Independent agency Cutwater has brought on board Stephanie Foster as business development director, Michael Huntley as exec producer, William Yen as media executive, and Rebeca Schefkind as art director.
In the agency’s newly created role of business development director, Foster will be responsible for finding clients that are in need of a Cutwater, a platform for their brand that cuts through the noise. A strategic thinker, team leader and creative problem solver, Foster formerly managed multidisciplinary teams for traditional, digital and experiential campaigns for clients, including Facebook, Instagram, Audi, TaskRabbit, Phillips 66, 76, Conoco, Russian Standard Vodka, French’s Foods, 1% for the Planet and Tyra Banks. Additionally, she spent time as the VP of Branding & Marketing at a startup incubator in Silicon Valley where her primary focus was advising early to late stage startups on marketing and branding challenges, such as go-to-market strategies and creating branding identities.
EP Huntley will oversee all production of Cutwater campaigns and projects. Prior to joining the agency, he worked at Argonaut, leading its interactive production department. Earlier he was the head of integrated production at Grey San Francisco. Huntley has extensive experience in interactive, broadcast, and print and has worked with agencies such as Goodby Silverstein & Partners, AKQA, Venables Bell & Partners, McCann Erickson and Eleven. His work for brands including Audi, Sprint, Intel, Microsoft, EA, MetLife, X-Box, Fitbit, and Virgin has been recognized by various award shows, including Cannes, D&AD, Effies, One Show, Addys, Webbys and FWA.
Yen will be responsible for managing search and display media activity for Cutwater’s clients. Prior to joining the team, Yen worked at Resolution Media. During his tenure there, his duties and responsibilities focused around SEM (search engine marketing), which now acts as the cornerstone of his skill set. He is currently working on expanding his knowledge horizontally into other channels to be able to create more holistic marketing solutions for improving both brand awareness and acquisition.
Prior to Cutwater, Schefkind was an art director at Mekanism working on brands including Pepsi, Ben & Jerry’s, MSNBC, Aquafina, Ralph Lauren, and Starbucks. Schefkind started her ad career at mcgarrybowen NY.
“Heretic” and “Maria” Set As Red Carpet Premieres At AFI Fest
The American Film Institute (AFI) has announced that Heretic, the psychological thriller starring Hugh Grant, and Maria, based on the life of opera singer Maria Callas starring Angelina Jolie, will round out the Red Carpet Premieres section at this year’s AFI Fest. The Heretic Gala Screening will take place on Thursday, October 24, and the Maria Gala Screening will be held on Saturday, October 26. The complete Red Carpet Premieres section includes the world premieres of Music By John Williams, Robert Zemeckis’ Here, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl and Clint Eastwood’s Juror #2. All Red Carpet Premieres will take place at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre. The full lineup for AFI Fest 2024 will be unveiled on October 1.
“At the heart of AFI Fest is an unwavering dedication to celebrating the best in global cinema--together,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI president and CEO. “We look forward to uniting artists and audiences once again to be inspired by the art form in a powerful sense of community.”
Heretic follows two young missionaries (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East) who are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed (portrayed by Grant), becoming ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse. The film is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods and produced by Stacey Sher, Beck, Woods, Julia Glausi and Jeanette Volturno. The film will be released nationwide by A24 on November 8.
Directed by Pablo Larraín, Maria presents a tumultuous and beautiful depiction of one of the world’s most renowned artists and reimagines the legendary soprano in her final days in Paris, as Callas (Jolie)... Read More