Make awesome. Be awesome. And vice versa.

Founded by multi-hyphenate Chad Rea, Dept. of Awesome delivers expert guidance and actionable tools to help individuals and organizations move faster, think smarter, and create with more impact.

A la carte. Or all of the above.

  • Advertising & Brand Consulting

    Launch, grow, or reinvent your brand with new and novel thinking.

    • Brand & Advertising Audits 

    • Campaign Development

    • Creative Direction & Copywriting

    • Headlines & Taglines, Video, PR Stunts, Social, Merch, Experiential, Websites

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  • Career Alignment & Guidance

    Build a career—and a life—you love through clarity, confidence, and momentum.

    • Career Assessment

    • Alignment

    • Action

    • Ongoing Assistance

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  • Creative & Business Mentorship

    Bring more structure, support, momentum, and fresh perspective to your practice.

    • Practice Review

    • Entrepreneurship

    • Accountability

    • Productivity

    • Self-promotion

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  • Art Activations & Partnerships

    Unique products, campaigns, and experiences for brands that want culture, not clichés.

    • Licensed Originals

    • Custom Collaborations

    • Branded Art Products

    • Experiential Concepts, Murals & Installations

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  • Workshops & Speaking Engagements

    Inspire teams, spark innovation, and make unconventional thinking the new norm.

    • Creativity Inspiration & Training

    • Innovation & Ideation Workshops

    • In-House Agency Development & Oversight

    • Keynote Talks & Panels

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ChadGPT?

I’d like to think that my unique personal and professional experiences combined with my hybrid approach lets me see around corners and connect dots others often miss. It’s why individuals and companies hire me—to unlock creativity, clarity, differentiation, and meaningful results in surprising and delightful ways.

Ad Industry Pioneer & Disruptor

I’ve spent more than 30 years as a Copywriter and Creative Director at the leading creative agencies around the world, developing over 190 brands, including Target, Google, Nike, and Starbucks. As a pioneer of media-neutral problem-solving, my work has been featured in 16 books on innovation and creativity. Which means you now get access to the same creative firepower that would cost the biggest players six figures.

Professor of Creativity & Critical Thinking

For nearly a decade, I helped hundreds of students every semester think differently, find their voice, and hone their craft at two of the top advertising programs in the country—Art Center College of Design and the University of Texas—where I received “Teacher of the Year” and the Stan Richards Faculty Fellowship in Advertising Creativity. Many of my former students now lead creative agencies and departments at Pinterest, Amazon, Kendra Scott, etc. I can help you or your team achieve the same.

Serial Side Hustler & Entrepreneur

I’ve launched countless initiatives of my own, including ad agencies, gaming apps, homeless outreach programs, and wildly inappropriate baby t-shirts. Along the way, I’ve learned just as much from the breakdowns as the breakthroughs—and from the coaches and mentors who helped me grow. I know firsthand what it’s like to feel overwhelmed, stuck, or completely clueless. So when I work with entrepreneurs, I’m not just advising from theory, I’ve lived it.

Artist, Curator, & Gallerist

In 2014, I leaned into my art practice and began exhibiting regularly in galleries and fairs. Since then, I’ve opened four galleries—including LockhART HOUSE and Cult of Happy—and curated immersive experiences like a multi-artist installation staged in five abandoned grain silos. Teaching others how to wear the artist and business hats allows them to create meaningful work while building direct, authentic connections with their audience.

Trained Career & Heart-centered Coach

After shutting down my ad agency at the height of its success in 2007, I enlisted a career coach to help me navigate what came after pursuing my childhood dream. That experience led to an apprenticeship and my own coaching practice. In 2023, I earned my two-year certificate in Advanced Spiritual Psychology from the University of Santa Monica. Because I’ve done the inner work, I’m uniquely equipped to not only help others break through the outer barriers, but the internal ones we all face, as well.

  • "I can only recommend a handful of like-minded marketing partners that consistently push the limits of smart, accessible design and innovation, and Chad is certainly one of them."

    Target Stores

  • "There are few people that can educate, challenge and inspire an in-house creative team to elevate their work. Chad happens to be one of those lucky human beings."

    Lake Trust Credit Union

  • "Chad sees the world (and your product and company's mission within it) with a fresh, slightly askew, highly intelligent sensibility. I am overjoyed to have him on our advisory board."

    Business Coaching Client

  • "I find myself relying on the techniques and practices Chad taught in his class. Without a doubt, the skills he taught me have helped me to become a better creative today."

    Senior Art Director, Amazon

  • "I went into this program with some serious skepticism, but it took no time at all for me to realize just how powerful Chad’s insights and guidance truly were. Those decisions have been paying dividends ever since.”

    Career Coaching Client

Let’s amplify the awesome.