Stewart Krull joins MRM Princeton as executive creative director
MRM, a marketing agency that is part of McCann Worldgroup, has named Harsh Kapadia EVP, chief creative officer for MRM New York and Princeton. Kapadia moves to MRM from his role as executive creative director at VMLY&R New York and previously at Wunderman Thompson (JWT). In addition, Stewart Krull has been named executive creative director, MRM Princeton, and will report to Kapadia.
Ronald Ng, global chief creative officer, MRM, said, “Harsh is a world-class talent with a passion for harnessing technology and innovation to help businesses make a difference in people’s lives. Not too many creatives get letters of recognition from Michelle Obama, and Harsh’s consistent streak of great work across markets like India, Australia, the U.K. and U.S. makes him a unique talent for clients.”
Ng was referencing Kapadia’s work for Drink Up, Kapadia’s award-generating campaign to convince Americans to drink more water as part of a healthier lifestyle. Kapadia joined VML New York in 2012 (it merged with Y&R to become VMLY&R officially in 2018), and within two years was instrumental in the agency storming the stage at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity to bring home multiple Cannes Lions. He also worked on and helped win several pitches for the agency, including New Balance, LEGOLAND, Walgreens, Baileys and the United Nations. Kapadia was promoted rapidly at VML, and served the agency in creative leadership roles in New York and London.
Kapadia’s career began as an art director at JWT Mumbai, followed by a move to JWT Melbourne, where he began to work on global brands and helping to bring in new business. His pitch-winning and award-winning work in Melbourne led Kapadia to a larger role at JWT New York, working on larger consumer brands such as Kleenex, Smirnoff, Rolex and Nestlé. Additionally, through his career, Kapadia has served on the juries of Cannes Lions Mobile, D&AD Impact, ADC Awards and New York Festivals.
In interviews, Kapadia always mentions that he fell in love with advertising at the age of five. Since then, he continues to go by the philosophy that the mix of cultures and curiosity to learn more always leads to great ideas–and that a big idea can make far more than a great ad or an experience.
“It has been an amazing journey at VMLY&R,” said Kapadia. “Now, I’m thrilled to join MRM at a time when the industry is going through a real shift. The pandemic has fast tracked the importance for brands to create more meaningful relationships and experiences. MRM’s philosophy to do that really excites me. I’m looking forward to partnering with the team to bring a vision and magic to brands across the MRM network.”
Stewart Krull
Krull joins MRM Princeton after launching Let’s Make Stuff LLC, a creative marketing services consultancy based in New Jersey. He previously served as executive creative director for Atmosphere BBDO New York for 13 years, guiding initiatives spanning brand to demand to service design for Citi, Emirates, Hewlett-Packard, Visa and other global brands. Prior to Atmosphere, Krull held leadership roles at Ogilvy New York and DDB New York, and has received recognition from every major awards show, most recently the New York Festivals and International ECHO Awards.
“A design-thinking enthusiast, Stewart brings an audience-centric approach to the table, along with three decades of expertise across virtually every product category and advertising channel. His digital-first method of problem solving is second to none and we can’t wait to write the next chapter of creative excellence for our Princeton office,” said Ng.
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