Tim Harris

Senior Vice President, Denuo (Chicago)

Tim Harris spent years driving digital innovation at Leo Burnett Media and Launch (now Yahoo! Music) before signing on as the first employee of Starcom IP — all before “digital” was cool (wait, it’s cool now, right?).

He served as the agency’s Director of Messaging and Cross-Contact Architecture, paving the way for the once stand-alone agency to become a core functioning unit of Starcom MediaVest Group. The experience of successfully guiding the business through the dotcom crash only edified his goal to become the greatest nerd in the history of marketing.

Today, he finds himself driving the development and promotion of new products and services for Denuo. Harris works directly with clients to help them understand digital and cultural nuances in today’s changing landscape, fragmented by new technology and changing consumer behavior. It seems to be the one gig where his LinkedIn addiction is regarded as an asset instead of a liability.

As a founding member of Denuo, Harris helped create the unique plug-and-play operating model that the agency currently employs. He was also co-founder of Play the industry’s first and most recognized agency unit dedicated to leveraging videogames as a consumer contact channel. He serviced clients such as GM, P&G, LEGO, Miller and Allstate, eventually integrating the Play offering into a seamless part of Denuo’s broader digital expertise.

Tim is also founder and CEO of Seven Lights, a company that specializes in the creation of customizable online entertainment. As CEO, he concepted, designed and developed The Continuum, a pioneer in the digital goods and browser-based gaming spaces, and Corporate Bloodbath, a business-battle send up inspired by his ‘beloved’ co-workers, although most managed to keep their real names out of the game.  In bringing these and other games to market, Tim has filled the roles of Game Designer, Community Manager, Marketing/Promotions Director and Producer, and today continues to innovate in multiple areas of game development.

Harris graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in telecommunications from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. At the time of publication, the school still does not offer a Masters in Nerding Out.