Marla Ulrich and Denise Esterkyn have joined DDB San Francisco as, respectively, head of production and head of talent. Both Ulrich and Esterkyn become members of the leadership team at DDB S.F., a shop that’s part of Omnicom Group Inc.
Ulrich will be responsible for transforming and accelerating DDB S.F.’s production model. As head of production, she will oversee DDB S.F.’s integrated production team and manage the agency’s in-house production studio. Most recently, Ulrich was a creative producer for Anomaly on campaigns for Google and Budweiser, among others. In connection with DAVID The Agency, she produced Coca-Cola’s global broadcast campaign for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, as well as a holiday spot for the brand.
Ulrich taps into a worldwide network of talent and artistic inspiration to create truly integrated, cross-disciplinary content. Known for shunning silos and traditional divisions of labor, Ulrich views each project holistically, integrating platforms, departments, continents and media. “In my experience, creative is only ever as good as the production,” Ulrich said. “I think it’s notable that a traditional agency is giving me the chance to lead their production department with a modern approach.”
Esterkyn will lead recruitment and oversee talent development for DDB S.F. She has a 20-year career in human resources and recruiting. Esterkyn has worked in San Francisco’s ad industry for the past 15 years (five of which were spent as an HR consultant for Bay Area agencies), Esterkyn is well known in the local creative community. Prior to that, she was the San Francisco director of the Miami Ad School, where she managed and grew the school’s reputation on the West Coast.
The hiring of Ulrich and Esterkyn follows DDB’s recent business momentum on the West Coast and advances president and CEO Todd Grantham’s plan to expand DDB San Francisco’s capabilities and talent. In July 2016, Grantham named Kevin Drew Davis chief creative officer of DDB San Francisco. Ulrich and Davis will work closely to design a production process that capitalizes on efficiency and maximizes creativity. Most recently, Energy Upgrade California selected the agency to be its lead marketing partner.
Davis said of Ulrich, “She’s worked in a variety of environments, from large-scale global productions to lean digital projects. Marla brings knowledge and a skill set to DDB that will integrate our production and creative capabilities even further.”
