Partner

Ed O’Hara believes that great agency work should aspire to the condition of great art.
His name is synonymous with great branding too, and his extraordinary success in the field has made him the field’s noted expert, appearing on ESPN’s “Outside The Lines”, CNN, CNNfn, MSG Network and The New York Times TimesCast. In addition, he is regularly quoted in various leading publications, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, SLAMOnline, Inc.Magazine and BrandWeek. Ed was a contributing author of Designing For Brands (with Emily Potts, Rockport Press), and a regular guest speaker at numerous business seminars and other leading industry functions. Ed also holds seats on the National Sports Marketing Network Executive Advisory Board and the Queens College Business School Advisory Board.
The founding partner of SME is also a former Fine Arts major and abstract painter who enforces his artistic ideals as the company’s Chief Creative Officer. Ed’s unparalleled expertise and vision has been the driving force behind SME’s indelible reputation and remains the backbone of the company.
He believes in building great brands. He also believes in the greatness of Tom Waits, the latent greatness of the NY Jets, and the inevitability of change. He’s proud to work his Puerto Rican/Irish heritage, saddened by the destruction of our fragile planet, and unbending in his championing of just causes, including such non-profit initiatives as OSA Conservation, the Genetic Disease Foundation, America Scores, Up2Us, Hope for Heroes, the Ray Festa Melanoma Foundation and the Parrish Art Museum of Southampton NY. Ed lives with his wife and 3 sons in Centerport, New York.