Octavius Newman is creative director at iPullRank, the Brooklyn, New York, search and AI search agency founded by Mike King. He describes himself as a filmmaker, creative director, and storyteller, and he wrote, produced, and directed Sole Stories, a 2024 documentary series about the personal stories behind people's favorite sneakers.
Streetwear and Comics with B3AR FRUIT
Newman's portfolio dates his first creative director project to 2016, when he built B3AR FRUIT, a streetwear brand drawing on hip hop, sneakers, and geek culture. The brand grew from clothing into comics, podcasts, and artist collaborations under the motto "Believe. Create. Inspire." He writes on his portfolio that the line was featured in Zumiez and that the project "cemented my belief in purpose-driven creativity."
The same portfolio shows his later work in motion design and character animation, including social motion ads for Nike in 2021.
Making Sole Stories
In the summer of 2024 he released Sole Stories, a four-part documentary series. Each episode follows one sneaker enthusiast and the pair that means the most to them. He told Nice Kicks that the idea came from his own history with sneakers: "I've always been a sneakerhead. But I haven't always had the money to get everything." What connected him to the culture, he said, were "the stories that are behind the pairs of sneakers that I had: what it took to get them; what the journey was; and the kind of things that I did in them."
When Nice Kicks asked for his own sneaker story, he described his first date with the woman who is now his wife. He wore "Space Jam" Air Jordan 11s to what turned out to be a walk through wet woods, and the shoes were ruined on the first step. "And 12 years later, we're married with two kids," he said, adding that he has told his children that story.
The series slogan, "Your Stories are the True Grails," was written by copywriter Mikeisha Vaughn after listening to him talk, and he gave her the credit in the interview. He ended the interview on the belief behind his work: "Stories are the most important thing that we have. They have the power to build; they have the power to destroy; they have the power to encourage and motivate."
Creative Direction at iPullRank
Newman joined iPullRank as creative director in March 2025, according to his LinkedIn profile. On his portfolio he says his aim is to find "the place where brand convictions and audience values meet," and he holds each project to three questions: "Can this be impactful? Is this well executed? Is this culturally relevant?"