Radio Mercury Awards
2026 Chief Judge

Danny Gonzalez

Founder/Co-CCO, Bandits & Friends

Throughout the course of his 20-year career, he has built a reputation for making the mundane unforgettable with razor-sharp insights and having a knack for revealing the unique humanity of every brand he's touched. In 2022, Gonzalez and David Suarez teamed up with Courtney Berry (former president of The Barbarian Group) to launch Bandits & Friends, an independent, female-and minority-founded agency that believes attention can't be bought, so bandits go steal it, and that clients deserve to be treated like friends. That rebellious spirit, paired with a deep respect for client relationships, earned them Ad Age's Newcomer Agency of the Year and a growing list of brand partners including Schick, The Athletic, Angi, Care, The Weather Company, Show Me Organics and Liberty Mutual. Gonzalez was recognized in Adweek's Creative 100 list, an honor that highlighted two decades of work celebrated by Radio Mercury Awards, Cannes Lions, One Show, D&AD, Effie, Webby, Clios, Andy, Art Directors Club, AICP and his parents, who think he's just swell.

"From being a Radio Mercury Awards winner to now being named the 2026 chief judge is a real honor to me. I am looking forward to working with an incredible final round jury to hear the best of the best that gets entered."