Cross-cultural agency the community New York has brought Frank Cartagena on board as its chief creative officer. In this new role for the New York office, Cartagena will oversee all creative output for the agency’s New York-based clients, while also generating new business for the office. He will report directly to president Luis Montero and co-founders Jose and Joaquin Mollá.
Cartagena most recently served as executive creative director at 360i where he won more than 70 creative accolades across top award shows including The One Show, Cannes Lions, Clios, D&AD, ANDYs, and the LIAs. Notable multidisciplinary wins include a Cannes Grand Prix in Audio & Radio and The One Show’s Best in Digital Craft for an Alexa voice skill based on the HBO series Westworld, as well as a D&AD Yellow Pencil for Absolut’s limited-edition bottle, “A Drop of Love.”
Prior to 360i, Cartagena held creative roles at KBS, Deutsch, DDB New York, Arnold Worldwide, and Hill Holiday. Amid the various award recognitions he received throughout his career, Cartagena’s work for “The First Pinterest Yard Sale” while at Deutsch swept the major award show circuit, including winning a coveted Titanium Lions at Cannes.
“I was impressed with Frank immediately. He is an eclectic thinker with great ideas fitting in every possible format and platform. He truly understands how to use the intersection of data, media, creativity and culture, perfectly aligning with our agency vision,” said Joaquin Mollá. “Frank is not simply looking at campaigns; he thinks in terms of unexpected business solutions. Not to mention his drive; he is a force!”
Cartagena said, “Jose and Joaquin possess an innate understanding of what our society looks like today and how advertising can – and should – reflect that reality. From our initial conversations, I came to comprehend that vision as the community’s backbone. I look forward to collaborating with the team to cultivate clever creative ideas for our clients.”
Since opening its doors in 2017, the community New York has delivered lauded creative work for businesses including Verizon and Mondelēz International. The community New York is part of the agency’s network of offices which includes locations in Miami, Buenos Aires, London, and San Francisco.
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