TBWAChiatDay New York has hired Erik Holmdahl and Beth Ryan, formerly of Mother, as creative directors, and Melatan Riden, who comes over from Anomaly, as design director. The three join a TBWAChiatDay NY creative team headed by executive creative director Matt Ian.
Holmdahl and Ryan will primarily lead creative for client Jameson. The agency is expanding its creative team to work on growing client accounts, including Mondelēz and the new BNY Mellon win.
At Mother, Holmdahl and Ryan led creative projects for Stella Artois and Microsoft. Prior to Mother, Holmdahl worked at BBH and StrawberryFrog, with clients including Sprite, Cole Haan, Google and Heineken. He has a number of international awards including Cannes, D&AD, Webby's and the One Show.
Before Mother, Ryan spent seven years at BBH, four in New York and three in Singapore. Her years at BBH on brands such as Sprite, Axe and Google produced work that was recognized with gold at the One Show, Cannes and D&AD.
At Mother, Ryan created digital experiences for Stella Artois, Xbox and, most recently, a 120-foot digital wall to launch the 3.1 Phillip Lim collection for Target.
"We hear the term 'hybrid creative' thrown around a lot, but I haven't met too many who are genuinely ambidextrous," commented Ian. "When I worked with them at BBH, I quickly came to realize that Beth and Erik are as strong digitally as they are with the traditional work. They think simply and inventively. They can give you an innovative idea for an app or a digital platform, and then turn around and hit a homerun with a TV script."
Prior to working exclusively on fashion marketing and branding at Lipman, Riden worked at Anomaly's Toronto office as director of design where she was responsible for the agency's entire design output. Riden has worked with influential global brands in the auto, beverage and fashion retail sectors for clients such as BMW Mini, Honda, Red Bull, Diageo, Budweiser, Bud Light, Kraft, Ann Taylor, Aritzia, Holt Renfrew, Marshalls, Mexx, Perricone MD and Sportchek.
Before relocating to New York, Riden was an active participant in the Canadian design community, volunteering her time with design & advertising institutions, universities and colleges. She also juries for the ADCC and RGD respectively, participating in speaker series and events. Her work has been recognized by the ADCC, AIGA, Graphis, Communication Arts, Applied Arts, CMA, Graphic Design USA and HOW as well as featured by Gallery Magazine and German design publisher, Gestalten for her personal work.
Ian noted, "Not only is Mel's breadth of work astounding but her craft is at a next-level. She will push the quality of branding design for TBWAChiatDay New York and our clients."
Design director is a newly created role at TBWAChiatDay NY.
Matthew Forrest Launches Commercial/Branded Content Production Company Cloud Forest
Producer Matthew Forrest has officially launched Cloud Forest, a Los Angeles-based video production company specializing in commercials and branded content, with additional capabilities in emerging formats like AI and VR.
With the mantra “Where your vision meets our production precision,” Cloud Forest aims to serve brands, agencies and networks with a blend of creativity and operational efficiency.
Forrest brings over 20 years of experience to Cloud Forest. His portfolio includes producing commercial content for Square, Aveeno, and Lyft, branded content series for KitchenAid, Pizza Hut, and Verizon, and projects like Mariah Carey’s “Keys of Christmas.” Forrest’s career highlight came at Endemol Shine, where he earned a Sports Emmy in 2018 for producing Life VR’s “Capturing Everest.”
“Leveraging my varied experiences in both traditional and digital formats, I’m excited to create content across a wide array of platforms with the partners I admire,” said Forrest. “Our focus is on delivering excellence in commercials and branded content, while also offering cutting-edge solutions in AI and VR when appropriate for our clients’ needs.”
Cloud Forest’s talent roster currently features long-time Forrest collaborators such as commercial directors Ben Pluimer, Michael Belcher, Clyde Bessey, Christopher Louie and Kevin K. Shah; director/photographer Shawn Corrigan; photographers Gabriela Oltean and Will Deleon; and creative directors Natalie Perry and Drew Grossman. The studio’s strength lies in curating the right team and accurately defining the necessary resources--budget, roles, and technology--allowing every project to meet its creative and business goals.
This approach has earned praise from industry... Read More