Independent film and commercial content studio More Media has added popular influencer Chaz Smith to its directorial roster. This marks the first official commercial representation for Smith who’s known for a deep understanding of how to create entertaining content that taps into the heartbeat of Gen Z culture.
“Great directors know how to make a professional, highly produced, clean final product,” commented Smith, “while the most popular content creators have a sense of humor that can connect with Gen Z in ways that older generations struggle to. Because I’m in the middle of both of these worlds, I believe I’m able to bring a fresh breath of creativity that merges professionalism with relevant, clean, and unique humor.”
Since his breakout on the Vine app in 2013, Smith has built a devoted YouTube and social media following with productions that are playful, humorous and have an infectious momentum. Presently, Smith has over three million followers across YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook, and as proof of his strong and steady foothold in this arena, continues to grow tens of thousands new followers monthly. This year, Smith was among the first elite group of 132 content creators chosen from around the world to be selected for the #YouTubeBlackVoices Creator Class of 2021.
The natural born comedian started out by making videos of his own at a young age before studying film theory at the University of Philadelphia, where he explained, “I learned how important intentionality is as a creative tool. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then that means every single aspect of a shot can either aid or harm the telling of a story as a whole.”
One of Smith’s bigger advertising projects is the music video for “YOU NEED SOME SPICE,” presented by Old Spice, which he wrote, storyboarded, co-directed, and starred in. Initially Smith collaborated with Old Spice on several smaller brand campaigns on Instagram, then took on larger projects over time. Smith has also been working on personal projects under the brand CS3CREATIVE, shooting guerrilla-style music visuals with handheld Sony cameras.
Smith was recently featured by I Am Second, a non-profit, faith-based multimedia movement that shares people’s life stories. Over the course of this year, Smith will also be releasing a YouTube series that mixes between narrative cartoons and traditional story time videos that deal in themes close to Chaz’s heart.
Stephen Buchanan, More Media executive producer and owner, said, “You cannot watch any of Chaz’s content without it making you happy.”
EP Blaize Saunders also commented, “Content trends rise and fall at a rapid pace, and creators like Chaz are the wave of young talent that can keep up with the sprint.”
Nikki Baker Becomes CEO At Fallon
Fallon has appointed Nikki Baker as its new CEO. Baker, who joined the creative agency in 2018 and has served as co-chief creative officer with Leslie Shaffer since 2021, succeeds Rocky Novak, who has been in the role since 2019.
Baker’s promotion to CEO comes at a time of significant momentum for the agency, including six consecutive years of growth and award-winning work.
Baker’s recent career highlights include creatively leading the Walmart partnership with the Publicis Groupe team and spearheading innovative campaigns such as the award-winning “RomCommerce” 23-episodic series and the internet-breaking Mean Girls campaign, among hundreds of other campaigns together with the brand over the past few years. Together with Shaffer, Baker has also been instrumental in elevating Fallon’s creative output for longstanding clients like Arby’s, Mattress Firm, and Front Door/American Home Shield.
“I’ve always been an admirer of Fallon, even before I joined. The chance to lead the agency is an absolute honor. Fallon is a place like no other with amazing talent and a legacy of building big, innovative, creative ideas,” said Baker. “Rocky has represented the best of Fallon. He’s been a great leader, and I couldn’t be more excited to take the reins and lead the agency through to the next chapter. With creativity at our core, we’re going to be as ambitious as ever, push boundaries, and continue embracing emerging platforms to deliver work that truly resonates in culture.”
Prior to joining Fallon six years ago, Baker held positions as creative director and art director at agencies including DDB and GSD&M, working with major brands such as McDonald’s, Southwest Airlines, and Wrigley. Her work has been recognized by... Read More