Jonathan Durbin

Background

About Jonathan Durbin

I’m a creative executive who has spent the past two decades shaping narratives that resonate on a global scale. Currently EVP/Executive Creative Director at NYC Tourism + Conventions, I lead a 20+ person team across design, photo, video, copy, editorial, social and experiential production. Our campaigns have earned five Emmy Awards and four Webby Awards while helping drive 64.5 million annual visitors and $79 billion in economic impact for New York City. Signature initiatives include Founded By NYC (multi-platform campaign with City Hall and Hamilton to commemorate NYC’s 400th anniversary), NYC Local Legends (Emmy-winning docuseries spotlighting cultural icons) and the rebrand and digital transformation of nyctourism.com, which now delivers content in 60+ languages worldwide through AI integration. I also lead high-stakes creative services: writing speeches and messaging for C-suite executives, producing our Annual Meeting and NYC Tourism Foundation Gala, and directing NYC’s presence at global travel and tourism trade shows like IPW and IMEX. As a writer and cultural journalist, I’ve been published in Travel + Leisure, Esquire, Interview and more, and I received a Center for Fiction Emerging Writer Fellowship. I bring that same storytelling instinct to leadership: building teams, campaigns and experiences that connect across culture, technology and business.