Tomas Kohoutek

Tomas Kohoutek (born October 8, 1977) is an American creative director, author, and illustrator. With over 25 years of experience, he has worked at leading creative agencies and developed campaigns for numerous high-profile clients. He is the creative director at Crow Creative Agency. Kohoutek is also the founder of Teddylandia, an indie publishing company focused on children's literature.
==Early life and education==
Kohoutek was born in Hradec Králové, Czechia, and grew up working as a sheep farmer. He later moved to Prague to pursue studies in land surveying, cartography, and information design at the Secondary School of Land Surveying and Czech Technical University. In 1998, he relocated to the United States to study graphic design, advertising, and communication design. He graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York in 2003 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, majoring in Advertising and Communication Design, graduating summa cum laude.
==Career==
===Communication career===
Kohoutek began his career in the advertising industry as an art director and eventually rising to the role of Creative Director, working with several high-profile global clients across a range of sectors including telecommunications, finance, retail, and healthcare. Throughout his career, he has collaborated with major companies such as Charter Communications, Verizon, Bank of America, Nestlé, Oreo, and Gerber. His work also included campaigns for the U.S. Census and partnerships with notable figures such as Venus and Serena Williams for Nabisco's Diet Like a Diva campaign. When Verizon decided to cross-promote its Home Monitoring and Control system with Ridley Scott's acclaimed movie Prometheus, Kohoutek and his team developed a mini-game — Prometheus Mission Connect — which allowed fans to explore and control settings in each room of the ship. As the creative lead behind the online game, Kohoutek also mapped out the layout of the ship and delivered exclusive infographics and schematic drawings, providing fans with an even more detailed view of the vessel.
Kohoutek’s expertise in creative direction, branding, TV production, digital and print media, art direction, and social media marketing has led to his involvement in numerous award-winning campaigns. Kohoutek and his team won the 2013 Webby Award for Verizon and earned multiple Addy Awards for his work with Oreo. He was also part of the group that received the Effie Award for the U.S. Census campaign.
Kohoutek held key roles at various agencies, starting as a Junior Art Director at Mad Dogs & Englishmen. He later worked as a Senior Art Director at Draft Worldwide, developing campaigns for Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, Computer Associates, and Avaya's World Cup sponsorship. In 2006, Kohoutek joined FCB NYC, where he worked on a range of clients, including Gerber, Kraft Foods' Gevalia Coffee and Oreo, Nabisco, Nivea, Fisher-Price, HP, Avaya, Nestlé, Amgen, and Teva.
In 2014, Kohoutek took on the role of VP Creative Director at Erwin Penland, where he led the marketing initiatives for Verizon and CIT Bank.
In 2015, he joined Wilson RMS and began working on projects for clients such as Suez, Nationwide, and Kaiser Permanente.
Since 2017, Kohoutek has been the lead creative director at Crow Creative Agency in New York City, where he develops creative campaigns for Spectrum and Spectrum Business.
===Publishing Career===
In 2023, Kohoutek founded Teddylandia, an indie publishing company focused on children's literature. The company's goal is to help children navigate the complexities of modern life through stories that emphasize emotional well-being, mindfulness, and the healing power of nature. 
In 2024, Kohoutek released his debut children’s book, Living with Teddy: Missing, for readers aged eight and above. It features nearly a hundred of Kohoutek's original illustrations and explores themes of friendship, courage, and the healing power of nature. In the story, which doubles as a personal-development book, Kohoutek introduces young readers to various important topics and life lessons through the fun, wild Teddus bears — mysterious forest creatures who help children navigate emotions and challenges while fostering resilience, self-care, and environmental responsibility. The book has been positively received for its ability to engage both children and adults, encouraging conversations about emotional well-being and environment stewardship. Living with Teddy: Missing received an Honorable Mention at the 2024 Purple Dragonfly Book Awards and is available on Amazon.
===Personal Work===
In his free time, Kohoutek enjoys traveling and immersing himself in the whimsical world of the wild Teddus bears. He credits these enigmatic forest creatures with helping him overcome a challenging childhood. Inspired by their wisdom, Kohoutek is devoted to uncovering and sharing their timeless lessons about resilience, harmony, and the restorative influence of the natural world. Through his stories and illustrations, he hopes to inspire both children and adults to reconnect with the natural world and find greater balance in our busy digital lives.
===Other works===
In addition to his communication and publishing career, Kohoutek is active in artistic communities as a creative director, photographer, and illustrator. He has collaborated with the Korean skincare brand Innisfree on interior photography projects and regularly contributes illustrations, photography, and vector graphics to iStock and Shutterstock libraries.
==Awards and recognitions==
Kohoutek has received numerous accolades throughout his career. 
* In 2024, he was awarded an Honorable Mention at the Purple Dragonfly Book Awards for Living With Teddy: Missing (2024). 
* In 2023, his work on Living With Teddy earned recognition at the Awwwards.
* Kohoutek received the 2015 Interactive Media Award for his work with CIT Bank.
* He also received a 2013 Webby Award and a Gold Greenville Addy Award for his work with Verizon. 
* In 2012, he was honored with the FCB Face Award. 
* In 2011, Kohoutek was part of the team that received the Effie Award for the 2010 U.S. Census campaign. 
* His campaigns for Oreo garnered multiple Addy Awards in 2011, including Gold, Silver, and Spirit. 
* Kohoutek was recognized with Draft’s Annual Howie Award in 2006. 
* He received the Educational Foundation Award in 2003.
* He was credited with the Art Directors Club Scholarship Award in 2002.
==Bibliography==
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==Personal life==
Kohoutek resides in Brooklyn, New York, with his family. He advocates for the importance of reconnecting with nature and addressing mental health challenges through creative expression and storytelling. 
==References==
==External links==
* Personal website
* With Teddy Series
* Teddylandia Publishing
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* Tomas Kohoutek on YouTube
Category:1977 births
Category:Creative directors
Category:American authors
Category:American illustrators
Category:Fashion Institute of Technology alumni