McCann Worldgroup has named Ed Powers as CEO of its Craft adaptation and production unit. Craft is dedicated to effectively delivering coherent and efficient implementation of marketing messages for clients across all mediums. With studios in more than 20 countries, Craft also collaborates across Worldgroup to offer bespoke, efficient and cost-effective global delivery models.
“Ed has played a leading role in building out our global network and has worked closely with our business units and leadership teams,” said Harris Diamond, chairman and CEO of McCann Worldgroup. “His understanding of our clients’ needs and his background in designing operational solutions make him ideally suited to the task of leading Craft.”
In his new role, Powers will lead a team of more than 600 staffers in leveraging talent, processes, collective technologies and scale to assist clients and manage their needs for marketing messages across assorted platforms. Craft works with such brands as Aldi, Coca-Cola, General Mills, General Motors, L’Oréal and Microsoft.
“Craft is in a great position to be the global leader in a field that is evolving rapidly as clients seek out more efficient and effective production solutions at scale,” said Powers.
Prior to becoming CEO of Craft, Powers served as executive VP, operations, McCann Worldgroup. Powers joined McCann Worldgroup in January 2013, after serving as COO at Interpublic Group’s CMG division, which includes Weber Shandwick, Golin Harris, FutureBrand, Jack Morton and other marketing communications firms. He had a lead role in driving strategic initiatives, particularly in the area of acquisitions, and had operational oversight duties for the brands within the CMG portfolio. Prior to CMG he served at Interpublic’s Lowe Worldwide, where he played a key role in restructuring the organization, improving performance, and revamping the finance, corporate communications, human resources and IT functions. He also devoted significant time and effort to the important growth markets of China and India.
First-Time Feature Directors Make Major Splash At AFI Fest, Generate Oscar Buzz
Two first-time feature directors who are generating Oscar buzz this awards season were front and center this past weekend at AFI Fest in Hollywood. Rachel Morrison, who made history as the first woman nominated for a Best Cinematography Oscar---on the strength of Mudbound in 2018--brought her feature directorial debut, The Fire Inside (Amazon MGM Studios), to the festival on Sunday (10/27), and shared insights into the film during a conversation session immediately following the screening. This came a day after William Goldenberg, an Oscar-winning editor for Argo in 2013, had his initial foray into feature directing, Unstoppable (Amazon MGM Studios), showcased at the AFI proceedings. He too spoke after the screening during a panel discussion. The Fire Inside--which made its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival--tells the story of Claressa “T-Rex” Shields (portrayed by Ryan Destiny), a Black boxer from Flint, Mich., who trained to become the first woman in U.S. history to win an Olympic Gold Medal in the sport. She achieved this feat--with the help of coach Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry)--only to find that her victory at the Summer Games came with relatively little fanfare and no endorsement deals. So much for the hope that the historic accomplishment would be a ticket out of socioeconomic purgatory for Shields and her family. It seemed like yet another setback in a cycle of adversity throughout Shields’ life but she persevered, going on to win her second Gold Medal at the next Olympics and becoming a champion for gender equality and equitable pay for women in sports. Shields has served as a source of inspiration for woman athletes worldwide--as well as to the community of... Read More