Independent creative agency Hijinks has named Anita Sasdy as its first head of production.
She reports directly to Alicia Iveson, co-founder and CEO of Hijinks, and forms part of the leadership team alongside Marc Allenby and Tamryn Kerr, who are co-founders and chief creative officers.
Sasdy joins with a brief to shape the agency’s production department and output, particularly with regard to its integrated capabilities. Her arrival comes shortly after Hijinks moved into a new office, in the heart of Soho.
Since 2021, Sasdy has worked in a number of executive producer roles for agencies including VCCP and adam&eveDDB. Before that, she spent 22 years with AMV BBDO, latterly as production partner.
Among the high-profile brands she has worked on are Bvlgari, PlayStation, Pepsi, Guiness, Eurostar, Mars and, most recently, the launch campaign for Lionel Messi’s sports drink brand Mas+.
Iveson said, “We are elated that Anita has joined our merry crew. Of course Anita brings a wealth of experience having delivered campaigns of epic proportions for some of the world’s biggest and most loved brands. Most importantly, alongside all of that expertise, she brings heaps of energy and positivity to everything that she does. Marc, Tam and I are incredibly excited to work with Anita to shape a modern production department that’s fit for the ever changing needs of our growing client base.”
Sasdy said, “After having worked at some of the biggest and best agencies in the U.K. I am super excited for my next chapter at Hijinks. I couldn’t have been more motivated when I first met Tam, Alicia and Marc to talk about the opportunity to build a production department that suits the times we are in, and we look forward to launching some exciting work soon. Alongside the leadership team, I can’t wait to build the client base and bolster our integrated capabilities. I’m really looking forward to seeing what the future of Hijinks holds for us four.’
Sasdy’s work has earned significant industry recognition, including accolades from Cannes Lions, D&AD and the British Arrows. Some of her work to win awards includes Guinness’ “Cowboys” with director Henry-Alex Rubin, director Paolo Sorrentino’s “Unexpected Wonders” for Bvlgari, and the most awarded project to date “Spare the Act” for Curry’s, which starred Jeff Goldblum.
Matthew Perry’s Assistant and 2 Doctors Among 5 People Charged In “Friends” Star’s Death
A prosecutor says five people have been charged in connection with Matthew Perry's death from a ketamine overdose last year, including the actor's assistant and two doctors. U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada announced the charges Thursday, saying the doctors supplied Perry with a large amount of ketamine and even wondered in a text message how much the former "Friends" star would be willing to pay. "These defendants took advantage of Mr. Perry's addiction issues to enrich themselves. They knew what they were doing was wrong," Estrada said. Perry died in October due to a ketamine overdose and received several injections of the drug on the day he died from his live-in personal assistant. The assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, is the one who found Perry dead later that day. The actor went to the two charged doctors in desperation after his regular doctors refused to give him ketamine in the amounts he wanted. DEA Administrator Anne Milgram said in one instance the actor paid $2,000 for a vial of ketamine that cost one of the physicians about $12. Two of the people, including one of the doctors charged, were arrested Thursday, Estrada said. Two of the defendants, including Iwamasa, have pleaded guilty to charges already, and a third person has agreed to plead guilty. Multiple messages left seeking comment from lawyers or offices for all the defendants have not yet been returned. Among those arrested Thursday are Dr. Salvador Plasencia, who is charged with seven counts of distribution of ketamine and also two charges related to allegations he falsified records after Perry's death. The other person arrested Thursday is Jasveen Sangha, who prosecutors described as a drug dealer known as the "ketamine queen." Ketamine supplied by Sangha caused Perry's death,... Read More