Publicis Modem East in New York has brought Damian Claassens aboard to serve as senior VP/creative director, a newly created role at the agency. He comes over from AKQA, New York, where he was group creative director.
Claassens now reports to Patrick Clarke, executive VP/executive creative director of Publicis Modem East, and leads creative on the global LG account, among others. Claassens is the second high-profile creative lead hiring as of late for Publicis Modem USA, the digital specialist arm of Publicis Worldwide in the U.S. Last month David Shearer was named executive creative director of Publicis Modem West in San Francisco.
Claassens joined AKQA in New York in 2005, opening the office and developing its digital offering. He led global creative work for AKQA clients such as Nike, Coca-Cola, Motorola, Google, Smirnoff, DoubleClick, Kraft and Johnson & Johnson. With over 12-years in digital creative, Claassens’ work has been recognized by nearly every top award show including: Cannes, One Show, D&AD, New York Festivals, and IAB. Claassens is a native of Australia and his experience includes creative positions at Framfab, Copenhagen; Blueberry, London; Ogilvy Interactive, Sydney; and Leo Burnett, Sydney.
Publicis Modem East has expanded its staff to 230 and recently moved into a 55,000 square foot new headquarters space in NYC.
Brand New School Extends Reach Internationally Via Partnership With Animation Studio BRUT
Brand New School (BNS) has entered into a strategic partnership with BRUT, a Barcelona-based animation studio. This collaboration represents a significant milestone in BNS’s expansion strategy, with BRUT serving as its inaugural global outpost.
Under the leadership of executive creative director Martin Allais, who will now be represented by BNS for directorial ventures, BRUT joins BNS as part of its collective roster. This partnership combines BNS’s established reputation for innovative creative work with BRUT’s expertise in diverse artistic techniques, including 2D cel animation, stop-motion, 3D animation, and seamless integration of live action.
With Allais leading BNS Spain, Brand New School is expanding its reach to serve a growing network of global clients. This partnership incorporates BRUT’s fresh methodology of working and diverse pool of talent to create content that resonates across cultures. Located in the heart of the European market, the new BNS location will further support and enhance its work with international clients, broadening its ability to meet their unique needs. This partnership represents a thoughtful blend of creativity and expertise, designed to strengthen and grow Brand New School’s global presence.
BRUT was founded by director Allais as an experimental incubator for innovative ideas and techniques. He is also a multidisciplinary artist of Latinx heritage who brings a wealth of creative experience to the partnership. His portfolio spans commercials for global brands like Oreo, Facebook, Samsung, and Dr. Pepper, earning accolades including Cannes Lions for his work on the Samsung Holiday campaign. Recently, Allais’ animated VR experience capturing New York City’s punk scene in the ‘70s, narrated by... Read More