Tasha Dean has joined The Martin Agency as its new head of integrated content. She will report to Steve Humble, Martin’s chief operating officer. Working closely with creative, strategy and account leads, Dean will help bring customer journeys to life, impacting culture and driving growth for Martin’s clients. She will lead Martin’s digital production teams, content and production groups.
Dean began her career with Air Ambulance in Canada, flying alongside flight paramedics, filming accidents and disasters onsite and preparing content for an online paramedic e-learning system that she set up. From there she moved to Canadian agency Taxi where she worked in production, strategy and development. Within a few years she was running a production group. Next it was on to TBWA in Canada, then Chicago, followed by her most recent role of five years–running digital operations for TBWAChiatDay New York.
Dean’s client roster over the years includes global brands such as Nissan, Visa, Apple, Gatorade, McDonald’s, Michelin, Kraft, Johnson & Johnson, H&M, Travelers and Accenture. She has also received accolades from Cannes Lions, One Show, Webbys, Clios, ADDYs and London International Awards.
“Tasha is a force of nature,” said Humble. “Whether it’s creating a Star Wars Twitch experience, a mobile-first Facebook Live game of tag, or programming robots in the desert, her work is provocative, compelling and wakes people up.”
Dean said that The Martin Agency’s “leadership and work have grabbed and held my attention. Both continue to ask what if? I am honored to have the opportunity to help shape and grow a modern production collective.”
The hiring of Dean continues a series of moves made by new leadership at Martin. Most recently was the appointment of Kelsey Larus as director of strategic engagement for the agency’s Talent & Culture unit. Larus has an extensive background in strategic implementation having worked for the Obama administration, the Democratic National Convention and two presidential inaugurations.
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