Natalie Lam, whose honors include Cyber Grand Prix and Titanium awards at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, is joining McCann NY as executive creative director. She comes over from OgilvyOne where she was regional creative director for Asia and exec creative director of OgilvyOne Shanghai.
Lam will work across agency accounts but also lead the charge to further strengthen all digital capabilities into a world-class digital creative offering at McCann.
Lam is the third high profile creative talent recruited by Linus Karlsson, chairman/chief creative officer of McCann NY and London, since he joined the agency in February 2011. The others were Matias Palm-Jensen, who joined as chief innovation officer for McCann Europe based out of McCann London, and Andreas Dahlqvist, who joined as vice chairman, executive creative director for McCann NY. The other ECDs in the NY agency are George Dewey, Craig Markus, Steve Ohler and Leslie Sims.
An international creative executive who combines an integrated and digital expertise, Lam has worked in New York, China and Asia. In New York, she was with R/GA from 2003-2008, most recently as creative director on the global and U.S. Nike+, NikeiD, and Nike running accounts.
In 2008, Lam, a native of Hong Kong, moved back to China to join OgilvyOne and became the first female and youngest regional creative director for OgilvyOne Asia.
In addition to Nike, her clients over the years have included MasterCard, Motorola, Sony, Volkswagen, Coca-Cola, Target, Procter & Gamble and Unilever.
Lam’s work has also won a Black Pencil at D&AD, Best of Show at the One Show Interactive, Best of Show at the Clio Awards, Best of Show at the International Andy Awards, a Gold Cube from the Art Directors Club and a Gold at the London International Awards, among other honors.
Fernanda Torres’ Oscar Nomination Has Made Her Brazil’s Carnival Muse
Brazil's Carnival muse this year isn't one of the divas or drum queens parading with the Rio de Janeiro samba schools. It's Fernanda Torres, who's competing for the best actress Oscar on Sunday.
The Oscars fall smack in the middle of Carnival, Brazil's largest celebration, which runs through Tuesday. During the five-day revelry, the rest of the universe usually fades into the background as Brazilians cut loose and indulge.
Not this year, and the keen focus on the Oscars speaks to Brazil's pride for its culture and desire to be recognized on the global stage.
"Just imagine, her winning the Oscar on Carnival Sunday. It'll be a double celebration," Clarissa Salles, 33, told The Associated Press while buying a replica Oscar statuette in Sao Paulo for her costume.
Torres is nominated for her performance as the lead in the Walter Salles-directed "I'm Still Here," which is also nominated for best picture and best international feature. Excitement around the awards has prompted TV Globo, Brazil's largest network, to resume live coverage of the ceremony after a five-year hiatus. It will forgo the nationwide airing of high-ratings Carnival parades, instead broadcasting the Oscars everywhere except Rio.
Bars and nightclubs across Brazil are organizing Oscar watch parties and results will even be shown on a big screen to the tens of thousands of spectators gathered at Rio's Sambadrome for the parades.
"Today, all of Brazil only thinks about this," President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said on his social media channels. "Everybody is cheering for 'I'm Still Here' and Fernanda Torres at the Oscars."
As far away as the Amazon, an Indigenous community in the Inhaa-be village promoted a screening of the film on Friday. With singing... Read More