Jiah Choi has been named CEO of both BBDO New York and Energy BBDO in Chicago.
“BBDO NY and Energy BBDO are both powerhouse creative agencies in their own right. Each agency has strong complementary capabilities and talent, which is why they work so well together on our shared clients today. Bringing in Jiah as a single leader across both New York and Energy will help us to continue to accelerate growth and amplify shared capabilities for our client partners,” said Nancy Reyes, CEO of the Americas at BBDO.
The move marks one of the most significant hires that Reyes has made since she joined BBDO last September.
“Jiah is a badass leader who truly loves our business. From building world class creative agencies, to leading integrated marketing content on the client-side at Coca Cola, her combination of creative and business acumen is special. She is the perfect person to lead our teams in both New York and Chicago,’’ said Reyes.
Choi spent the past two years as president of Wieden+Kennedy New York, a place that holds a special place in her heart. When asked about her time at the agency, Choi said: “The magic at W+K is real, and I’m eternally grateful that I had the opportunity to work with such an incredible group of people.”
Prior to her time at W+K, Choi helped start the Los Angeles office of Anomaly, rising to the rank of CEO and establishing client relationships with Uber Eats, Facebook, Allbirds, Diet Coke, and The Los Angeles Rams. She also previously spent time at The Coca-Cola Company leading content and creative on brands such as Sprite and vitaminwater.
“I’m so excited about the opportunity to help BBDO NY and Energy BBDO build on their momentum of change. BBDO has a legacy of excellence and what a privilege it is that we have the opportunity to deliver on that together,” said Choi.
James Earl Jones, Lauded Actor and Voice of Darth Vader, Dies At 93
James Earl Jones, who overcame racial prejudice and a severe stutter to become a celebrated icon of stage and screen — eventually lending his deep, commanding voice to CNN, "The Lion King" and Darth Vader — has died. He was 93.
His agent, Barry McPherson, confirmed Jones died Monday morning at home in New York's Hudson Valley region. The cause was not immediately clear.
The pioneering Jones, who was one of the first African American actors in a continuing role on a daytime drama and worked deep into his 80s, won two Emmys, a Golden Globe, two Tony Awards, a Grammy, the National Medal of Arts, the Kennedy Center Honors and was given an honorary Oscar and a special Tony for lifetime achievement. In 2022, a Broadway theater was renamed in his honor.
He cut an elegant figure late in life, with a wry sense of humor and a ferocious work habit. In 2015, he arrived at rehearsals for a Broadway run of "The Gin Game" having already memorized the play and with notebooks filled with comments from the creative team. He said he was always in service of the work.
"The need to storytell has always been with us," he told The Associated Press then. "I think it first happened around campfires when the man came home and told his family he got the bear, the bear didn't get him."
Jones created such memorable film roles as the reclusive writer coaxed back into the spotlight in "Field of Dreams," the boxer Jack Johnson in the stage and screen hit "The Great White Hope," the writer Alex Haley in "Roots: The Next Generation" and a South African minister in "Cry, the Beloved Country."
He was also a sought-after voice actor, expressing the villainy of Darth Vader ("No, I am your father," commonly misremembered as "Luke, I am your father"), as... Read More