Publicis Worldwide New York has promoted Carla Serrano to CEO, according to North America CEO Andrew Bruce. Serrano joined Publicis Worldwide North America in 2014 as chief strategy officer, and is a member of the Publicis Worldwide Comex leadership team.
Bruce commented, “The passion for what we make, the determination to work in lock-step with clients, and the collaborative spirit and willingness to jump in anywhere, at any time, are the hallmark’s of today’s most magnetic and effective leaders. All are attributes of abundance when describing Carla. Elevating Carla’s role will ensure greater access and influence, which will serve to accelerate our ambitions and fuel our on-going transformation.”
Serrano will report directly to Bruce, who has held the position, along with CEO North America, for the past two years. Bruce has been building a North America leadership team, and Serrano was the natural leader for New York. She will partner with Andy Bird, chief creative officer, New York, Dawn Winchester chief digital officer, North America, and Nathalie Fagnan chief operating officer, North America.
Throughout Serrano’s career, she has assumed a combination of strategic leadership and agency management roles. Before arriving at Publicis, she held positions such as CEO of Naked NA, CSO at TBWAChiatDay NY and president of Berlin Cameron and Partners. Serrano has worked with brands including Coca-Cola, Apple, Samsung, Cadillac, and Citibank, among others.
Serrano stated, “I am thrilled to be leading a transformative agency, in such a transformative time. Problem-solving and strategic planning will always be part of my DNA. As I look at our industry today, and at the types of challenges our clients face, I deeply believe that leadership founded on strategic skill-sets will be a great advantage.”
Jennifer Kent On Why Her Feature Directing Debut, “The Babadook,” Continues To Haunt Us
"The Babadook," when it was released 10 years ago, didn't seem to portend a cultural sensation.
It was the first film by a little-known Australian filmmaker, Jennifer Kent. It had that strange name. On opening weekend, it played in two theaters.
But with time, the long shadows of "The Babadook" continued to envelop moviegoers. Its rerelease this weekend in theaters, a decade later, is less of a reminder of a sleeper 2014 indie hit than it is a chance to revisit a horror milestone that continues to cast a dark spell.
Not many small-budget, first-feature films can be fairly said to have shifted cinema but Kent's directorial debut may be one of them. It was at the nexus of that much-debated term "elevated horror." But regardless of that label, it helped kicked off a wave of challenging, filmmaker-driven genre movies like "It Follows," "Get Out" and "Hereditary."
Kent, 55, has watched all of this — and those many "Babadook" memes — unfold over the years with a mix of elation and confusion. Her film was inspired in part by the death of her father, and its horror elements likewise arise out of the suppression of emotions. A single mother (Essie Davis) is struggling with raising her young son (Noah Wiseman) years after the tragic death of her husband. A figure from a pop-up children's book begins to appear. As things grow more intense, his name is drawn out in three chilling syllables — "Bah-Bah-Doooook" — an incantation of unprocessed grief.
Kent recently spoke from her native Australia to reflect on the origins and continuing life of "The Babadook."
Q: Given that you didn't set out to in any way "change" horror, how have you regarded the unique afterlife of "The... Read More