MullenLowe U.S. has hired Frank Cartagena as CEO. He will lead the agency of more than 400 people across offices in Boston, New York, and Los Angeles. By appointing a former chief creative officer to the highest rank, the agency reinforces its commitment to ideas, creativity, and craft.
“As CCO, Cartagena led multicultural agency The Community to earn top accolades and industry respect,” said Kristen Cavallo, CEO of MullenLowe Global. “His new business track record, creative chops, and galvanizing leadership style make him an appealing choice for CEO and another important change for us as we modernize our leadership structure.”
Cartagena’s appointment adds to recent leadership announcements that include ADCOLOR Beacon award winner Jordan Muse being named president of MullenLowe East, Javier Passerieu being promoted to president of MullenLowe West, and Kelly Fredrickson taking on the new role of chief culture officer.
“More than a job title, this role is about seizing an opportunity to drive a culture of creativity that is much greater than just a department,” Cartagena said. “I’m ready to help shape and define the next chapter of MullenLowe for our people, our clients, and the industry. I love the agency’s challenger DNA and new modern positioning. I look forward to building on their momentum and becoming a place that consistently puts out some of the best work in the world.”
Over his 16-year career, Cartagena has made a mark by creating breakthrough work designed to get real consumers talking. Under his creative leadership, The Community produced this year’s most effective Super Bowl campaign for Netflix and GM. Before that, Cartagena served as executive creative director at 360i, where he led a creative transformation and converted 90% of new business pitches. Some of his greatest hits include the “Doomsday Vault” and “Thins Protection Program” for Oreo, “The Maze” for Westworld and HBO, and the “Four-Year-Old’s Bucket List” for WATERisLIFE.
Cartagena’s appointment as MullenLowe’s U.S. CEO comes on the heels of the agency’s global rebrand, winning Agency of the Year at the Art Directors Club, and a streak of new business wins, including the recompete for the Department of Defense’s $454M JAMRS contract, GEICO social, global investment firm Invesco, and Ghirardelli.
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