Mat Bisher has been named chief creative officer of DDB New York. He will work at the network’s flagship office under the leadership of Ari Weiss, DDB global chief creative officer.
Weiss said, “Mat is the type of creative leader who can see the entire board. His influence stretches well beyond the creative department as he inspires teams to find successes on the biggest and hardest problems, as well as on the smallest, unexpected opportunities.”
Bisher holds more than 24 years of creative experience and has held creative leadership positions at agencies such as McCann, BBDO, Deutsch and Burrell. He spent the majority of his career at McCann Worldgroup where he was most recently EVP, executive creative director. There, Bisher produced award-winning campaigns for clients including Microsoft, U.S. Army, Lockheed Martin, Verizon, MasterCard, Chevy, NY Lottery and Qualcomm.
Bisher said, “I couldn’t be more excited to be joining DDB NY as a leader within the incredible, creatively famous DDB global network. I have the greatest respect for Ari and the DDB leadership team. There is a vision in place, and I’m honored to be included in it.”
Bisher’s work has been recognized by Cannes Lions, One Show, D&AD, Webby, Clio, and ANDY. His “Trail View” campaign for Nature Valley was ranked one of the most-awarded digital campaigns in the world. Whether it’s a global powerhouse like Microsoft or an iconic state brand like NY Lottery, creativity is the driving force behind everything he does.
Bisher steps in to lead the NY creative team as Lisa Topol and Derek Barnes leave the agency later this month.
Review: Malcolm Washington Makes His Feature Directing Debut With “The Piano Lesson”
An heirloom piano takes on immense significance for one family in 1936 Pittsburgh in August Wilson's "The Piano Lesson." Generational ties also permeate the film adaptation, in which Malcolm Washington follows in his father Denzel Washington's footsteps in helping to bring the entirety of The Pittsburgh Cycle — a series of 10 plays — to the screen.
Malcolm Washington did not start from scratch in his accomplished feature filmmaking debut. He enlisted much of the cast from the recent Broadway revival with Samuel L. Jackson (Doaker Charles), his brother, John David Washington (Boy Willie), Ray Fisher (Lymon) and Michael Potts (Whining Boy). Berniece, played by Danielle Brooks in the play, is now beautifully portrayed by Danielle Deadwyler. With such rich material and a cast for whom it's second nature, it would be hard, one imagines, to go wrong. Jackson's own history with the play goes back to its original run in 1987 when he was Boy Willie.
It's not the simplest thing to make a play feel cinematic, but Malcolm Washington was up to the task. His film opens up the world of the Charles family beyond the living room. In fact, this adaptation, which Washington co-wrote with "Mudbound" screenwriter Virgil Williams, goes beyond Wilson's text and shows us the past and the origins of the intricately engraved piano that's central to all the fuss. It even opens on a big, action-filled set piece in 1911, during which the piano is stolen from a white family's home. Another fleshes out Doaker's monologue in which he explains to the uninitiated, Fisher's Lymon, and the audience, the tortured history of the thing. While it might have been nice to keep the camera on Jackson, such a great, grounding presence throughout, the good news is that he really makes... Read More