Colle McVoy has hired Ciro Sarmiento as its chief creative officer.
Fusing his experience in Latin America with leading teams at A-list multicultural agencies in North America and combining his leadership roles at public relations agencies like Weber Shandwick with general market ad agencies like Saatchi New York, Sarmiento has a broad-ranging view across the communications industry and a defined vision as a creative leader. And his experience spans many of the world’s best marketers, including Anheuser-Busch, GlaxoSmithKline, Kellogg’s, PepsiCo, Frito-Lay, Mondelez, AT&T, DirecTV, Tide, Downy, Hershey’s, Mars, Domino’s, Lowe’s, MillerCoors, Unilever and Coca-Cola.
His work has earned numerous national and international awards, including Cannes Lions, Effies, Clios, D&AD and One Show Pencils. He’s also active within the industry, serving as a jurist for such noteworthy competitions as Cannes Young Lions, Dubai Lynx, The One Show, D&AD, Clio and Effies North America. Sarmiento also serves as a coach for Creative LIAisons, a program designed as a global initiative to develop, educate, inspire and nurture emerging creative talent.
“This is a pivotal moment for our agency, and we’re proud to have Ciro join our leadership team during this time of growth,” said Christine Fruechte, CEO of the Minneapolis-based Colle McVoy. “Ciro is a rare gem in our industry. His vision will be critical as we navigate the Great Wide Open on behalf of our ambitious clients.”
Sarmiento said, “Colle McVoy felt right from the start. It’s an agency filled with smart and genuinely kind people who value creativity and put it at the center of all they do. Everything about Colle McVoy has been a wonderful surprise…a midsize gem in the Upper Midwest that’s earning high-profile recognition. They’re building momentum and are hungry for more, and they have an impressive roster of clients and brands. I know I’m joining a remarkable team that deeply understands this business, and I’m eternally grateful to be part of it.”
Jessica Henrichs, president, Colle McVoy, added, “Ciro has consistently led some of the world’s best brands to exceptional work in role after role, and I’m thrilled to partner with him to take Colle McVoy to the next level. He exudes character, leadership and creativity, and his background in multicultural marketing brings a critical lens to our work and our clients.”
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