Mike Parseghian has been hired as head of brand, and Becky Ginos as associate creative director at L.A.-based agency Battery.
The new hires come at a time of rapid growth for the four-year-old independent agency as it closes out a successful year following multiple new business wins – Netflix, Blizzard Entertainment and other brands soon to be announced – as well as high-profile campaign launches, including the recent “Netflix is a Joke” campaign to promote the streaming brand’s stand-up comedy specials.
Parseghian will be part of Battery’s executive leadership team, responsible for taking a lead role in new business and overseeing all clients at the agency including AECOM, Netflix and Mike’s Hard Lemonade. He reports to Anson Sowby, co-founder and CEO. Parseghian joins the agency from 72andSunny, where he was group brand director for five years, overseeing big brand clients such as Carl’s Jr., Hardee’s, Truth Initiative, General Mills (Totino’s & Old El Paso), Sonos and Activision’s full portfolio that included Call of Duty, Skylanders, Destiny and Guitar Hero. For seven years, Parseghian guided the Activision account–first at TBWAChiatDay and then at 72andSunny–helping Call of Duty become one of the largest entertainment franchises in history. With over 19 years of experience, he has a proven track record for business growth and advertising effectiveness, including a Grand Effie for Activision.
Ginos joins Battery as ACD, reporting to Philip Khosid, co-founder and chief creative officer. She will work across all agency clients with the goal of creating work that influences and changes culture. Prior to Battery, Ginos was a creative at a number of agencies and brands, ranging from CP+B in Boulder, Colo., to Deutsch and Vans in L.A. Before that, she spent six years as a creative at ChiatDay, Los Angeles, where she worked on clients such as Airbnb, Netflix, Pepsi, Southwest Airlines, The Grammys and Crate&Barrel.
Rom-Com Mainstay Hugh Grant Shifts To The Dark Side and He’s Never Been Happier
After some difficulties connecting to a Zoom, Hugh Grant eventually opts to just phone instead.
"Sorry about that," he apologizes. "Tech hell." Grant is no lover of technology. Smart phones, for example, he calls the "devil's tinderbox."
"I think they're killing us. I hate them," he says. "I go on long holidays from them, three or four days at at time. Marvelous."
Hell, and our proximity to it, is a not unrelated topic to Grant's new film, "Heretic." In it, two young Mormon missionaries (Chloe East, Sophie Thatcher) come knocking on a door they'll soon regret visiting. They're welcomed in by Mr. Reed (Grant), an initially charming man who tests their faith in theological debate, and then, in much worse things.
After decades in romantic comedies, Grant has spent the last few years playing narcissists, weirdos and murders, often to the greatest acclaim of his career. But in "Heretic," a horror thriller from A24, Grant's turn to the dark side reaches a new extreme. The actor who once charmingly stammered in "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and who danced to the Pointer Sisters in "Love Actually" is now doing heinous things to young people in a basement.
"It was a challenge," Grant says. "I think human beings need challenges. It makes your beer taste better in the evening if you've climbed a mountain. He was just so wonderfully (expletive)-up."
"Heretic," which opens in theaters Friday, is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, co-writers of "A Quiet Place." In Grant's hands, Mr. Reed is a divinely good baddie — a scholarly creep whose wry monologues pull from a wide range of references, including, fittingly, Radiohead's "Creep."
In an interview, Grant spoke about these and other facets of his character, his journey... Read More