Ross Phernetton is rejoining the Proximity network as sr. VP, executive creative director of Barefoot Proximity in Cincinnati. Phernetton was previously creative director at BBDO and Proximity Minneapolis. In his new position, he will have responsibility for the agency’s creative output.
Phernetton spent nearly 15 years at BBDO and Proximity Minneapolis, working on brands such as Hormel, Aviva Life Insurance and the Minnesota Vikings. He won a Gold Effie for his campaign for Formica. In August 2013, he joined the management team of Staff, a startup within the Samsung Accelerator.
Phernetton starts at Barefoot Proximity on November 15.
Proximity is a global digital, direct and CRM network with 67 offices, in 50+ countries and over 2,500 staff. Proximity is aligned to BBDO and part of Omnicom Group Inc.
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