Gerry Graf, founder of Knickerbocker Slap Global, is bringing on Lyndsey Corona as his partner and president to build on the momentum of the global creative company in the North American market.
Since its founding in late 2020, Slap Global has been named Independent Agency of the Year at the Effies (LATAM) and worked with blue chip clients around the world, including PepsiCo, Samsung, Pernod Ricard and Fox Sports.
Corona is no stranger to award-winning creativity and managing major global brands, having cut her teeth on brands like Jameson, Kahlua, McDonald’s, PUMA, Microsoft and Xbox. She is well-known for her ability to grow and shape the agencies, brands and teams she’s worked within.
Most recently Corona was president of Forsman & Bodenfors, where she brought in multiple new clients, recharged existing relationships and shepherded new, innovative creative thinking across the agency.
Before that, she served as chief growth officer at McCann North America for over five years, where she was part of the executive team that transformed the agency, overseeing an impressive new business track-record and spearheading the launch of multiple new practices that would modernize the shop and fuel growth.
“I’ve admired Gerry’s work my entire career,” related Corona. “Since our first conversation about Slap, I was intrigued by his vision to rewrite the rules on how we use creativity to solve problems and fuel growth. Gerry is one of the most talented creative minds of our time, his work has shaped culture and built multi-billion-dollar brands. I’m incredibly excited to be teaming up with him to continue the momentum at Slap Global.”
Throughout her career, Corona has dipped in and out of entrepreneurial ventures that sought to reinvent the ad game, whether through innovative creativity (215/McCann) or new agency models (The&Partnership North America). With Slap Global embracing its status as a product of the pandemic, the company is poised to break new ground in the world of creativity.
Corona comes to Slap Global as it kicks into high-gear in North America. In the near term, she will be focused on building relationships, new business and expanding the team and operations in New York.
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