Eric Zuncic will join the DDB North America leadership team as chief strategy officer effective October 2. Zuncic, a Harvard Business School graduate, joins DDB from Crispin Porter+Bogusky where he spent almost two and half years as chief strategy officer for all of its North American offices.
Reporting to DDB North America CEO Wendy Clark, Zuncic will oversee strategy for all DDB North America offices as well as We Are Unlimited, the bespoke agency launched for McDonald’s U.S. business earlier this year.
“Ask the best creatives in the world and they will tell you their dirty little secret is to find the best strategists in the world and to hold on for dear life. Eric is one of those strategists, and lucky for me there’s lots to hold onto,” commented Ari Weiss, chief creative officer of DDB North America.
Prior to joining CP+B, Zuncic spent over three years at Mekanism, where he oversaw strategy on accounts including Method, Pepsi, and Ben & Jerry’s. Earlier, he was director of strategy and innovation at the Brand Union. Before going agency side, he worked for Unilever and Geico.
“I’ve always admired the creative legacy of DDB and am thrilled to partner with Wendy, Ari and the extended North America leadership team to continue the resurgence of this iconic agency,” said Zuncic.
The hiring of Zuncic completes DDB North America’s leadership team with Clark, Weiss and chief people officer Britt Hayes at the helm of the agency.
Review: Director Ben Taylor’s “Joy”
Toward the end of Netflix's "Joy," the muffled cry of a newborn baby prompts a man and woman in a hospital to embrace out of pure bliss. They aren't the parents, but they had as much to do with the birth as the mom and dad.
This charming and winning movie charts the decade-long true story of how the world's first IVF baby was born in England in 1978 — a 5-pound, 12-ounce girl who paved the way for millions more. It's an upbeat, very English affair, mixing sober discussion of endometriosis with chocolate biscuits.
The couple embracing that day were pioneering scientist Robert Edwards and Jean Purdy, a young nurse and embryologist. Together with surgeon Patrick Steptoe, the trio succeeded with in vitro fertilization, a method of treating infertility. Edwards would go on to win the Nobel Prize.
"Joy" has been birthed at a time when science is under threat in America — even IVF — so it's downright inspiring to see plucky, smart scientists working hard to change the world. "What we're doing, it matters," says Steptoe, played with quiet economy by Bill Nighy.
"Joy" is the personal stories of the three scientists — mostly through the eyes of Purdy, a polite lab-coated warrior. "If I hear a commotion, I'm not very good at staying out of it," she says. Perfectly played by Thomasin McKenzie, Purdy is both vulnerable and strong, learning through the process to be a better human. James Norton plays Edwards with charm, self-doubt and calm spirit.
Jack Thorne's script nicely explains the massive pressure the trio faced. IVF may have become common and uncontroversial over the last decades, but back in the late '70s it was experimental and shunned. The Anglican church called it a sin, the newspapers labeled it Frankenstein-ish and other... Read More