Canadian CEO Steve McCall upped to international head of client service
Global marketing agency KBS announced the promotions of president of KBS Toronto, Nick Dean, to national CEO, Canada, and KBS Toronto chief creative officer Matt Hassell to national CCO. They will both be responsible for the national footprint of KBS in Canada, including KBS’ Montreal office. Current Canada CEO, Steve McCall will be elevated to international head of client service where he’ll continue to oversee BMO, one of KBS’ most important global clients.
Following a two-year period of growth in Toronto, fueled by an all-time high of awards won and a slew of significant new business wins including ACE Bakery and CDIC, Dean and Hassell will be charged with leading KBS Canada on a national level. Both will report directly to Guy Hayward, global CEO, KBS.
“Canada is an important market for KBS. Our growth here will be driven by the quality of our creative output, which is why we’re pairing Nick and Matt to lead both our Toronto and Montreal offices. Over the past few years, they’ve been raising the quality of the work and building momentum for the Toronto office. We expect their tight partnership to do the same for both KBS offices,” said Hayward.
Dean and Hassell have known each other for the past 16 years and began their careers together at FCB Canada.
Current KBS Montreal president Annie Aubert and KBS Montreal executive creative director Sacha Ouimet will report to Dean and Hassell.
Rom-Com Mainstay Hugh Grant Shifts To The Dark Side and He’s Never Been Happier
After some difficulties connecting to a Zoom, Hugh Grant eventually opts to just phone instead.
"Sorry about that," he apologizes. "Tech hell." Grant is no lover of technology. Smart phones, for example, he calls the "devil's tinderbox."
"I think they're killing us. I hate them," he says. "I go on long holidays from them, three or four days at at time. Marvelous."
Hell, and our proximity to it, is a not unrelated topic to Grant's new film, "Heretic." In it, two young Mormon missionaries (Chloe East, Sophie Thatcher) come knocking on a door they'll soon regret visiting. They're welcomed in by Mr. Reed (Grant), an initially charming man who tests their faith in theological debate, and then, in much worse things.
After decades in romantic comedies, Grant has spent the last few years playing narcissists, weirdos and murders, often to the greatest acclaim of his career. But in "Heretic," a horror thriller from A24, Grant's turn to the dark side reaches a new extreme. The actor who once charmingly stammered in "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and who danced to the Pointer Sisters in "Love Actually" is now doing heinous things to young people in a basement.
"It was a challenge," Grant says. "I think human beings need challenges. It makes your beer taste better in the evening if you've climbed a mountain. He was just so wonderfully (expletive)-up."
"Heretic," which opens in theaters Friday, is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, co-writers of "A Quiet Place." In Grant's hands, Mr. Reed is a divinely good baddie — a scholarly creep whose wry monologues pull from a wide range of references, including, fittingly, Radiohead's "Creep."
In an interview, Grant spoke about these and other facets of his character, his journey... Read More