Danny Robinson, previously a group creative director, has been appointed by The Martin Agency in Richmond, Va., to serve as chief client officer, a newly created position at the executive committee level, giving him a role in shaping the long-term direction of the shop. Robinson’s primary responsibilities include working with account management to protect and sell stimulating creative ideas, working with creatives to ascertain what drives their clients’ businesses, and partnering with clients to fight brand invisibility and sell breakthrough work throughout their organizations. Robinson was part of Oprah Winfrey’s give away of 276 Pontiac G6s, the famous brand integration that made marketing history. He also was The Martin Agency’s lead creative director on the biggest new business win in the company’s history–Walmart. Robinson co-founded Vigilante where he served as the creative leader and writer behind award-winning campaigns for Sprint, Major League Baseball, Snapple, Heineken, Pontiac, and advertising and event business for Johnnie Walker Black Label. During his time as CCO, Vigilante was awarded the AAAA Multicultural Agency of the Year Award two years in a row and three times in the first four years of the agency’s history. At The Martin Agency, he has applied his talent to brands like the Alliance for Climate Protection, Pizza Hut, Hanes, Tic Tac, Chevrolet, OREO and the AMC Network….
Joe Posner has been promoted from EP of video to head of Vox Video. In this role, he will oversee all Vox video output–from shorts on YouTube to longer-form on Netflix–working directly with the leadership of the core video team as well as the leads on new projects and shows. Day-to-day, he will help get newer projects off the ground, and support the leaders of more established teams. Part of his time will be spent as a creator, making pilots of new projects from Vox, for example. He is also the EP of the upcoming Vox-Netflix show, Explained….
First-Time Feature Directors Make Major Splash At AFI Fest, Generate Oscar Buzz
Two first-time feature directors who are generating Oscar buzz this awards season were front and center this past weekend at AFI Fest in Hollywood. Rachel Morrison, who made history as the first woman nominated for a Best Cinematography Oscar---on the strength of Mudbound in 2018--brought her feature directorial debut, The Fire Inside (Amazon MGM Studios), to the festival on Sunday (10/27), and shared insights into the film during a conversation session immediately following the screening. This came a day after William Goldenberg, an Oscar-winning editor for Argo in 2013, had his initial foray into feature directing, Unstoppable (Amazon MGM Studios), showcased at the AFI proceedings. He too spoke after the screening during a panel discussion. The Fire Inside--which made its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival--tells the story of Claressa “T-Rex” Shields (portrayed by Ryan Destiny), a Black boxer from Flint, Mich., who trained to become the first woman in U.S. history to win an Olympic Gold Medal in the sport. She achieved this feat--with the help of coach Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry)--only to find that her victory at the Summer Games came with relatively little fanfare and no endorsement deals. So much for the hope that the historic accomplishment would be a ticket out of socioeconomic purgatory for Shields and her family. It seemed like yet another setback in a cycle of adversity throughout Shields’ life but she persevered, going on to win her second Gold Medal at the next Olympics and becoming a champion for gender equality and equitable pay for women in sports. Shields has served as a source of inspiration for woman athletes worldwide--as well as to the community of... Read More