Peter Powell, Gene Campanelli, Dana May, Christine Lane join NY agency
Peter Powell and Gene Campanelli have joined McCann New York as sr. VPs/group creative directors. Also coming aboard the shop are executive producer Dana May and sr. VP/executive integrated producer Christine Lane.
Powell and Campanelli will be responsible for creative leadership across Verizon’s B2B products and services including SMB Wireless and Fios and the Verizon Enterprise Solutions organization. Powell and Campanelli were most recently creative directors at Leo Burnett where they built a B2B offering that emphasizes brand positioning and digital and social execution. Their work in the B2B category won assignments from brands like Avis, GE and Shriners Hospitals for Children. Powell and Campanelli developed their own approach to B2B called S2S or “Specialist-to-Specialist.”
“Peter and Gene’s specialized approach to B2B puts relationships at the center,” said Chris Macdonald, president, McCann NY. “Their proven ability to deliver creative around a brand’s true purpose is well aligned with our relentless focus on helping brands play meaningful roles in people’s lives.”
On the production side, May will serve as the EP overseeing the Verizon Wireless account. Lane oversees all interactive, experiential, architectural and digital projects.
May was most recently head of production at CHI&Partners where she was integrated lead across broadcast, print and digital for brands like The Wall Street Journal, Diageo, Samsung and InterContinental Hotels Group. She was also previously sr. producer at Droga5 working on the PUMA, Activision, and Unilever businesses.
Lane oversaw production at strategy and design agency Sub Rosa, which specializes in interactive experiences through digital environmental design architecture. Prior to that, she led a collective of engineers, programmers and designers at The Supertouch Group. Supertouch developed cutting edge software and multi-touch surface technology.
Nathy Aviram continues to serve as McCann NY’s chief production officer.
Eleanor Adds Director Candice Vernon To Its Roster For Spots and Branded Content
Director Candice Vernon has joined production house Eleanor for U.S. representation spanning commercials and branded content. She has already wrapped several jobs at Eleanor, which waited to announce her until they had a body of work together.
Via Eleanor, Vernon made history as the first Black director on a Febreze commercial. The “Small Spaces” campaign marks a major departure from Febreze’s typical blue-and-white world. The home of the “Revolving Door” commercial is a beautiful array of bold sunset hues, African prints, and African art.
Vernon said, “I asked myself, what feels right to me? What feels new? I wanted to bring an essence of not just Black Americans but the full diaspora. I wanted to make a statement that we’re not a monolith.”
Following the success of the “Small Spaces” campaign, Febreze brought Vernon back for a comedy-infused trifecta exploring the hilarious situations that call for an air freshening hero.
Febreze Brand VP Angelica Matthews said, “About two years ago, we realized the consumers that were the most loyal to Febreze were the African American consumers. And the more we learned, the more we realized the richness that we were really missing. So we said we have to go beyond just Black casting, we need to get Black directors that truly understand the culture that truly understand how to bring authentic performances out on screen. We really looked around the industry and noticed there’s actually a shortage of African American directors who have experience doing commercials. When we all saw Candice’s reel, we could all tell the passion for the craft, passion for really trying to help us from where we are to where we’re trying to go.”
Vernon brings a unique lens to... Read More