Elite Media has hired Gati Desai Curtis as president, a new role at the independent, Black-owned full service creative agency. A 20-year industry veteran, Desai Curtis will report to Christopher Crawford, founder and CEO of the Harlem-based shop.
Desai Curtis was most recently EVP, head of product and services at BBDO, where she oversaw organic growth for the agency as well as worked on clients such as American Red Cross, GE, Meta, Starbucks and more. While at the agency, Desai Curtis excelled in orchestrating the convergence of people, business strategies, data analytics, consumer insights, creativity, and craftsmanship, leading to recognition for her clients via Cannes Lions, Pencils, One Show, ADDY, D&AD, Effies and more.
“Elite Media is evolving,” said Crawford. “And we’ve been looking for our needle in the haystack. Someone who has big agency acumen yet still maintains a real connection to culture and a commitment to driving innovation with diverse audiences. Gati is that needle. We’re excited about how the melding of our approaches will play out as we evolve both the agency and our industry.”
Desai Curtis stated, “As clients rethink and re-evaluate their agency relationships and rosters, it’s the agencies that understand who they are and who they serve that will be best poised for growth. I am so excited to join Elite Media and help capitalize on the amazing opportunity that is within these walls. Chris has built a company that absolutely knows who it wants to be and is always clear on who it serves. So, now it’s just about taking the work, the growth, and the business to the next level for the next decade and beyond.”
Elite Media was launched in 2013 as a Black-owned content collective with expertise in understanding and leveraging the influence of celebrity and cultural movements to create win-win partnerships between brands, talent and content creators. It is coming off its best year ever, with work on behalf of its American Family Insurance client having been recognized with awards for both its purpose and product work geared toward the U.S.’ major growth targets (millennials and multicultural consumers). Over the past year alone, Elite Media has secured multiple awards from competitions such as The Telly Awards, American Advertising Awards, ANA Multicultural Excellence Awards and Anthem Awards. The agency’s client and partner roster includes NASA, TIME, the Department of Health and Human Services, and Sony Pictures.
Alec Baldwin Urges Judge To Stand By Dismissal Of Involuntary Manslaughter Case In “Rust” Shooting
Alec Baldwin urged a New Mexico judge on Friday to stand by her decision to skuttle his trial and dismiss an involuntary manslaughter charge against the actor in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the set of a Western movie.
State District Court Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer dismissed the case against Baldwin halfway through a trial in July based on the withholding of evidence by police and prosecutors from the defense in the 2021 shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film "Rust."
The charge against Baldwin was dismissed with prejudice, meaning it can't be revived once any appeals of the decision are exhausted.
Special prosecutor Kari Morrissey recently asked the judge to reconsider, arguing that there were insufficient facts and that Baldwin's due process rights had not been violated.
Baldwin, the lead actor and co-producer on "Rust," was pointing a gun at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during a rehearsal when it went off, killing her and wounding director Joel Souza. Baldwin has said he pulled back the hammer — but not the trigger — and the revolver fired.
The case-ending evidence was ammunition that was brought into the sheriff's office in March by a man who said it could be related to Hutchins' killing. Prosecutors said they deemed the ammunition unrelated and unimportant, while Baldwin's lawyers alleged that they "buried" it and filed a successful motion to dismiss the case.
In her decision to dismiss the Baldwin case, Marlowe Sommer described "egregious discovery violations constituting misconduct" by law enforcement and prosecutors, as well as false testimony about physical evidence by a witness during the trial.
Defense counsel says that prosecutors tried to establish a link... Read More