Zaxbys was falling behind in a world dominated by Raising Cane’s and Chick-fil-A. Despite serving beloved chicken fingers, the brand lacked cultural relevance and a distinct voice. They weren’t part of the conversation—they were the mom-and-pop chicken joint with no swagger.

Everyone in fast food claims to have flavor, but Zaxbys had something the others didn’t: a whole lotta’ sauce. The problem? They weren’t owning it.

So we gave Zaxbys a whole new personality by leaning into what made them different—their iconic SAUCE— and created The “Sauce Boss,” embodied by Omar Epps.

The Sauce Boss celebrates the flavorful, fun, personality-driven world of Zaxbys. We built a voice that was bold, unfiltered, and delightfully “unc” vibes.

So how did we show up on social? We took the sauce and ran with it—building a voice that was confident, unpredictable, and impossible to scroll past. With an iconic spokesperson and a loyal audience of chicken lovers, we doubled down on the energy, creating series, posts, and trends that reminded everyone: Zaxbys owns the sauce.

My partner and I didn’t just write for Zaxbys—we became Zaxbys. We concepted, wrote, directed, produced, and occasionally starred in the chaos you see online today. Working from New York for a Southern chicken joint with no access to a storefront, the food, or the sauce meant we had to get weird—and fast. Out of that came a ton of viral content and a voice people actually recognized: the unapologetic, swagger-filled Sauce Boss.

And of course, the Sauce Boss made his way to the big screen. From limited-time milkshakes to the legendary Chicken Fingerz, he showed up loud, proud, and dripping in sauce.
Here are a few spots I got to concept, write, and work on:

And of course we brought it to radio too!

AGENCY:
Goodby Silverstein& Partners
CD: Anthony Dimichele, Brett Beatty
ACD: Ross Fisher, Brett Shae
JR Copy: Lily Harir
JR AD: Elysia Hartojo