After three years as head of television at Leo Burnett Co., London, Jonathan Davis has been named executive producer/head of television production at Leo Burnett’s Chicago headquarters.
A 13-year veteran of Leo Burnett’s London office, Davis will replace David Beller, who announced his retirement unexpectedly on March 30. Beller had been with the company nearly 27 years, most recently as senior VP/director of TV services. He will continue at Burnett as a consultant for a transition period; Davis is slated to officially join the Chicago office on April 24.
Davis has spent the past three years overseeing the agency’s London production needs throughout Europe, and developing solutions for clients in interactive, programming, broadcasting and the Internet. During his tenure, he also managed productions for clients including Procter & Gamble, Kraft, Kellogg’s, Hallmark, Walt Disney and Discover. One of the noteworthy productions he oversaw was a shoot last year for a Max Factor spot that starred Madonna, which aired globally except in America.
Leo Burnett chief creative officer Cheryl Berman told SHOOT, "Jonathan brings a tremendous amount of energy, experience and [different] viewpoints that we haven’t been exposed to enough, in my opinion. We’re extremely excited about what he’s going to bring to our party."
Berman said she’d had initial talks with Davis last December at the annual Burnett Breakfast—an event attended by employees from the agency’s worldwide office network. "We then went back and forth," recalled Berman, "and I asked him to send me some stuff that he loved, to see if it was good production and to see if we were on the same page. We definitely are. I think he’s going to push the envelope here and get us to think about things in some new ways."
Asked if the envelope needed to be pushed production-wise, Berman responded, "I want us to take some more chances; I want us to learn how to manage our clients’ money and maybe get more for our money. I really want us to get exposed to more new directors. I think a lot of that was going on, but it will be accelerated [with Davis].
"I think he’s in tune with what’s going on now, and that’s really important," she continued. "We’re doing a lot of production overseas now; we’ve been doing some things for Nintendo in Australia, South Africa and other places. It’s good to have someone who is a global citizen and who is really aware of a lot of options we may not be aware of." One Nintendo spot, "Decisions," earned SHOOT Top Spot recognition (SHOOT, 3/17, p. 12).
Davis said he will come to the Leo Burnett Chicago office with an open mind, and has no major changes he plans to implement. He intends to spend several weeks acclimating to the agency and assessing its production department. "I’ve looked at Chicago over the last few years, and I’ve seen big change happening here. I’m pleased to have been offered the job to come here to push the creative product to the next level."
Davis commented that the London agency has had great success with McDonald’s, such as the image spot "Brotherly Love," directed by Kirk Jones of Tomboy Films, London, in which a little girl buys her sibling a Happy Meal. Davis also cited the work of several other spots produced through London-based companies, including "Children and Animals," directed by Jeff Stark, Stark Films; "Good Audition," directed by Patricia Murphy, Patricia Murphy Films; "Clever Daddy," directed by Simon Cheek, Spirit Films; and a series of spots in the client’s ongoing "Money Saving Tips" campaign, helmed by Joe Public—a.k.a. Adam Cameron and Simon Cole—through Partizan Midi Minuit.
"At the end of the day, it’s all about doing the best production for a particular client, and pushing each client that little bit further," Davis said. "Obviously, you can’t change anything overnight. But when I look back at my time in London, McDonald’s advertising has come a long way—and that’s through gradually pushing the creative product."
In years past, Davis explained, London agencies had been rather insular in their approach to directors, focusing mainly on U.K. directors. But in recent years, Burnett and the market as a whole have expanded their directorial sights beyond England. "Due to the restrictions of budgets and always still wanting to push the creative product, is the matter of finding good directorial talent in other markets," said Davis. "We’ve used directors out of South Africa and Australia, and we’ve ended up shooting a lot out of Toronto and Vancouver."
Davis joined Leo Burnett’s London office as a production assistant in ’87, was promoted to producer seven years later, and was named head of television post three years ago. In the last nine months, said Davis, he has begun concentrating on new media such as Web-based advertising, Internet programming and interactive television. "I’m building up quite a vast knowledge in that area," said Davis. "I suppose I’m slightly unconventional in that I like a new challenge. I love creating things and looking outside of the box; that’s what drives me."
