Marci Miller has been promoted to president, U.S., at the community. A Miami native with over 20 years of experience in the industry, Miller has spent the last three years at the community as a managing director. She has extensive experience and leadership in integrated advertising campaigns with a strong background in strategy, digital, content production, and social media.
In her new role, Miller will be overseeing all U.S. client partnerships, excluding Verizon. From a partnership perspective, she will be charged with leading Amazon, Constellation Brands, Mondelez, Norwegian Cruise Line, Volkswagen, and others. She’ll also be tasked with new business growth in the U.S. Ben Bittman, EVP and managing director, will continue to oversee the Verizon partnership.
JoaquÃn Molla, global CCO and founder, said of Miller, “She’s someone who knows the power of ideas and really believes in them. Someone who understands the industry and us as an agency. She fights the good fight every day for what our name stands for and how we can create connections and build communities with great work.”
Prior to joining the community, Miller spent over 14 years at Crispin Porter + Bogusky, where she last served as VP, group account director and account service lead. Throughout her career at CP+B, Miller also held the roles of VP, director, knowledge & development and VP, managing supervisor, working with clients like Burger King and Best Buy. Prior to CP+B, Miller worked as a content supervisor at Tinsley Advertising.
“These last few years have been some of my most fulfilling–wins, challenges, loss, celebrations, amazing creativity, and so much more,” said Miller. “I couldn’t be prouder and more excited to take this next step with the community. Every day I’m surrounded by the brightest stars, the most interesting people, creative ideas and truly special client partners. Even in just a few years, the community has experienced so much growth and I’m excited to dive in and get working on our future.”
From a larger leadership perspective at the community, with Miller’s elevation, Luis Montero, who had been president, takes on the role of CEO. Montero joined the community in 2013 and has continuously been a strong advocate for culturally reflective brand-building while helping the agency secure long-term partnerships. In his new role, Montero will continue to focus on global community, including the U.S. and LATAM.
CEO Montero said, “As we continue to grow and scale our business, there is no better leader than Marci. She has the right blend of humanity and ambition for great work and is a great partner to our clients and our community. Over the past three years, I’ve had the privilege of seeing her leadership, ingenuity, and smarts firsthand. She knows how to lead a healthy business while always putting the work first. And from helping grow our business across clients like Constellation Brands and Mondelez, to leading and winning new business from partners like Amazon and Volkswagen, I know she is someone who will continue to lead us and help us learn and grow on a daily basis.”
Miller steps in to round out the agency’s new regional structure across five business units within the U.S. and LATAM laddering up to Montero—with Miller as president, U.S; Julieta Rey as VP and managing director for la comunidad in LATAM; Laurie Malaga as EVP and head of integrated production for the shop’s production entity, Makers Lab; the Global Samsung business; and, Bittman as EVP and managing director, overseeing Verizon.
Jennifer Kent On Why Her Feature Directing Debut, “The Babadook,” Continues To Haunt Us
"The Babadook," when it was released 10 years ago, didn't seem to portend a cultural sensation.
It was the first film by a little-known Australian filmmaker, Jennifer Kent. It had that strange name. On opening weekend, it played in two theaters.
But with time, the long shadows of "The Babadook" continued to envelop moviegoers. Its rerelease this weekend in theaters, a decade later, is less of a reminder of a sleeper 2014 indie hit than it is a chance to revisit a horror milestone that continues to cast a dark spell.
Not many small-budget, first-feature films can be fairly said to have shifted cinema but Kent's directorial debut may be one of them. It was at the nexus of that much-debated term "elevated horror." But regardless of that label, it helped kicked off a wave of challenging, filmmaker-driven genre movies like "It Follows," "Get Out" and "Hereditary."
Kent, 55, has watched all of this — and those many "Babadook" memes — unfold over the years with a mix of elation and confusion. Her film was inspired in part by the death of her father, and its horror elements likewise arise out of the suppression of emotions. A single mother (Essie Davis) is struggling with raising her young son (Noah Wiseman) years after the tragic death of her husband. A figure from a pop-up children's book begins to appear. As things grow more intense, his name is drawn out in three chilling syllables — "Bah-Bah-Doooook" — an incantation of unprocessed grief.
Kent recently spoke from her native Australia to reflect on the origins and continuing life of "The Babadook."
Q: Given that you didn't set out to in any way "change" horror, how have you regarded the unique afterlife of "The... Read More