Register

    Barbarian appoints Jeff Blackman as managing director 

    By SHOOTUpdated:No Comments503 Views
    NEW YORK --

    Digital experience agency Barbarian has appointed Jeff Blackman to serve as its managing director. Most recently a partner at AI product innovation company d2.ai, Blackman brings over 20 years of experience in leading digital transformation, emerging technology, innovation, customer experience and digital marketing for Fortune 500s and start-ups alike, including his time at agencies Havas and Publicis. 

    Blackman will report directly to Barbarian CEO Joe Maglio (who also serves as the president of Cheil North America and CEO of McKinney). Blackman will be responsible for agency transformation, building new emerging technology capabilities and company growth.

    The industry is approaching a new era of disruption and innovation, and Blackman sees this as an opportunity for Barbarian to lead in the digital space. Alongside the present need for digital agencies to evolve with technology, Blackman also recognizes the need to shift the agency mindset around the value they bring to clients, from viewing work as temporary projects with a start and end date to treating their work as a digital product designed to experiment, evolve and scale. 

    Blackman will prioritize growth for existing clients, new business development and foster a collaborative, future-focused culture. He plans to expand the core of Barbarian’s work at the intersection of design, content, tech and data, while leading the development of new capabilities and solutions to address the expanding needs of the modern brand experience–all in service of bringing incremental value to brands and propelling their growth.

    “As a venerable agency with such strong DNA, Barbarian is really well equipped to thrive as a leader in this new era of  experience, emerging technology and AI,” said Blackman. “Ultimately, we’re in the business of helping our clients forge stronger connections with their consumers in the digital space, and that relationship is even more important and complex as culture and technology evolve. I’m looking forward to playing a role in pushing the agency further and expanding our capabilities to deliver even more innovative solutions to our clients” 

    Blackman’s appointment signals a transformative period of new leadership and direction for the agency as it comes on the heels of Maglio’s CEO appointment in March and Jo Hayes’ promotion to executive director of strategy in May. 

    Tags:BarbarianJeff BlackmanJoe Maglio



    Christopher Nolan’s Next Film Is Based On “The Odyssey”

    Tuesday, December 24, 2024

    Christopher Nolan is following his Oscar-winning "Oppenheimer" with a true epic: Homer's "The Odyssey." It will open in theaters on July 17, 2026, Universal Pictures said Monday.

    Details remain scarce, but the studio teased that it will be a "mythic action epic shot across the world using brand new IMAX technology." It will also be the first time that an adaptation of Homer's saga will play on IMAX film screens.

    Nolan has been an IMAX enthusiast for years, going back to "The Dark Knight," and has made his last three films exclusively using large format film and the highest resolution film cameras. For "Oppenheimer," the first black-and-white IMAX film stock was developed. Nolan hasn't said specifically what the new technology for "The Odyssey" will be, but earlier this month he told The Associated Press that they're in an intensive testing phase with IMAX to prepare for the new production.

    "They have an incredible engineering staff, really brilliant minds doing extraordinary work," Nolan said. "It's wonderful to see innovation in the celluloid film arena still happening and happening at the highest level possible."

    "The Odyssey" will be Nolan's second collaboration with Universal Pictures following "Oppenheimer," which earned nearly $1 billion at the box office and won the filmmaker his first Oscars, including for best director and best picture. Rumors about his next project have been swirling ever since, with near-daily speculations about plot — none of which turned out to be true — and casting. While there are many reports about actors joining the ensemble, none has been officially confirmed by the studio.

    Read More

    MySHOOT Profiles


    Add A Comment