible, unforgettable way for their fans and everyone on the floor at the Con.