Aaron Kovan has joined VaynerMedia as its first-ever chief production officer. He will oversee production at the indie agency as well as its in-house studio, VaynerProductions. Currently Kovan has projects for Budweiser, Stella Artois and GE in the VaynerMedia content pipeline.
Kovan previously served as EVP, head of integrated production for m:united/McCann Worldgroup and helped build up McCann’s in-house production department, Craft Studios, as its head of production.
Kovan said VaynerMedia represents a departure from his career norm which has had him until now at big agencies which are part of major holding companies. Kovan said he was drawn to Vayner’s entrepreneurial spirit, nimbleness in concepting, executing and delivering work, the shop’s continuing business growth and its progressive profile as “a modern-day media and communications/advertising agency” spanning varied content forms from TV commercials to short and long-form online fare. On the latter score, he noted that Vayner is active in episodic work for clients.
Kovan began his career at GSD&M in Austin, Texas, some 10 years ago, as a producer. He then moved over to CP+B in Boulder, Colo., serving as sr. integrated producer before being promoted to VP/executive integrated producer. At CP+B, Kovan turned out notable work for such clients as Hotels.com (Captain Obvious), Best Buy and Microsoft. Then when Microsoft and some sr. talent, including Rob Reilly, moved over from CP+B to McCann, Kovan followed them there in 2014, knowing that Reilly (who’s global creative chairman, McCann Worldgroup) would help turn McCann into a powerhouse. Kovan wanted to be a part of that–and he was, working closely with the likes of Reilly and McCann NY chief production officer, Nathy Aviram. Kovan’s efforts at m:united, the McCann shop dedicated to Microsoft, as well as McCann Worldgroup, contributed to McCann NY being named SHOOT Agency of the Year in both 2016 and 2017. Kovan lent a hand to notable public service work at McCann NY, including the poignant yet tongue-in-cheek Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence PSA about “killer toddlers,” tapping into the startling statistic that toddlers have shot and killed more Americans than terrorists. The spot, which broke in 2016, shows kids brandishing weapons and thus makes the case for jailing toddlers so they don’t accidentally shoot us in our homes.
Kovan joining VaynerMedia marks the first time that the agency has created a C-suite position for production. As chief production officer, he becomes part of a C-suite leadership team that over the last year has expanded across media, strategy and client services to accompany longstanding chief creative, operations and financial officer positions.
While VaynerProductions has extensive resources–including stages, RED and Alexa cameras, staff production mangers and producers, edit bays along with animation, CG and VFX capabilities–Kovan stressed that outside vendors and talent remain critical to VaynerMedia’s content creation. He noted that VaynerMedia continues to work with premium talent in all sectors, including such production houses as RSA Films and Tool.
