Chris Watling has been appointed by Droga5 London as its first head of production. Watling’s first day at his new roost will be July 4. He’s spent the past 10 years with BBH London working across award-winning campaigns for Axe, The Guardian, Weetabix, British Airways, Audi and Barnados, among others.
In 2015, Watling’s success made him the obvious choice as managing director for BBH’s in-house Black Sheep Studios. Working with CEO and EP Anthony Austin, Watling helped establish this new production unit and broaden BBH’s creative output, including music videos for The Last Shadow Puppets and the critically-acclaimed short film Home starring Jack O’Connell. The film premiered at SXSW 2016 and will launch as part of UNHCR’s Refugee Week in June.
In his new role with Droga5 London, Watling will lead delivery across the agency’s growing client roster which includes Vita Coco, Hobbs, and Unilever.
“Chris understands the shape of the modern production department and I’m excited that he’s chosen to join us and build that operation here,” said David Kolbusz, chief creative officer, Droga5 London. “His talent, work ethic, and ambition is unmatched and will serve us immeasurably as we continue to grow. I know people throw around the expression ‘dream candidate’ but in this case I mean it.”
Watling joins a Droga5 London staff featuring CEO Bill Scott, CSO Dylan Williams and CCO Kolbusz. Watling and Kolbusz have worked closely together previously, during overlapping years at BBH.
Watling commented: “The opportunity to join both the legendary Droga5–an agency I have admired for years–and the ‘Avengers Assemble’ of management teams was far too good to miss.”
Watling’s hire also follows the recent appointments of key Droga5 London staffers, including Chris Chapman, design director, and James Broomfield, strategy director.
