# Buffy McCoy Kelly

> Buffy McCoy Kelly is a creative strategist, copywriter and co-founder of Charlotte agency Tattoo Projects, where she formerly served as CEO and chief creative officer. Her work includes campaigns for Cozi, Hostess, Victory Motorcycles, Hoover and Sheetz. She stepped away from daily agency management in 2021; her public CV lists a subsequent contract role in insights and brand strategy at Wray Ward. She also writes fiction.

- **Role:** Senior Director, Insights & Brand Strategy at Wray Ward (contract; as listed on her public CV)
- **Organizations:** Tattoo Projects, Wray Ward, Neiman Group
- **Education:** Copywriting program; credential not specified, Portfolio Center (now Miami Ad School), Atlanta, Journalism/Advertising studies; credential not specified, University of Kentucky
- **Known for:** Co-founded and led Tattoo Projects, an Ad Age Small Agency of the Year honoree., Led strategy and creative direction for Cozi’s Guinness World Record event with 17,782 rubber ducks., Cozi case study reports 392 million media impressions and a 168% membership increase following the campaign.

## Career timeline

- **2000–2006** — Held associate creative director, creative director and vice president roles at Neiman Group in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
- **2006** — Co-founded Tattoo Projects in Charlotte with Rudy Banny.
- **2006** — Credited on a One Show Bronze Pencil for TorchBearer Sauces hot-sauce packaging at Neiman Group.
- **2021-03** — Tattoo Projects announced leadership expansion, new hires and office/production-space plans; Kelly was founder, CEO and CCO.
- **2021-06** — Announced her departure from daily Tattoo Projects management to the team on June 1; the public announcement followed in November.
- **2021** — Her biography records the sale of her company; her CV lists the start of contract work at Wray Ward.
- **2023-04** — Published the science-fiction story The Glitch on Medium.
- **2023** — Her biography records a top-ten award finish in NYC Midnight’s international short-fiction competition.

## Achievements

- Co-founded and led Tattoo Projects, an Ad Age Small Agency of the Year honoree.
- Led strategy and creative direction for Cozi’s Guinness World Record event with 17,782 rubber ducks.
- Cozi case study reports 392 million media impressions and a 168% membership increase following the campaign.
- Developed the Modern American Muscle positioning that became a Victory Motorcycles tagline.
- Conceived a two-story Hoover vacuum-canister trade-show booth.
- Named among the Top 25 Working Mothers in Advertising by Working Mother Magazine.
- One Show Bronze Pencil credit for TorchBearer Sauces packaging in 2006.

## Latest updates

- **2024-05** — Published portfolio entries including Hostess social-media work; these are portfolio publication dates, not campaign launch dates.
- **2023-04** — Published The Glitch on Medium on April 12.
- **2021-11** — Tattoo Projects publicly announced her departure from daily management, which she had communicated internally on June 1.

## Links

- Website: https://www.bmccoykelly.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/buffy-kelly
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bmccoykelly/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/buffy-mccoy-kelly
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-23