Lee Garfinkel–the multiple award-winning creative director, most recently CEO of FCB Garfinkel, the New York office of FCB–has been named to chair the Advisory Board for the 2016 AMP Awards for Music and Sound. In this role he will lead the list of industry professionals tasked with setting creative standards for the 4th annual advertising music and sound competition. The Advisory Board also chooses the competition’s Best in Show winner, which will be presented with the other category winners at the AMP Awards celebration at City Winery in New York on May 11.
Garfinkel’s appointment was announced by Jason Menkes, partner and executive producer of COPILOT Music + Sound and president of the Association of Music Producers, which sponsors the AMP Awards, and by Jeff Rosner, partner of the audio post house Color, who serves as chair of the AMP Awards Committee.
Also serving on the Advisory Board are Paul Greco, 2015 Advisory Board chair, director of music and radio, J. Walter Thompson, New York; Rani Vaz, past chair and SVP, music and radio production, BBDO New York; Josh Rabinowitz, past chair and EVP, director of music, Grey Group; Chris Clark, director of music, Leo Burnett Co.; Jerry Krenach, managing director, global music production, mcgarrybowen; Eric David Johnson, executive music producer, McCann New York; Julie Hurwitz, Kobalt Music Group; Cammy Grusd, VP, client relations and industry marketing, iHeart Media; Keith D’Arcy, SONGS Music Publishing; Dawn Sutter Madell, music supervisor, Agoraphone; Matt Miller, CEO and president, AICP; Marlene Bartos, EP/managing director, Yessian; Lyle Greenfield, founder and partner, Bang Music; Jeff Rosner, partner, Color Audio Post; Al Risi, music supervisor and partner, Groove Guild; Wilson Brown, creative director/partner, Antfood; and Georg Bissen, owner/composer/EP, Metatechnik.
“I love the idea of the AMP Awards,” said Garfinkel, who outside of his agency life is deeply involved with music, both as a guitar player and songwriter. “I wandered into the first show a few years back while hosting another ceremony during Creative Week and immediately felt it was the coolest show in town. And it should be, because music is one of the coolest parts of the advertising business and perhaps one of the most important.”
“We’re honored to have a creative leader of Lee’s stature leading our Advisory Board,” said Menkes. “As an agency creative he intuitively understands the role of music and sound in making a commercial or piece of advertising content not just memorable but effective. And as a musician and songwriter himself he knows how much creativity, inspiration and hard work goes into creating or uncovering just the right rhythm and beat to convey the emotion you’re looking for.”
Garfinkel believes that having a show exclusively dedicated to honoring achievements in music and sound makes a vital statement to the industry: “It not only recognizes outstanding work, but pushes people to strive harder for greatness,” he said. “Add to that a group of successful and talented judges and advisory board members, and you’ve got the makings of a great evening as well as a new benchmark for creative thinkers.”
As Advisory Board chair, Garfinkel brings an extensive set of credentials to the role. Prior to joining FCB he was chairman of the New York office of Havas Worldwide and chief creative officer of Global Brands. He was also chief creative officer of DDB, helping the agency win assignments from Bud Light, Diet Pepsi, Philips, Subaru (an account he cut his teeth on as a young copywriter), Lipton and other brands.
During his long tenure as chief creative officer at Lowe & Partners he led creative efforts on brands like Mercedes-Benz, Diet Coke, Sprite and Heineken. Before that he spent three years at BBDO, where he created notable work for Pepsi including the “Shady Acres” spot and the original Cindy Crawford Super Bowl commercial.
The work he’s produced during his career has been recognized with every major advertising award in the industry. In addition to winning Cannes Lions for Dos Equis, Subaru, Pepsi, Mercedes and Heineken, his mantle includes One Show, ANDY and Clio trophies. Throughout he’s incorporated memorable music tracks, both original and licensed, to drive brand awareness for his clients and forge instant emotional bonds with consumers.
The AMP Awards–which includes the AMP Hall of Fame induction ceremony–has brought together professionals from the music, advertising, marketing and entertainment worlds to celebrate the best of the best. Prior inductees into AMP’s Hall of Fame have included Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Budweiser, Nike, Chevrolet and Pepsi.
At this year’s show AMP will also share the stage with representatives of the Musicians Foundation (www.musiciansfoundation.org), a charitable organization that aids musicians and their families in times of need. AMP has designated the Foundation as its charitable partner and will donate a portion of the proceeds from the competition to its mission.
