CHARLOTTE, N.C., April 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The N.C. Hall of Fame, based in the UNC-CH School of Journalism and Mass Communication, has awarded David Oakley with the 2011 Next Generation Leadership Award.  Oakley, co-founder of BooneOakley agency in Charlotte, is only the fifth recipient of the awarded since its inception in 2008.  

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110413/CL80757 )

"David's portfolio of creative work is smart and relevant and his client roster is deep and impressive," said John Sweeney, a distinguished professor at the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Journalism.  "David has worked hard and has the credentials and recognition to prove it.  He really is a leader in the next generation of advertising."

Oakley, a native of Creedmoor, NC and a 1984 graduate of UNC-CH, founded BooneOakley in 2000 with partner John Boone.  The team and the agency are the proud owners of an array of local, national and international awards, including a 2010 Webby, a Cannes Gold Lion, Advertising Age "Southeast Small Agency of the Year," Creativity Magazine "Hot Creative Team," the One Show and multiple Clios and Addys.  Their website booneoakley.com was just honored in the Google Creative Canvas for 2010.  

"We're really proud of David," said BooneOakley CMO Greg Johnson. "This is an outstanding award for an outstanding creative guy."

The Hall of Fame inductions were held April 10 at the Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill, NC.  

"When I received the call from the Journalism School, I thought I was being 'punked,'" said Oakley.  "Then I realized they were serious.  So I immediately went out and bought a tie.  I'm truly humbled by this award.  Without the UNC School of Journalism, I would never have had a career in advertising."

David started his advertising career as a copywriter at Young and Rubicam in New York where he crafted campaigns for major brands including Certs, Dr. Pepper and AT&T.  From there, he went to TBWA Chiat/Day to help develop the Absolut Vodka campaign --voted Ad Age's "Top Twenty Ad Campaigns of the Twentieth Century.  After seven years in the Big Apple, David followed his Carolina roots to super-regional agency, Price McNabb, where he worked on several award winning campaigns.  In 1997, David and John Boone opened a satellite office of The Martin Agency in Charlotte.  There, David served as associate creative director for Wrangler, Alltel, Kellogg's, Saan and the Charlotte Hornets.   

Oakley and Boone founded BooneOakley in October 2000.  Their first ad, a billboard featuring a photo of George W. Bush and the caption Gore 2000 garnered international attention for their first client, 123hire.com.  BooneOakley clients have included MTV, HBO, Continental Tire, Carmax, NASCAR, Ruby Tuesday, State Farm and Visit Charlotte.  BooneOakley is also the agency behind the wildly popular "It's Bo Time" campaign for Bojangles'.  BooneOakley will celebrate its eleventh anniversary on 11/11/11.  

To find out more about the awards and the program, check out http://jomc.unc.edu/n-c-halls-of-fame/next-generation-leadership-award.  To find out more about BooneOakley, check out www.booneoakley.com.

CONTACT:  Charla Muller, 704.574.0787

SOURCE BooneOakley