Tony Cruz Founder Of cruz/kravetz:IDEAS – 1957-2001

Tony Cruz, founding partner of Los Angeles based Hispanic advertising agency cruz/kravetz:IDEAS, passed away on June 2, 2001 in Los Angeles from respiratory complications. He was 44 years old.

Mr. Cruz was born James Anthony Cruz Harris, on April 28th 1957 in Mexico City. Tony started his advertising career as a junior producer at Foote Cone & Belding in Los Angeles, where he worked on campaigns for Universal Studios, Sunkist Growers and First Interstate Bank. Cruz moved on to become a Senior Copywriter at Uniworld Group in New York, where he had the opportunity to write award-winning work directed at the US Hispanic Market for AT&T. In 1988, he returned to Southern California as VP/Creative Director of J. Walter Thompson’s Hispanic Division.

In 1991, along with Carl Kravetz, he founded cruz/kravetz:IDEAS and served as its Chief Creative Officer. There he wrote, produced, and directed critically acclaimed ads for Mexico Tourism, Mexicana Airlines, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Kraft Foods, and Citibank Credit Cards from 1991 to 1996. Although Tony left the agency to pursue a career as a director he maintained a close relationship with the agency, producing commercials for El Pollo Loco for two consecutive years.

Tony signed an exclusive commercial representation deal with Hollywood-based Dark Light Pictures in August of 1996. While at Dark Light Pictures, he directed commercials for United Airlines, Procter & Gamble, Buena Vista Entertainment, Southwestern Bell, Safeway, Dominicks and Hunt-Wesson.