Diane Jackson has been promoted to chief production officer at DDB Chicago, effective immediately. Jackson will continue to lead the agency’s integrated production department and will still report to John Maxham, chief creative officer of the Chicago office.
During Jackson’s first stint at DDB Chicago from 2000 to 2003, she produced iconic work for Energizer, McDonald’s, Anheuser-Busch, JC Penney and Exxon Mobil. Then, for four years, she served as director of integrated production at Energy BBDO in Chicago. In 2007 Jackson returned to DDB as EVP, director of integrated production, where she expanded the agency’s production department across multiple platforms including building content creation capabilities and digital mobile social production expertise.
Jackson has built an award-winning production team that truly represents the power of talent diversity. Most recently, Jackson executive-produced McDonald’s “Twitter Super Bowl Takeover,” which earned the client the distinction of “most retweeted brand ever in a single day” during the 2015 Super Bowl. The campaign has earned multiple awards, including three Cannes Lions, an LIA Gold and a Gold CLIO.
She also produced the much loved and awarded “The Man and the Dog” film for the Fundacion Argentina de Transplante Hepatico in 2015 with the DDB Argentina office.
Other career highlights include Jackson’s work for the Clinton Foundation’s 10-year anniversary celebration that took place in three countries and included segments with numerous celebrities such as Barbara Streisand, Jay Z, Tony Blair and former President Bill Clinton himself.
Jackson led an international team to produce Anheuser Busch-InBev’s “Bud House,” the first-ever global online real-time reality series. Produced in South Africa, the show was at the core of the client’s sponsorship of the FIFA World Cup, where Jackson led a team of over 100 people who churned out more than 200 episodes. The show was honored with an OMMA award in 2010.
Within months of the inauguration of President Obama, Jackson secured his campaign manager David Plouffe to partner with DDB Chicago for a presentation entitled “The Art of the Possible – The Audacity of Successful Brands.” The presentation was one of the highlights of the Cannes Lions Festival, with delegates spilling over into multiple screening rooms to hear from Plouffe and DDB’s Bob Scarpelli. The film from this event won the prestigious Gold BDA Design award.
Jackson also served the city of Chicago when she executive-produced the films for Chicago’s 2016 Olympic bid in Copenhagen with Mayor Richard Daley.
Jackson serves as a speaker at the industry’s top events and conferences such as the AICP Show, The Women in Film Forum, and Advertising Week NYC. Jackson is the recipient of the Distinction in Advertising award from the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (London) and received DDB’s Fasules, Sharpe, Yovetich Leadership Award in 2010, the first producer ever to receive that honor. In 2012 Jackson served as a judge at the Cannes Lions Advertising Festival. She also serves on the board of the VCU Brandcenter.
Paul Gunning, president and CEO of DDB Chicago, commented, “Not only has Diane been critical to sustaining DDB Chicago’s growth and profile in the industry, but she has also been formative in strategizing for the entire network. Her influence will continue to permeate the company both locally and globally.”
“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