Mike Frank, former VP, group creative director at Razorfish, has joined Deutsch as SVP, creative director. In his role, Frank will provide creative leadership to Deutsch’s 35-person Volkswagen platform team. He starts at Deutsch this week, and will report to Tara Greer, EVP, executive creative director.
“Mike’s deep automotive experience, coupled with his passion and understanding of product development, makes him a conceptually and creatively strong platform leader,” said Pam Scheideler, chief digital officer of Deutsch’s Los Angeles office. “Few people are strong at both product design and branding. Mike knows both sides well and has been on our radar for quite some time.”
Prior to joining Deutsch, Frank spent seven years at Razorfish, most recently serving as the creative lead for the L.A. office. During his tenure, he created groundbreaking campaigns, experiences and products for brands including Visa, Motorola, Target, Acura and BlackBerry. Prior to Razorfish, he served as a creative director at IBM Interactive Experience working on Sony, AOL, NCAA, Nissan and Coke.
“Volkswagen is an iconic global brand with a history of innovation in the digital space,” said Frank. “And Deutsch’s heritage of brand-building coupled with their deep UX and tech chops presents a incredible opportunity to affect the brand trajectory.”
Frank earned his Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Georgetown University. He studied graphic design at The Maryland Institute College of Art and also studied at Yale School of Management.
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