Independent creative and media agency 22Squared has promoted its president and chief operating officer Erica Hoholick to CEO. This will be the first time a female has headed the century-old company. Hoholick succeeds former CEO Richard Ward, who will be focusing solely on driving 22Squared’s parent company, Guided by Good. Hoholick's appointment comes on the second anniversary of her hire.
“Erica built a world-class executive leadership team and, as such, it’s the perfect time for her to shift from the day-to-day operations focus of a president, to the long term strategic focus of a CEO,” said Ward. “In the two years since she came aboard, she has done an incredible job. Her goal now is to chart a path forward to drive phenomenal growth and success, in a culture like no other, with an eye towards doing work that is impossible to ignore.”
Under Hoholick’s leadership, 22Squared continues charting its own creative course as a fully integrated, super mid-sized agency, while leaning in further to its strategic and creative, multicultural, media, technology and analytics offerings. Hoholick specifically will focus on driving variety within the client roster and cementing the company’s commitment towards DEI initiatives, internally and with clients. Under her guidance since joining the company, 22Squared’s senior leadership now comprises 62% women, with a third of them being leaders of color from across the country.
“In the next five years, I want 22Squared to be in a category of one. I want to continue to focus on our diversity efforts, take our fully integrated offering and ensure that each area of expertise is best in class–media, influencer, social, analytics, tech & dev and I want us to do this on a national scale,” said Hoholick.
“Geography isn’t a limitation, the world has opened up to us; we now have 40 employees outside of Georgia and Florida. Half our executive team sits in NYC. We are growing our client base beyond the Southeast.”
“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