ORC International, part of Engine Group, announced the appointment of Alina Díaz as sr. VP for Cassandra, a provider of youth insights and emerging trends for the last 20 years. She will be reporting to Costas Pavlides, managing director at ORC.
Based in the company’s New York headquarters, Díaz will be responsible for overseeing the Cassandra business, driving revenue growth, developing new programs designed to unlock business opportunities for clients, and maintaining strong customer relationships. Diaz will lead product strategy and content output for the company’s quarterly insight reports, client strategy sessions and daily newsletters–all focused on today’s modern youth and their broader cultural and economic influence. Additionally, Díaz will work closely with Cassandra’s parent company, Engine Group, to partner on internal and client-related projects across multiple agencies.
Díaz joins Cassandra from Blue Flame Marketing Agency–a Sean “Diddy” Combs company–where, as VP of consumer marketing, she was responsible for brand growth by developing marketing plans, media and experiential strategies for CÎROC Ultra Premium Vodka and DeLeón Tequila. Prior to joining Blue Flame Marketing, Díaz served as the marketing innovation and new business director for Greencard Creative, a multi-cultural marketing agency, where she oversaw business development for the start-up. She also held previous positions at leading agencies, including a seven-year stint at BBDO where she managed multiple teams across Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America.
“Understanding youth is about seeing tomorrow, today,” said Díaz. “We give our Fortune 500 clients a look into the future so they can innovate ahead of their competition, adapt to emerging trends and implement marketing programs that impact their bottom line. As a former client, I understand how difficult it is for brands engaging with Millennials and Gen Z to keep up with a rapidly changing marketplace, and I am excited to be part of a talented team that is making a difference for brands and consumers alike.”
In addition to her agency work, Díaz also held a senior position with The Partnership for a Drug-Free America leading multicultural youth programs. Throughout her career she has worked with such brands as Gillette, Bayer Corporation, Pepsi, Pizza Hut and Frito-Lay.
Michelle Satter To Be Honored At Sundance Film Festival Gala
The nonprofit Sundance Institute today announced details for the 2025 Sundance Film Festival’s gala fundraiser, Celebrating Sundance Institute, which will take place on Friday, January 24, 2025 at the Grand Hyatt Deer Valley in Utah. The event will be an evening in celebration of Michelle Satter, founding sr. director of artist programs at Sundance Institute, for her longstanding commitment to nurturing artists and cultivating independent film through the Sundance Labs, where visionary artists convene to develop groundbreaking projects through an in-depth creative process, for the past four decades. The annual Vanguard Awards will be presented during the evening to Sean Wang, writer and director of Dìdi, and Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie, co-directors of Sugarcane, who premiered their films at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.
The annual gala enables the nonprofit to raise funds to support independent artists year-round through labs, grants, and public programming that nurture artists from all over the world. The 2025 event is made possible with the generous support of Google TV. The Festival will take place from January 23–February 2, 2025, in person in Park City and Salt Lake City, with a selection of titles available online from January 30–February 2, 2025 for audiences across the country to discover bold independent storytelling.
“For over four decades Michelle has been devoted to truly championing independent storytellers,” said Amanda Kelso, acting CEO of Sundance Institute. “She has encouraged artists to own their voice, learn their craft, become fierce leaders, and develop their resilience in our changing ecosystem. Her life-long commitment to supporting artists, especially in underrepresented... Read More