Nick Barham, former global director of W+K Tomorrow, has been named to the newly created role of chief strategy officer for TBWAChiatDay Los Angeles. Barham, 41, will join the agency’s executive leadership team and will oversee strategy functions across all parts of the L.A. group. He will work across all key accounts and report to TBWAChiatDay LA’s president, Carisa Bianchi.
Barham brings with him an extensive background in global, strategic planning and technology. Most recently as global director of W+K Tomorrow in Portland, Barham led a team responsible for creating new revenue and working models, with a focus on sustainability and emerging technology. His clients included Nike, Target, the Gates Foundation and EcoDistricts.
Prior to Portland, Barham was based in Asia, where he worked for Wieden + Kennedy in Shanghai as planning director. At Wieden + Kennedy Shanghai, he was on a management team that helped grow the agency from a single client, China-focused agency to a multi-category offering with the capability to deliver regional campaigns for clients including Nike, Coca Cola and Nokia. Originally from London, Barham has also worked at Karmarama, BBC and BBH.
He rejoins the TBWA network having previously been planning director at TBWAChina. He is a regular speaker at events including PSFK, San Francisco: ad:tech Digital, Shanghai: AAAA Account Planning Conference, Miami; and Go Green, Portland. Barham is also author of Dis/connected (Random House, 2004), a book that explores the different worlds of British teenagers and their vibrant youth culture.
Barham said of his new role and roost, “Throughout my career, I’ve done my best to seek out roles that surprise and challenge me and allow me to keep learning. The unique structure of the TBWAChiatDay LA Group combines agility with scale and presents great opportunities for the work that we create with our clients.”
AD&Co. Launches Studio A; Davida Hall To Head New Venture As Sr. Director of Creative Content
Female-founded and led creative marketing agency AD&Co. has opened Studio A. The new venture will serve as AD&Co.’s in-house social brand content division, focused on developing and producing digital programming for advertising, social media, and influencer marketing campaigns designed to reach today’s audiences on the most popular and pivotal platforms. Davida Hall has been named to head Studio A as sr. director of creative content. She shifts over from AD&Co. where she held the same title since December 2023. Hall’s affiliations prior to AD&Co. include PopSugar and Studio71.
Amy Demas, founder and chief creative officer of AD&Co., said, “We understand content is king-—or queen—and that our clients need to engage their customer communities where they live. That inspired the logical expansion of AD&Co with Studio A, which is committed to producing only the most engaging and authentic brand stories.”
Studio A will harness both AD&Co’s and Hall’s deep expertise in the lifestyle sector, as content creators and avid consumers. Specializing in reaching audiences where they spend their time, the studio is immersed in social media, pop culture, and current trends, expertly crafting visuals, language, and storytelling to reinforce client brand identities and cut through the noise.
Studio A debuts with the “This Is Me” campaign for Love + Craft + Beauty, a brand dedicated to embracing and promoting diversity within the beauty space. “This Is Me” highlights Gen Z’s affinity for radical self-expression that allows individuals to tell their own stories, free from labels, using beauty and fashion as tools of authenticity. The campaign showcases models celebrating their unique qualities to present... Read More