Ash Tavassoli and Rafa Gonzaga have joined BBDO LA as executive creative directors.
Tavassoli is returning to BBDO after stints at Droga5, adam&eveDDB and Publicis where he was running accounts such as Facebook, Infiniti and Samsung. His work has also spanned such brands as Visa, Chase, the NFL, Campbell’s, Major League Baseball, BMW, M&M’s, GE, Ubisoft Gaming and the Brady Campaign. Tavassoli has been recognized at assorted major awards shows and has a Campbell’s campaign featured in the Smithsonian under historic advertising. Back when he was a young buck, he was named the 2011 Google Young Innovator winner.
Gonzaga comes over to BBDO LA from Grey West where he was leading creative for such clients as YouTube TV and Amazon Photos. He was also a permanent member of Grey’s Regional Creative Council in North America and served as a voting member of the Grey Global Creative Council. Over his career, Gonzaga has won more than 30 Cannes Lions, including a Grand Prix in 2018, as well as numerous medals at global industry festivals including, D&AD, OneShow, Clio, LIA, Effie Awards, New York Festivals and El Ojo de Iberoamérica.
At BBDO LA Tavassoli and Gonzaga will be in leadership roles in the creative department, focused on new business opportunities and plan to be recruiting more creative talent over the next six months.
The additions of Tavassoli and Gonzaga continue the momentum at BBDO LA which began as a satellite for one of BBDO’s largest U.S. clients, AT&T. Over the last year and a half, the team has been working to make a permanent home for BBDO in Los Angeles; focusing on growing its presence on the West Coast and recruiting from the exceptional talent pool L.A. has to offer. In doing so, BBDO LA’s client roster has expanded with the addition of Juanitas and Water Wipes in 2021, and an infusion of talent including Matt Miller, CCO for L.A. as well as AT&T, and Julien Lemoine, managing director of BBDO LA.
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