Independent creative agency Marcus Thomas LLC has named former chief idea officer Joanne Kim to serve as its chief diversity officer.
In her former role, she oversaw the agency’s creative, production and digital production centers of practice, and was in charge of agency innovation.
In her new role, Kim will work to cultivate an environment that supports and nurtures diversity, while spearheading the development of inclusion initiatives such as organization-wide diversity training and multicultural events. She will also set measurable objectives for recruiting, hiring and maintaining diverse candidates and interns.
Kim will oversee the development and growth of employee resource groups at the agency while being the voice of diversity and inclusion for Marcus Thomas in the ad and local community.
“Marcus Thomas made a strategic commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion two years ago as part of our long range plan. This is just one step that makes a statement to the world about our belief in the importance of equal rights and representation for all to the future of our business,” said Kim.
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