Creative agency BMB has appointed Laurent Simon as its new chief creative officer. He succeeds Matt Lever, former CCO who left BMB at the end of last year.
Simon brings nearly two decades of experience and a stellar track record of creativity to BMB. He will be responsible for leading the agency’s creative output, with oversight of their full portfolio of clients, which includes Samsung, Rana, Farrow & Ball, Kerry Dairy, FREENOW, Bonne Maman, Breast Cancer Now and The LTA.
Most recently, Simon was chief creative officer at VMLY&R London, where he spearheaded a transformative shift in the agency’s creative culture and output over his four-year tenure. Notably, he was the creative force behind Boots’ hugely successful Christmas campaigns during this time, as well driving impactful work for Stamma, the British Stammering Association.
He began his career at the renowned Watford Ad School before becoming part of the first creative duo at AMV BBDO, alongside his partner Aidan McClure. Simon and McClure went on to join adam&eveDDB, where they quickly rose to success, creating the award-winning “Who Killed Deon” campaign for the Metropolitan Police as well as iconic work for John Lewis, including the “Bear & The Hare” Christmas campaign and “The Other Half.”
Joining BBC Creative as its executive creative director in 2016 marked a new chapter in Simon’s career. He secured the first-ever Gold Lion at Cannes and first D&AD Pencils for BBC Creative, underscoring his ability to create groundbreaking work.
Other awards over his career include accolades at The One Show, British Arrows, Creative Circle, LIA, Clios, Eurobest and Epica.
Jason Cobbold, CEO at BMB, said, “When we first met with Laurent, he felt like a very natural fit for BMB. We’re now thrilled to welcome him as our creative leader. Laurent has some of the best creative credentials in our industry, but it is his excitement about where next that marks him out. In Laurent, we have someone who will drive our work to new heights, ask new questions of us, and share our ambition to grow. We can’t wait to get started.”
Simon added, “I had the most amazing time off, enjoying things I’d never done before or hadn’t done in years. So, when I had to think about where next and with whom, I knew early on that Jason and his crew would be an amazing new home. I am excited beyond belief about the possibilities and ready to create some fantastic work with everyone.”
As BMB heads into its 20th year in 2025, the appointment further evidences the agency’s commitment to future growth following the recent hire of Flora Joll as head of strategy and the promotion of Matt Bonny to head of growth.
Carrie Coon Relishes Being Part Of An Ensemble–From “The Gilded Age” To “His Three Daughters”
It can be hard to catch Carrie Coon on her own.
She is far more likely to be found in the thick of an ensemble. That could be on TV, in "The Gilded Age," for which she was just Emmy nominated, or in the upcoming season of "The White Lotus," which she recently shot in Thailand. Or it could be in films, most relevantly, Azazel Jacobs' new drama, "His Three Daughters," in which Coon stars alongside Natasha Lyonne and Elizabeth Olsen as sisters caring for their dying father.
But on a recent, bright late-summer morning, Coon is sitting on a bench in the bucolic northeast Westchester town of Pound Ridge. A few years back, she and her husband, the playwright Tracy Letts, moved near here with their two young children, drawn by the long rows of stone walls and a particularly good BLT from a nearby cafe that Letts, after biting into, declared must be within 15 miles of where they lived.
In a few days, they would both fly to Los Angeles for the Emmys (Letts was nominated for his performance in "Winning Time" ). But Coon, 43, was then largely enmeshed in the day-to-day life of raising a family, along with their nightly movie viewings, which Letts pulls from his extensive DVD collection. The previous night's choice: "Once Around," with Holly Hunter and Richard Dreyfus.
Coon met Letts during her breakthrough performance in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolfe?" on Broadway in 2012. She played the heavy-drinking housewife Honey. It was the first role that Coon read and knew, viscerally, she had to play. Immediately after saying this, Coon sighs.
"It sounds like something some diva would say in a movie from the '50s," Coon says. "I just walked around in my apartment in my slip and I had pearls and a little brandy. I made a grocery list and I just did... Read More