Per Pedersen has been appointed global creative chairman of Grey. He served most recently as chairman of the Grey Global Creative Council, a role he will continue to perform.
James R. Heekin III, chairman/CEO of Grey Group, said, “Under Per’s leadership, our senior global creative leaders have delivered cutting-edge work–big ideas across disciplines–that have broken new ground in brand experience and helped forge our reputation for ‘Famously Effective’ creativity.”
Pedersen serves as Grey’s global creative evangelist, strengthening the agency’s creative culture and the quality of work across the network. He works closely with regional and local CEOs to recruit world-class talent and promote the work.
In his expanded new role, Pedersen will foster closer cooperation between the Grey Global Creative Council and the agency’s Strategic Planning and Digital Activation Councils to champion creativity across disciplines worldwide.
Pedersen has been with Grey for more than 25 years. He is co-founder of Uncle Grey in Denmark and has served as chief creative officer of Grey Germany. Since 2010, he has been based in New York first as deputy worldwide chief creative officer and a global leader on Febreze, and later as chairman of the Grey Global Creative Council which has achieved record performances at Cannes.
With over 500 awards, including 67 Cannes Lions, he ranks among the most recognized creative leaders in the industry and has served on prestigious award show juries from Cannes to the Clios.
Ron Cicero and Bo Clancey Launch Production House 34North
Executive producers Ron Cicero and Bo Clancey have teamed to launch 34North. The shop opens with a roster which includes accomplished directors Jan Wentz, Ben Nakamura Whitehouse, David Edwards and Mario Feil, as well as such up-and-coming filmmakers as Glenn Stewart and Chris Fowles. Nakamura Whitehouse, Edwards, Feil and Fowles come over from CoMPANY Films, the production company for which Cicero served as an EP for the past nearly five years. Director Wentz had most recently been with production house Skunk while Stewart now gains his first U.S. representation. EP Clancey was freelance producing prior to the formation of 34North. He and Cicero have known each other for some 25 years, recently reconnecting on a job directed by Fowles. Cicero said that he and Clancey “want to keep a highly focused roster where talent management can be one on one--where we all share in the directors’ success together.” Clancey also brings an agency pedigree to the new venture. “I started at Campbell Ewald in accounts, no less,” said Clancey. “I saw firsthand how much work agencies put in before we even see a script. You have to respect that investment. These agency experiences really shaped my approach to production--it’s about empathy, listening between the lines, and ultimately making the process seamless.” 34North represents a meeting point--both literally and creatively. Named after the latitude of Malibu, Calif., where the idea for the company was born, it also embraces the power of storytelling. “34North118West was the first GPS-enabled narrative,” Cicero explained. “That blend of art and technology, to captivate an audience, mirrors what we do here--create compelling work, with talented people, harnessing state-of-the-art... Read More