Johannes Leonardo has appointed Benton Roman to serve as group executive producer. He will join the agency to lead day-to-day production on the newly awarded Volkswagen account. Roman will report directly to Dana May, Johannes Leonardo’s head of integrated production in New York.
Roman brings to his new roost more than 15 years of experience managing and producing creative projects across all platforms. He comes over from Goodby Silverstein & Partners (GS&P) where he oversaw production on BMW, Adobe and First Republic. During his nine-year tenure at GS&P, Roman produced a wide variety of campaigns for brands such as the NBA, Adobe, BMW, Cisco, Specialized and TD Ameritrade. He’s also produced notable branded content including “I Am a Witness” for Ad Council, which was the first interactive video experience on iOS, and “The Neighborhood”, an award-winning short horror film for Xfinity. Prior to GS&P, Roman worked at Furlined, a global production company.
“I’ve always admired the beautifully crafted work that Johannes Leonardo has put out into the world,” said Roman. “I see this as a great opportunity to contribute to that. Getting the opportunity to work on VW, one of the most iconic brands in advertising, was just icing on the cake.”
Roman’s appointment comes on the heels of several leadership hires across departments. Just earlier this year, the agency announced the appointment of Hope Nardini as creative director and Samira Ansari as group creative director.
“Heretic” and “Maria” Set As Red Carpet Premieres At AFI Fest
The American Film Institute (AFI) has announced that Heretic, the psychological thriller starring Hugh Grant, and Maria, based on the life of opera singer Maria Callas starring Angelina Jolie, will round out the Red Carpet Premieres section at this year’s AFI Fest. The Heretic Gala Screening will take place on Thursday, October 24, and the Maria Gala Screening will be held on Saturday, October 26. The complete Red Carpet Premieres section includes the world premieres of Music By John Williams, Robert Zemeckis’ Here, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl and Clint Eastwood’s Juror #2. All Red Carpet Premieres will take place at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre. The full lineup for AFI Fest 2024 will be unveiled on October 1.
“At the heart of AFI Fest is an unwavering dedication to celebrating the best in global cinema--together,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI president and CEO. “We look forward to uniting artists and audiences once again to be inspired by the art form in a powerful sense of community.”
Heretic follows two young missionaries (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East) who are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed (portrayed by Grant), becoming ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse. The film is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods and produced by Stacey Sher, Beck, Woods, Julia Glausi and Jeanette Volturno. The film will be released nationwide by A24 on November 8.
Directed by Pablo Larraín, Maria presents a tumultuous and beautiful depiction of one of the world’s most renowned artists and reimagines the legendary soprano in her final days in Paris, as Callas (Jolie)... Read More