TBWALondon has hired multi-award-winning producer Melody Sylvester as chief production officer. Sylvester will work in partnership with chief creative officer Andy Jex and form part of the senior leadership team.
By embedding production into the start of the creative process, Sylvester and Jex will elevate the process and the output. Tasked with creating integrated creative production teams that can work across any area of the creative process, she will utilize her established relationships to build creative partnerships in London and across the global network.
With more than 25 years in the creative industry, Sylvester has worked at a wide range of creative agencies and production companies including Mother, Nexus and Ridley Scott Associates. Over that time she has produced for award-winning directors Smith & Foulkes and Shynola.
She joins the TBWA team from House 337 (formerly Engine) where as head of film, she managed Sky, Warburtons, Money Supermarket, Churchill and Green Flag. Engine had a long-established relationship with charities Born Free, Women’s Aid and Alzheimer’s Society.
Sylvester while at Engine led the production team behind landmark work for The Kiyan Prince Foundation, which raised huge amounts of donations and awareness for the youth work of Dr Mark Prince OBE. The anti-knife crime campaign garnered a Cannes Lions Titanium Grand Prix for Engine in June 2022.
Sylvester strives for inclusivity within ad land and champions emerging talent in front of and behind the camera. She has recently chaired the inaugural jury for The Young Arrows Awards for Emerging Talent that took place at the BFI this month. She is committed to supporting young people in the workplace and providing them with real opportunities within the industry.
Sylvester said, “I have long held the belief that production requires a seat at the leadership table. It makes for better creative output and a more rewarding experience for all of those involved from the client to the on-set runner. Larissa [Vance, TBWA London CEO], Andy and I share a love of making great work and I am super excited to be working with them and the entire leadership team at Bankside. Their ethos of ‘disruption’ resonates with me completely. Can’t wait to get started.
Jex noted, “The partnership between creative and production is fundamental to making great work. Clients spend so much money on production but don’t ever get to talk to a producer. Melody will allow us to create properly integrated production teams that are as comfortable doing agency production as they are line production. Her track record on campaigns such as the Kiyan Prince shows that if you take a different approach to production you can create something totally new and exceptional.”
CEO Vance added, “If there was anyone who personifies our reclaimed version of Disruption, it is Melody–an absolute force in the industry who constantly strives to do things differently and do things better.”
The End of The “Rust” Criminal Case Against Alec Baldwin May Unlock A Civil Lawsuit
The conclusion of a criminal case against Alec Baldwin in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer clears the way for a related civil lawsuit by relatives of the deceased woman and efforts to depose the actor under oath, attorneys for plaintiffs in the civil suit said Tuesday.
At a news conference in Los Angeles, victims' rights attorney Gloria Allred said that the parents and younger sister of deceased cinematographer Halyna Hutchins were disappointed that prosecutors won't appeal the dismissal of an involuntary manslaughter charge against Baldwin. The criminal charge against Baldwin was dismissed halfway through trial in July on allegations that police and prosecutors withheld evidence from the defense.
Hutchins died shortly after being wounded during a rehearsal in the movie "Rust" in October 2021 at a film-set ranch on the outskirts of Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Baldwin, the lead actor and coproducer, was pointing a pistol at Hutchins when it discharged, killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza. Baldwin has said he pulled back the hammer — but not the trigger — and the revolver fired.
Allred said Hutchins' relatives are determined to pursue damages and compensation from Baldwin and "Rust" producers in New Mexico civil court, and want Baldwin to answer questions under oath in the proceedings. Hutchins' widower and son previously reached a separate legal settlement.
"With the withdrawal that was made public yesterday, we are now able to proceed with our civil case," Allred said. "Clearly, the rights of Alec Baldwin were protected, but the due process rights of the victims — Halyna Hutchins and her parents and her sister — were violated."
Allred said she's ready to prove that Hutchins had a close relationship... Read More