22squared, a national independent agency, has named Brandon Murphy to serve as its president while elevating Richard Ward to the new role of chairman and CEO. Murphy is currently chief client officer and Ward is president and CEO. Over the past decade, 22squared has tripled in size and expanded clients, employees, service offerings and revenue. 22squared currently has full-service, dual-headquarter offices in Atlanta and Tampa.
Ward joined the agency in 2006 as president and CEO, and has been a key visionary and growth-driver since that time. He stated, “Our agency is recognized for our unique culture and thoughtful, methodic, strategic transitions. Unlike most agencies, we take a very long view of our business which facilitates the lost art of growing and grooming leaders from within an organization. For the past 12 years Brandon has held leadership positions in every department in the agency, and earned both the loyalty and passionate commitment of our staff. This is the perfect next move for Brandon, at precisely the right time for 22squared.”
Murphy has a unique agency career pedigree, rising though the strategy department ranks at Campbell-Ewald/Detroit, and subsequently joining 22squared (branded as WestWayne), in 2005 as SVP, strategy director. Murphy was involved in the repositioning and renaming of the agency as 22squared in 2007. He has worked in all corners of the agency, leading the strategy, analytics, account management, content marketing and media departments.
Murphy has been instrumental in 22squared’s growth. On the brand side, he helped position client Buffalo Wild Wings as the ultimate social experience for sports fans with the resulting campaign, ‘Overtime,’ which propelled the brand from a regional wing-joint to the nation’s fastest growing casual dining restaurant. Murphy also oversaw planning efforts on the Effie award-winning campaigns for American Standard and Costa Rica Tourism, and the evergreen campaigns 22squared produces year after year for legacy client, Publix Super Markets.
Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, returns to Instagram and posts a New Year’s video
Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, is starting the new year with her first Instagram account since 2020.
The Associated Press confirmed Wednesday that @meghan belongs to the Duchess of Sussex. Her first post is a black and white video of herself at the beach, wearing white and drawing 2025 in the sand on an overcast day. The account already has more than 200,000 followers.
Meghan and Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, were married in 2018, and were initially part of @KensingtonRoyal, which also included Harry's brother, Prince William, and his wife, Kate, the Princess of Wales. But a year later, Meghan and Harry launched their own account, @SussexRoyal, a sign of their growing distance from the royal family. @SussexRoyal was discontinued in 2020, around the time that Meghan and Harry announced they were stepping back from their official roles.
Meghan, who had a popular Instagram account when she was best known for her role in "Suits," had indicated she would return. In a 2022 interview with New York Magazine's The Cut, she confided: "Do you want to know a secret? I'm getting back … on Instagram."
At other times, she sounded reluctant to return to Instagram, citing concerns about harassment. In 2023, Meghan and Harry urged social media platforms to strengthen content-moderation policies, saying that some apps could damage the mental health of young people.
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