Two key management changes–one which already has taken hold, the other slated for January–have been announced by BBDO San Francisco. First, Jim Lesser has been promoted from executive creative director to chairman of BBDO S.F. And effective next month Mike McKay joins the agency as executive creative director. McKay comes over from Saatchi & Saatchi LA where he’s been executive creative director since 2008.
Both McKay and Lesser will partner with Brent Smart, managing director, and Nick Bartle, director of behavioral planning, to form BBDO San Francisco’s new executive management team.
At Saatchi, McKay worked on notable campaigns for clients such as Toyota and The Surfrider Foundation. Prior to that, he was a creative director at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, San Francisco, from 2000 to 2008. McKay’s diverse portfolio includes work on such blue-chip brands as Apple, Netflix, Sony PlayStation, Comcast, HP, Budweiser, Haagen-Dazs and Nissan. At Goodby he had a creative hand in HP’s “The Computer Is Personal Again” campaign as well as the lauded Comcast “Rabbit” spot.
Lesser is a 19-year veteran of the advertising industry and has been with BBDO for the past 10 years, starting as an associate creative director and rising to his current role. Under his leadership, the creative department has more than tripled in size. He has personally worked on all of the agency’s accounts, even as it has added more than a dozen new clients and assignments and grown significantly in scope. Lesser began his career at the legendary Scali McCabe Sloves in New York.
Object & Animal Signs Director Alana O’Herlihy To Its Global Roster
Object & Animal has added multidisciplinary artist, photographer and director Alana O’Herlihy to its roster for exclusive worldwide representation spanning commercials, branded content and music videos. This marks the first production house representation for O’Herlihy. Her portfolio encompasses a wide range of visual artistry, from directing films and music videos to creating photographic stills. Known for a unique blend of analog and digital mediums, O’Herlihy’s work includes leading brands and top-tier magazines, where her vision consistently sparks conversation and brings heightened visibility to her subjects. Her glamorous, campy style pushes the boundaries of conventional artistry. Among her notable directorial credits is the Miley Cyrus music video “Prisoner” featuring Dua Lipa. “Alana’s ability to seamlessly merge old mediums with cutting-edge processes is a testament to her boundless creativity,” said Emi Stewart, executive producer at Object & Animal. “Her work challenges conventions while celebrating the visual grandeur of both past and present.” Object & Animal maintains offices in London, Los Angeles and New York. Read More