Independent creative shop McGarrah Jessee (McJ) has hired production industry executive Laura Busino as its new head of production. Busino is a highly accomplished leader with more than 20 years of experience in content production on both the agency and client side. She joins McJ from Ford Motor Company, where she served as head of content production, overseeing all branded content production across the company’s agencies.
“Laura is a world-class operations expert with a wealth of experience creating systems that allow creative production to flow seamlessly. Today’s brands must move at the speed of culture and Laura’s work to future-proof our model will enable our teams and clients to do just that,” said McJ CEO Britton Upham. “Even more meaningful is the positive energy she brings and how she inspires people around her to raise the bar and have fun in the process.”
As an advisory board member of Green the Bid and proponent of FREE THE WORK and the Streetlights Production Assistant Program, Busino is committed to initiatives that advance sustainability and equity, and develop emerging talent in the creative field. Her advertising career began at J. Walter Thompson, where she found her calling in production. From there, Busino continued to grow in various production roles at McCann and GSD&M. She spent nearly nine years at GSD&M and was elevated to VP head of content production before moving to Ford Motor Company in 2019. While at Ford, Busino championed new creative and creative partnerships while overseeing the production process and operations across eight agencies. She worked to optimize Ford’s content flow and spearheaded partnerships to create a content ecosystem that provides visibility into full production data across all vendor partners in real time. Throughout her career, Busino has produced work for the United States Air Force, Dodge, John Deere, Microsoft, Domino’s Pizza, Popeyes, Hampton Hotels, Goodyear Tires, De Beers, Southwest Airlines, AT&T, and the American Red Cross, among others.
“As I was exploring returning to my agency roots and getting closer to the work again, I knew I wanted to work somewhere with a fierce independent spirit and a track record of building successful brands. Check. What really sealed it for me was McJ’s people-first approach and emphasis on making business more human. It’s an environment where people can bring their best selves to work, from whatever location they prefer to work in. Double check,” Busino said.
Busino is the latest senior leader appointment at McJ following a succession of new business wins and notable work for Fender and Instacart. McJ’s client roster also includes Lyft, Whataburger, Orvis, Citi Bike, Jacuzzi, and Costa Sunglasses.
Rom-Com Mainstay Hugh Grant Shifts To The Dark Side and He’s Never Been Happier
After some difficulties connecting to a Zoom, Hugh Grant eventually opts to just phone instead.
"Sorry about that," he apologizes. "Tech hell." Grant is no lover of technology. Smart phones, for example, he calls the "devil's tinderbox."
"I think they're killing us. I hate them," he says. "I go on long holidays from them, three or four days at at time. Marvelous."
Hell, and our proximity to it, is a not unrelated topic to Grant's new film, "Heretic." In it, two young Mormon missionaries (Chloe East, Sophie Thatcher) come knocking on a door they'll soon regret visiting. They're welcomed in by Mr. Reed (Grant), an initially charming man who tests their faith in theological debate, and then, in much worse things.
After decades in romantic comedies, Grant has spent the last few years playing narcissists, weirdos and murders, often to the greatest acclaim of his career. But in "Heretic," a horror thriller from A24, Grant's turn to the dark side reaches a new extreme. The actor who once charmingly stammered in "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and who danced to the Pointer Sisters in "Love Actually" is now doing heinous things to young people in a basement.
"It was a challenge," Grant says. "I think human beings need challenges. It makes your beer taste better in the evening if you've climbed a mountain. He was just so wonderfully (expletive)-up."
"Heretic," which opens in theaters Friday, is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, co-writers of "A Quiet Place." In Grant's hands, Mr. Reed is a divinely good baddie — a scholarly creep whose wry monologues pull from a wide range of references, including, fittingly, Radiohead's "Creep."
In an interview, Grant spoke about these and other facets of his character, his journey... Read More