Ad agency Modernista! has tabbed Matt Howell to assume its presidency and Alex Hesz to serve as managing director. Howell and Hesz will be part of a management team alongside Sebastian Gard, director of social media, and creative directors Davi Liu and Xavier Teo. Modernista! founders/executive creative directors Gary Koepke and Lance Jensen will continue to be the driving creative and cultural forces behind the agency.
Said Koepke, “Under my interim presidency, we cast aside the old agency model and became something much more valuable; a true creative agency, not a channel shop. So as Lance and I step aside to go back to what we do best — shaping the ‘product’ of Modernista! — we’re trusting in a leadership team which is in itself an illustration of how Modernista! is different.”
Howell is a leader in agenda-setting marketing strategy who has worked on brands from Sony to Prada, Nike, Ericsson, Cingular and more. He arrived at Modernista! as chief interactive officer to run the interactive practice, where his first act was to dissolve the group, integrating interactive thinking into the heart of the agency’s offering. Howell had previously been a group director at R/GA where he ran the Nike+ project, and was recently named to the board of directors of Boulder Digital Works, where he is an ever-present speaker.
Hesz joined Modernista! as client services director in June before being promoted to managing director. He was previously at DDB London where he ran the Nestle UK business and the Guardian newspaper’s digital account. While at BBH, Hesz oversaw brands including British Airways and Johnnie Walker, and worked on two campaigns recognized with Cannes Gold Lions.
Oscar Nominees Delve Into The Art Of Editing At ACE Session
You couldn’t miss Sean Baker at this past Sunday’s Oscar ceremony where he won for Best Picture, Directing, Original Screenplay and Editing on the strength of Anora. However, earlier that weekend he was in transit from the Cesar Awards in Paris and thus couldn’t attend the American Cinema Editors (ACE) 25th annual panel of Academy Award-nominated film editors held at the Regal LA Live Auditorium on Saturday (3/1) in Los Angeles. While the eventual Oscar winner in the editing category was missed by those who turned out for the ACE “Invisible Art, Visible Artists” session, three of Baker’s fellow nominees were on hand--Dávid Jancsó, HSE for The Brutalist; Nick Emerson for Conclave; and Myron Kerstein, ACE for Wicked. Additionally, Juliette Welfling, who couldn’t appear in person due to the Cesar Awards, was present via an earlier recorded video interview to discuss her work on Emilia Pérez. The interview was conducted by ACE president and editor Sabrina Plisco, ACE who also moderated the live panel discussion. Kerstein said that he was the beneficiary of brilliant and generous collaborators, citing, among others, director Jon M. Chu, cinematographer Alice Brooks, and visual effects supervisor Pablo Helman. The editor added it always helps to have stellar acting performances, noting that hearing Cynthia Erivo, for example, sing live was a revelation. Kerstein recalled meeting Chu some eight years ago on a “blind Skype date” and it was an instant “bromance”--which began on Crazy Rich Asians, and then continued on such projects as the streaming series Home Before Dark and the feature In The Heights. Kerstein observed that Chu is expert in providing collaborators with... Read More