Erica Roberts has been appointed chief creative officer at BBH USA. Roberts will lead all creative strategy and execution for BBH USA clients including Samsung, Google, Mattel’s Barbie, Netflix, Martell U.S. and Brighthouse Financial. Roberts will partner closely with Amani Duncan, CEO of BBH USA, report to Carla Serrano, chief strategy officer, Publicis Groupe, and will join the BBH global board.
A 15-year Publicis Groupe veteran, Roberts has led award-winning, business-transforming work across nearly every category, from CPG to QSR, financial services and retail. She most recently served as CCO of Publicis NY. A champion of Publicis Groupe’s Power of One model, Roberts helped relaunch 10 brands within The J.M. Smucker Company’s portfolio including Jif, Folgers, Milkbone and Café Bustelo. She led Jif’s recent award-winning creative campaigns “Jif vs. Gif,” and the Lil Jif Project’s #JifRapChallenge. In her new role, Roberts will also bring BBH’s cultural fuel and creativity to Power of One accounts she has nurtured over the years.
“It’s such an honor to be joining BBH, one of the most storied creative brands in the world. The BBH USA team has been doing remarkable work over the past year, and I’m excited to build on this momentum to propel the agency, its talent and its clients into their next phase of growth and creative transformation,” said Roberts.
Her appointment shows further advancement of BBH’s presence and impact in the U.S. and its unique strengths across diversity, culture and innovation. The news follows the promotion of Duncan to CEO earlier this year, and Alex Grieve being appointed to a newly created global CCO role as well as the launch of the new global BBH board. These announcements herald a commitment to empowering local leadership, maintaining global connectivity across the BBH offices, and driving the power of creativity across the agency’s key markets.
“BBH USA has built a strong creative reputation in the U.S. for championing and producing culturally relevant and diverse ideas and experiences for brands,” said Duncan. “With Erica joining us and our team of creative all-stars, we will continue to bring this approach to life–both in the work we do for our clients and in the culture we create for our people.”
Grieve, BBH’s global and London CCO, said, “Erica has talent to burn. She’s won everything there is to win. But, much more than that, she has character. Her huge ambition is matched only by her huge heart. She’s empathetic, straight-talking and resilient. Erica is the shepherd this flock of black sheep needs. We expect great things.”
BBH USA has enjoyed strong growth over the past 18 months, with headcount increasing by 77%, and the agency landing new clients including LinkedIn, Google, Walmart, Mattel, Netflix, Lionsgate and Martell U.S. BBH USA’s work was recognized with more than 50 trophies at Cannes Lions, One Show, D&AD, ANDYs, Clios and Webbys.
Implemented in October 2021, BBH’s global board is chaired by Annette King and Grieve and comprised of: Karen Martin, chief executive of BBH London; Duncan; Arto Hampartsoumian, managing partner and executive chairman of Publicis Groupe China; Christine Ng, chairwoman of BBH Singapore and China; Sid Tuli, managing director of BBH Singapore; Sascha Kuntze, chief creative officer of BBH APAC; Adam Arnold, global chief marketing officer of BBH; and Roberts.
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