Sam Walsh, senior VP/director of broadcast production at Publicis & Hal Riney, San Francisco, has been hired as general manager of bicoastal/international Propaganda Films Commercial and Music Video Division. He will be responsible for managing all aspects of production, sales and operations for Propaganda’s spot labels: Propaganda Commercials & Music Videos; Satellite Commercials & Music Videos; and Propaganda Independent, which specializes in securing select commercials for feature filmmakers. Walsh, who’s officially slated to join Propaganda on Nov. 15, will report directly to Propaganda Films’ COO Trevor Macy and its recently named president Rick Hess (SHOOT, 10/29/99, p. 1).
At press time, Walsh said he was wrapping some prior commitments at Publicis &
Hal Riney; some of those projects may last through month’s end. While on the agency side, Walsh had a track record of working with leading spot directors, including Tarsem and Frank Todaro of bicoastal/international @radical.media; Paul Giraud of bicoastal HSI Productions; a pair of Satellite helmers, Peter Care (on Saturn and Sprint PCS) and Andrew Douglas (for America West and Hewlett Packard), and Propaganda’s directing team of Tom Kuntz and Mike Maguire (doughNET.com).
Walsh comes aboard Propaganda at a key juncture. In the aftermath of several noted commercial execs departing the company—including Propaganda Commercials president Steve Dickstein, who has since taken the helm of bicoastal Partizan Entertainment; Propaganda’s head of commercial development Dave Morrison, who’s now with Propaganda cofounder Steve Golin’s new Culver City, Calif.-based venture, 8Media; Satellite executive producer Jeff Armstrong, who’s forming a new venture; and Propaganda Independent executive producer Susanne Preissler, who is considering several options—there has been considerable industry speculation regarding who would assume hands-on managerial reins of Propaganda’s commercial business. Walsh will work closely with Propaganda VP of Commercials/executive producer Colin Hickson, as well as yet-to-be-named successors to Armstrong and Preissler. Walsh will lead the search for executive producers at Satellite and Propaganda Independent.
Alluding to Dickstein, Morrison, Armstrong, Preissler and the earlier efforts of Golin, Walsh credited the prior regime with having done "an extraordinary job of building a leading company. I look upon their achievements with respect, but now we’re starting a new chapter and plan to build further. I’m not stepping into anyone’s shoes or position per se. I hope to fulfill two objectives: providing our talented stable of directors with the best work and opportunities possible; and helping our agency clients—and their clients—to gain the creative services and filmmaking support they need. With my agency experience, I know the challenges on that side of the business. It’s important we be responsive to agency and client needs."
Walsh added that he also wants to address what seemingly every spot production company is assessing: "New business prospects and emerging media. What new media are we going to be providing content for? I think this company is well equipped to deal with that."
A more immediate challenge might be to retain certain parts of the directorial nucleus. Walsh related: "Our intention is to make Propaganda the kind of place people don’t want to leave, by opening up varied opportunities [i.e. commercials, music videos, new media and longform]. Through career management, sales and production expertise, we will help directors to get the best work." At the same time, Walsh said he’s "pragmatic" and has "no illusions that I can come in and instantly change the flow of momentum that’s already in place in terms of the loyalties of some directors and their commitments to others. But we’re determined to make a major effort to turn that around. I’m confident we’ll prove that this company provides directors with the best support and resources. We will maintain a strong core of directors—and will attract new talent—across all labels."
Walsh said he met Propaganda chairman Gary Beer in July. "I was interested in meeting Gary because we [Publicis & Hal Riney] had worked with Propaganda and Satellite, and I needed to get an idea of where those companies were going under the new ownership." Beer headed a group that bought Propaganda’s commercial, music video and talent management businesses from Universal Studios earlier this year (SHOOT, 4/16/99, p. 1). Beer later became CEO of Smithsonian Business Ventures for the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., but remained on the Propaganda board, assuming the company’s chairmanship.
"I grew to like Gary very much, but our conversation was very casual at the beginning," continued Walsh. However, his dialogue with Beer and Macy graduated to serious over the past month. "I wasn’t actively looking to leave Riney, certainly not for another agency," related Walsh. "I think I had the best job possible in production at an ad agency—being able to work with Hal Riney, a man who helped change the face of advertising. The agency has a great group of people. But the opportunity that presented itself at Propaganda—given what the company already has in place and its goals—was simply too good to ignore."
Walsh has been with Publicis & Hal Riney (and its predecessor agency, Hal Riney & Partners) for the past five years. He joined as a senior producer and served as the agency’s head of production for the past four years. Prior to Riney, Walsh headed production at Seattle agency Cole & Weber.
"Sam comes to us with one of the industry’s best reputations for delivering great creative work on time and on budget," said Macy, who cited Walsh’s "incredible eye for talent" and agency experience, which includes his having formed "great working relationships with many of our directors." Macy characterized Walsh as "a team player committed to empowering and enabling our labels and directors to grow."
