Alexis Jabbour
Founder & CEO of Buddy · BookWithBuddy.com · Dive with Buddy App
Built from the road — usually somewhere with good water
Now scaling
Buddy
Certified diver
Since 2006
Advertising
A decade of craft and new business
Chapters
ATL · MIA · AMS · BOU · NYC · HNL (Currently Traveling)
About
The creative director who longed to make ads for the ocean — I'm Alexis, a strategic creative director turned founder. For a decade I art-directed award-winning campaigns for Porsche, Adobe, Volkswagen, and EA across New York and Amsterdam — while quietly dreaming of two things: making work for the ocean, and traveling the world to be near it.
What drives me hasn't changed since my first brief: a passion for solving problems through strategically creative ideas, good design, and a human experience.
That is exactly what Buddy is now — those same instincts, pointed at the water world I love. I build it from the road, usually somewhere with a reef nearby, and care as much about protecting the ocean as I do about the software that helps people explore it.
Featured
Company
BookWithBuddy.com
The booking marketplace for scuba diving and ocean adventures worldwide.
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Press
How to Launch a Dive Tech Startup
Scuba Diving Magazine's founder profile, by Travis Marshall.
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Portfolio
The advertising work
A decade of campaigns for Porsche, Adobe, Volkswagen, EA & more.
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Experience
Founder & CEO
Buddy
2020 — Present · Hawaii
Building the booking platform, community, and software for the water world — a consumer app, the BookWithBuddy marketplace, and Buddy for Business.
2020 — Present
Hawaii
Creative Director
Studio Peanut
2019 — 2024 · Atlanta
Brands: AMEX, Baker Hughes, Burt's Bees, Freestyle Libre, HubSpot, Neighborly, Peloton & Xfinity.
2019 — 2024
Atlanta
Creative Director
Lucky Generals
2019 — 2020 · New York
Brands: The Knot, Fluent Beverages & new business.
2019 — 2020
New York
Associate Creative Director
Johannes Leonardo
2018 — 2019 · New York
Directed creative teams and won two new-business pitches.
Brands: EA Madden, Venmo & GAP.
2018 — 2019
New York
Creative / Art Director
Crispin Porter Bogusky
2018 · Boulder, CO
Produced three animations, two branded films, and won three new-business pitches.
Brands: Amazon, American Airlines, Fruit of the Loom, Ikea, INFINITI & Otterbox.
2018
Boulder, CO
Creative Lead / Art Director
Fitzroy
2017 · Amsterdam
Led the pitch win for A.Vogel's global rebrand (11 film executions).
Brands: A.Vogel, Doritos, Grolsch / Kornuit & Radler.
2017
Amsterdam
Creative Conceptor / Art Director
dentsuACHTUNG!
2014 — 2017 · Amsterdam
Lead creative on Adobe's Hovering Art Director, the Philips Brush Button prototype with Google Zoo, and the Volkswagen Stroller (6 awards, millions of views).
Brands: Adobe, Philips, Porsche, Volkswagen, Sony, Vodafone & Heineken.
2014 — 2017
Amsterdam
Design Lead & Business Development to the CEO
IdeaString
2010 — 2014 · Atlanta
Lead designer of a SaaS platform for Fortune 1000 companies — brand book, product, and C-level decks. IdeaString was acquired by GE.
2010 — 2014
Atlanta
Education
B.A., Journalism — Advertising Strategy & Speech Communication
The University of Georgia
2013 · Grady College
Art Director at Talking Dog Agency; Student Delegate at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.
2013
Grady College
Art Direction
Miami Ad School
2014 · Amsterdam
Accepted a full-time creative position in Amsterdam after the first year.
2014
Amsterdam
Licenses & certifications
Certified since 2006 — and still logging dives around the world.
Freediver
PADI
2022
Rescue Diver
PADI
2021
CPR / AED / First Aid — Primary & Secondary Care
Emergency First Response
2021
Enriched Air (Nitrox) Diver
PADI
2019
Advanced Open Water Diver
PADI
2019
Open Water Diver
SSI
2006