Patrick Davenport has returned to MPC Advertising as chief operating officer USA with responsibility for managing operations for the business in Los Angeles and New York.
Davenport started his career as a runner at MPC in London, working his way up to becoming director of the VFX department. He left the UK in 1997 to join Digital Domain in Venice, Calif., helping to set up and oversee a newly dedicated commercial division. In the intervening years he has held varied roles in VFX and production, but has spent the last six years working as SVP of global operations for Method Studios, with oversight of the expanded operations in the U.S., Canada and UK. He became managing director of Co3 and Method Studios in Los Angeles in January 2015.
Davenport now rejoins MPC during a U.S. growth phase with a move from Santa Monica to a larger, purpose-built studio in Culver City slated for summer 2016.
Davenport said, “I’m thrilled and delighted to be coming back to MPC, who has had incredible global expansion in both Advertising and Film over the last 25 years, working at the very highest creative levels. I’m excited to be helping with the new space in Culver City and expanding the existing teams in both New York and Los Angeles.”
Graham Bird, global managing director, MPC Advertising, commented, “We welcome Patrick back into the MPC family/fold, and know that his reputation and experience gained working elsewhere in the U.S. makes him the perfect fit to support the MPC Advertising business stateside. I know he will quickly make a direct impact on the brand and operational efficiency, and his bicoastal industry relationships will add an extra dimension.”
Eleanor Adds Director Candice Vernon To Its Roster For Spots and Branded Content
Director Candice Vernon has joined production house Eleanor for U.S. representation spanning commercials and branded content. She has already wrapped several jobs at Eleanor, which waited to announce her until they had a body of work together.
Via Eleanor, Vernon made history as the first Black director on a Febreze commercial. The “Small Spaces” campaign marks a major departure from Febreze’s typical blue-and-white world. The home of the “Revolving Door” commercial is a beautiful array of bold sunset hues, African prints, and African art.
Vernon said, “I asked myself, what feels right to me? What feels new? I wanted to bring an essence of not just Black Americans but the full diaspora. I wanted to make a statement that we’re not a monolith.”
Following the success of the “Small Spaces” campaign, Febreze brought Vernon back for a comedy-infused trifecta exploring the hilarious situations that call for an air freshening hero.
Febreze Brand VP Angelica Matthews said, “About two years ago, we realized the consumers that were the most loyal to Febreze were the African American consumers. And the more we learned, the more we realized the richness that we were really missing. So we said we have to go beyond just Black casting, we need to get Black directors that truly understand the culture that truly understand how to bring authentic performances out on screen. We really looked around the industry and noticed there’s actually a shortage of African American directors who have experience doing commercials. When we all saw Candice’s reel, we could all tell the passion for the craft, passion for really trying to help us from where we are to where we’re trying to go.”
Vernon brings a unique lens to... Read More