Lucas Donat

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Lucas Donat (born 1962) is an advertising executive, former actor, and the Chief Marketing Officer of Constellation [1] , an AI driven SaaS company in the automotive space.

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Lucas was formerly the CMO of Autonomy and TrueCar, which he helped take public in 2014 [2] . He is also CEO of Tiny Rebellion, where he has helped build many enduring brands.

Early life

Born to actors Michael Learned and Peter Donat in Toronto, Canada, Donat is one of three children. He played the role of Mark Thorn in the 1978 horror movie Damien - Omen II . [3]

Career

Donat is considered one of the foremost innovators [4] of advertising and brand building for internet-based companies. As co-founding CEO of Donat/Wald Advertising with his partner Traci Wald in 1987, Lucas has led the advertising and branding efforts for many early stage Internet companies that have gone on to become leaders in their respective categories: eHarmony, [5] LegalZoom, and Hotwire.

In 2014, Donat/Wald changed its name to Tiny Rebellion and took home the distinction of Advertising Age's Small Advertising Agency of the Year [6] for shops under 75 employees. After over 20 years of service to the agency as its CEO and creative head, Donat and Wald sold their shares to a partner that joined them later, but still retain the rights to the Tiny Rebellion name and all of its historical creative assets. Donat has since held the positions of chief marketing officer and chief brand officer of TrueCar, chief marketing officer at Autonomy [7] , and is currently chief marketing officer of Constellation where he is focused on the intersection of creativity and AI in highly regulated industries.

In 2024, Lucas worked with Michelle Pfieffer and her perfume brand, Henry Rose, to launch an omni-channel ad campaign [8] featuring testimonials from real customers connecting the brand's ingredient transparency to the emotional response fragrance triggers. Lucas has become known for his work with founders.

Personal Life

A long-time advocate of sustainable farming, Lucas Donat and his wife, Traci, transformed half an acre of their Malibu property into a bustling mini-farm [9] . Mr. Donat says the project was a way to practice farming ahead of fulfilling a long-term dream of owning a larger farm in retirement.

In March 2025, The New York Times [10] profiled the Orcas Island cabin of Lucas Donat and his wife, describing the project as an example of thoughtful, environmentally respectful design in the San Juan Islands.

References

  1. "About Us | Constellation". www.helloconstellation.com. Retrieved 2025-10-15.
  2. "TrueCar raises $70 million in IPO, shares rise 12% after trading debut". Los Angeles Times. 2014-05-17. Archived from the original on 7 Oct 2024. Retrieved 2025-10-15.
  3. "How this Los Angeles ad exec became a full blown organic farming nerd". Well+Good. 2014-04-16. Retrieved 2017-09-02.
  4. "Lucas Donat: Innovator of Online Advertising", CBS News , archived from the original on September 2, 2017, retrieved 2017-09-02
  5. Vega, Tanzina (August 15, 2010). "Dating Site Plans Ad Campaign to Mark 10 Years" . The New York Times . ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  6. Willens, Max (July 28, 2017). "Small Agency of the Year, 11-75 Employees, Gold: Tiny Rebellion". Ad Age. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
  7. "Org Chart". The Org.
  8. Siegel, Fern. "Scents And Sensibility: Positivity Underscores Henry Rose's Fragrance Campaign". www.mediapost.com. Retrieved 2025-10-15.
  9. "You're Going to Ecuador and Coming Back a Star". Los Angeles Business Journal. 2014-04-20. Retrieved 2025-10-15.
  10. "An Island Cabin Touched by Lots of Hands". 2025-03-05. Retrieved 2025-10-15.