R&R Partners, the shop that created “What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas,” has lured Chuck Monn to town as its chief creative officer. Monn is best known for his long tenure at TBWA\Media Arts Lab, last serving there as executive creative director.
Monn, who had most recently been freelancing, spent 15-plus years at Media Arts Lab where he led the the development of Apple’s iconic “Shot on iPhone” platform, as well as worked closely on “Mac vs. PC” and dozens of other groundbreaking campaigns for the leading brand.
Throughout his career, Monn has won over 100 international awards including Cannes Lions, Cannes Grand Prix, D&AD, One Show Gold Pencils, Effie Awards, Webby, and even nominations for the commercial primetime Emmy.
This will be Monn’s first time in the top leadership role, where he’ll bring a creative-first approach to the next era of R&R’s creative efforts.
Monn’s arrival caps 18 months of under-the-radar staffing moves that include the addition of more than a dozen senior-level hires across the account, strategy, production and talent teams. The most notable include:
- Matt Matzen, chief marketing officer (formerly EVP, Deutsch LA)
- David Panzarasa, head of talent (formerly TBWA\Chiat\Day)
- Kat Urban, head of integrated production (formerly TBWA\Chiat\Day)
- Richard Oldfield, head of strategy (formerly R/GA, TBWA/Media Arts Lab)
Monn’s new-look creative department will work hand-in-hand with R&R Partners’ unique mix of offerings, which includes everything from its full-service creative agency to government affairs, crisis communications, and other practices, including House of V, a digital innovation firm specializing in AR/VR experiences. It’s this unique mix of talent that allows R&R to create work that pushes far beyond what the average agency can produce.
“Creativity has always been a part of what we do at R&R, but for most of our history our involvement in some of the industry’s most iconic work has flown under the radar,” said Michon Martin, president of R&R Partners. “As we move into our second half-century, we’re excited to welcome Chuck and other new team members, who we believe will help us create bold, exciting work that gets people’s attention. We’re built to do something unique: take on challenges/monumental tasks that transcend marketing at a time when our industry needs to learn how to solve business problems in non-traditional ways. This new creative firepower is going to help our talented, multi-faceted team to do just that.”
Monn said, “After years working on some of the biggest ad campaigns in the world, the opportunity to work with an independent agency that’s hungry to leverage creativity to solve business problems in unconventional ways was something I absolutely jumped at. R&R has all these different minds that come together to solve problems in a unique way, and I can’t wait to work with the team to do things that push the boundaries of what people expect.”
“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