CEO, Prime Access
Howard founded Prime Access in 1990. He has more than 25 years of experience in advertising and marketing communications, working with many of America’s top brands. He started Prime Access with the goal of creating a full-service advertising agency specializing in URBAN MAJORITY™ advertising services, creating marketing communications that inspire African American, Hispanic and gay consumers.
Howard began his marketing career at Procter & Gamble in brand management. He then shifted to the agency side, beginning as an account executive in the Madison Avenue office of Young & Rubicam. One of his key assignments there was overseeing the Bill Cosby Jell-O campaign for Kraft Foods. Later in his tenure at Young & Rubicam, he won a Clio for his work on AT&T International Long Distance. He ultimately rose to the position of vice president and worldwide category supervisor, where he oversaw advertising campaigns for Colgate-Palmolive oral care products in 18 countries.
In addition to his distinguished work in advertising, Howard has a long history of community service for African American and GLBT causes. He was recognized in 2005 by the Southern Poverty Law Center for outstanding dedication and commitment to human rights and equal justice. Howard has also served as member of the executive board of GLAAD, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.
Howard received his B.A. degree magna cum laude in linguistics, psychology and social relations from Harvard College and earned an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. In 1999, he was named by Ernst & Young as a finalist for Entrepreneur of the Year.
Executive Creative Director
Lorraine McNeill-Popper is one of America’s most experienced and knowledgeable executive creative directors, with unique expertise in the African American and youth markets. She brings 26 years of experience to Prime Access, where she oversees all creative assignments.
Lorraine began her career as a copywriter at BBDO, where she produced advertising copy for, among others, General Electric, Quaker Oats, Hertz, and Gillette. She subsequently worked at Ted Bates and Gross, Townsend, Frank, Hoffman, where her clients included Panasonic, Prudential financial services, the AARP, IBM, Michelob beer and the U.S. Navy.
Just prior to joining Prime Access, Lorraine oversaw creative campaigns for a wide range of top brands, from Pepsi-Co and AT&T to GlaxoSmithKline and AstraZeneca. Her work on AstraZeneca was recognized with a phAME Award, the highest honor in pharmaceutical advertising. In 2003, her work for PepsiCo received the grand prize in the African American category of the ANA Multicultural Awards. Lorraine has unique and longstanding expertise in using celebrities, music and youth iconography to create brand relevance and influence consumer behavior.
A native New Yorker, Lorraine is a Professor of Advertising at Pratt Institute. She is also the mother of three sons. She holds a B.A. degree in theology from Wagner College.
