The management of McKinney has acquired 100 percent interest in the Durham-based ad agency from Havas, the Paris-headquartered global advertising and communications services group, which encompasses such entities as worldwide networks Euro RSCG Worldwide and Havas Media.
Thus McKinney returns to the ranks of independent shops. “My hope is that with the move, McKinney’s clients will feel an even greater sense of entrepreneurial commitment to their success,” stated Brad W. Brinegar who remains chairman/CEO of the agency.
Joining Brinegar as partners and in constituting the board of McKinney are Jeff Jones, president; Andrew Delbridge, chief strategy officer; Joni Madison, COO; Jonathan Cude, chief creative officer; Tim Jones, CFO; Jeremy Holden, director of account planning; Doug Holroyd, director of connection planning; John Newall, group account director and director of strategic alliances; Janet Northen, director of agency communications; Jim Russell, director of digital strategy; and Ellen Steinberg, group creative director.
Founded in 1969, McKinney has created over the years such noted integrated marketing communications programs as Audi of America’s Art of the H3ist, Travelocity’s Roaming Gnome, the Polaris CEO Duel and the launch of the Sony Bravia LCD TV.
“Mufasa: The Lion King” and “Sonic 3” Rule Box Office For 1st Weekend Of 2025
The Walt Disney Co.'s "Mufasa: The Lion King" claimed the No. 1 spot on the North American box office charts over the first weekend of 2025.
The photorealistic "Lion King" prequel earned $23.8 million in its third weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. Paramount's "Sonic the Hedgehog 3," which has dominated the past two weekends, wasn't far behind.
"Sonic 3" stayed close with a 3-day estimate of $21.2 million, bringing its total domestic earnings to $187.5 million and helping the overall franchise cross $1 billion worldwide. "Mufasa's" running total is slightly less, with $169.2 million.
In third place, Focus Features' "Nosferatu" remake defied the fate of so many of its genre predecessors and fell only 39% in its second weekend. Horror films typically fall sharply after the first weekend and anything less than a 50% decline is notable. "Nosferatu," which added 140 screens, claimed $13.2 million in ticket sales, bringing its running total to $69.4 million since its Christmas debut. The film, directed by Robert Eggers, already surpassed its reported production budget of $50 million, though that figure does not account for marketing and promotion expenses).
No new wide releases opened this weekend, leaving the box office top 10 once again to holdovers from previous weeks. Several have been in theaters since Thanksgiving. One of those, "Moana 2," claimed the No. 4 spot for Disney in its sixth weekend in theaters. The animated sequel earned another $12.4 million, bumping its global total to $960.5 million.
The Bob Dylan biopic "A Complete Unknown," dipped only slightly in its second weekend, bringing in $8.1 million. With $41.7 million total, it's Searchlight's highest grossing film since Disney acquired the company in... Read More