Matt Howell joins as global chief digital officer
Toygar Bazarkaya will join Havas Worldwide as chief creative officer for the Americas–a first for the creative agency network–and will focus on strengthening the agency’s creative capabilities and building a community among creative teams throughout North and South America. The new, dual-Americas role was prompted by Havas Worldwide’s desire to build a culture of collaboration, and will serve clients’ growing creative needs across both continents, as well as globally.
Likewise, Matt Howell’s appointment as the new global chief digital officer supports a similar mission of collaboration, interlocking digital teams and perspectives across all global markets.
Bazarkaya joins Havas from BBDO New York, where he served as executive creative officer for nearly six years. Prior to that role, he was the chief creative officer of BBDO in Germany, where he brought the agency back into the creative rankings. While at BBDO, he led many brands such as Visa, Mercedes, Gillette, Campbell’s, MLB, American Red Cross, Dubai Tourism, and Dove Chocolate. His career also includes time at creative agencies such as Jung von Matt and Springer & Jacoby in Hamburg, DM9DDB in São Paulo, Mullen in Boston, and DDB New York. His work has won over 600 awards for his clients, including more than 20 Cannes Lions for a dozen brands.
Howell is no stranger to the Havas network, having previously served as global chief digital officer for Arnold Worldwide beginning in 2011, and then for Havas Creative Group from 2012 to 2014. He is returning after spending the past year as partner at Vermonster LLC, a design and technology consultancy specializing in product development. Howell has extensive experience in digital marketing and strategy, including nearly three years as president of the creative agency Modernista! and over three years at R/GA, where he managed the Nike account, overseeing the creation of NIKEiD and Nike+.
Howell and Bazarkaya will begin their new roles in the next month, be based in New York, and will report to global CEO Andrew Benett.
Review: Writer-Directors Scott Beck and Bryan Wood’s “Heretic”
"Heretic" opens with an unusual table setter: Two young missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are discussing condoms and why some are labeled as large even though they're all pretty much a standard size. "What else do we believe because of marketing?" one asks the other.
That line will echo through the movie, a stimulating discussion of religion that emerges from a horror movie wrapper. Despite a second-half slide and feeling unbalanced, this is the rare movie that combines lots of squirting blood and elevated discussion of the ancient Egyptian god Horus.
Our two church members — played fiercely by Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East — are wandering around trying to covert souls when they knock on the door of a sweet-looking cottage. Its owner, Mr. Reed, offers a hearty "Good afternoon!" He welcomes them in, brings them drinks and promises a blueberry pie. He's also interested in learning more about the church. So far, so good.
Mr. Reed is, of course, if you've seen the poster, the baddie and he's played by Hugh Grant, who doesn't go the snarling, dead-eyed Hannibal Lecter route in "Heretic." Grant is the slightly bumbling, bashful and self-mocking character we fell in love with in "Four Weddings and a Funeral," but with a smear of menace. He gradually reveals that he actually knows quite a bit about the Mormon religion — and all religions.
"It's good to be religious," he says jauntily and promises his wife will join them soon, a requirement for the church. Homey touches in his home include a framed "Bless This Mess" needlepoint on a wall, but there are also oddities, like his lights are on a timer and there's metal in the walls and ceilings.
Writer-directors Scott Beck and Bryan Wood — who also... Read More