Cheil Worldwide has appointed Jayanta Jenkins as its global executive creative director for Samsung Mobile.
Jenkins is Twitter’s former global group creative director and most recently the global executive creative director at HP. He has also been global creative lead at Apple’s Beats by Dre.
Jenkins will be responsible for the network’s creative direction for the Samsung Mobile Communications global account heading up a dedicated global creative team. The role is a new position within Cheil Worldwide and has been created as the network’s Samsung Mobile global business has grown. Jenkins reports directly to Cheil Worldwide’s global chief creative officer Malcolm Poynton.
At HP, Jenkins led global initiatives and worked across the brand’s business units to further unify its communications. Before that, Jenkins was Twitter’s global group creative director for over two years where he headed up its in-house studio of integrated creative teams and agency partners. Under his leadership Twitter won the Grand Prix at Cannes Lions for its “What’s Happening” outdoor campaign. As global creative director at Beats by Dre, Jenkins led globally-integrated product launches for the brand.
Prior to that, he was the global creative director at TBWAChiatDay in Los Angeles, where he co-led the rebranding of Gatorade. He was also senior art director at Wieden+Kennedy where he created campaigns for Nike. The multi award-winning creative started his career at The Martin Agency.
Poynton said: “It’s been a long search to find a creative leader who gets what it takes to connect contemporary brands with today’s consumers. Jayanta brings that and more.”
Jenkins related, “There is no sector more dynamic right now than mobile and as Samsung is the world’s biggest mobile brand, this role presents me with an absolutely irresistible challenge and a real opportunity to further engage audiences in new and exciting ways.”
Jenkins is also a co-founder of Saturday Morning, an organization that works across creative industries to bring about societal change, build awareness and shift perceptions of racial bias and injustice.
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