Deutsch New York has named Samira Ansari as it chief creative officer. Ansari, joining from FCB New York where she was executive creative director and responsible for the agency’s AB InBev portfolio, has over 20 years of experience. In addition to AB InBev, she has worked across Fortune 500 brands including P&G, Kimberly-Clark, MassMutual, Kellogg, and Gap, among others.
Reporting directly to Deutsch NY CEO Val DiFebo, Ansari as part of the executive leadership team will lead the creative vision for the agency, help shape the culture, and oversee all creative efforts for brands including Tata Consulting Services, PNC Bank, ClearChoice, and the global and U.S. Galderma business. Her first day at the agency will be June 1.
“Samira is a creative force with wit, grit, charm, a refreshing sense of humor and incredible energy. She’s a creative problem solver who will inspire exceptional, impactful brand building work rooted in business strategy,” said DiFebo.
“Deutsch NY has been part of New York’s creative advertising landscape for a long time. I am thrilled to be joining Val and the new members of the leadership team. There is incredible momentum to do groundbreaking work for amazing clients,” said Ansari. “I am honored that I have been given a seat at the table, and I can’t wait to make some noise together.”
With Ansari’s joining, and the January creative appointments of Miriam Franklin, EVP, head of integrated production, and Melatan Riden, EVP, head of art and design, Deutsch NY’s executive leadership team is 71% female, with 12% identifying as diverse. Sharing its diversity breakdown since 2020, the agency is 58% female with 33% of employees identifying as people of color.
With creative experience across three continents, at FCB NY since 2020, Ansari took Michelob Ultra Courtside with NBA and Microsoft bringing fans into the NBA bubble in Orlando, launched Michelob Ultra Organic Seltzer at the Super Bowl, and helped successfully launch Mike’s Hard Lemonade throughout South America. Ansari has held creative roles at agencies including Johannes Leonardo, Grey Group, Leo Burnett New York, TBWAChiatDay, J. Walter Thompson and Saatchi & Saatchi Paris.
Some of Ansari’s career highlights include creating the brutally honest, award-winning campaign for U by Kotex that forever changed the way female sanitary products are marketed, taking Pringles to the Super Bowl for the first time ever, and re-launching the P&G laundry business throughout Europe. Her work has been recognized at the Cannes Lions Festival, D&AD, Effies, The One Show, Clio, and the ADC.
Eleanor Adds Director Candice Vernon To Its Roster For Spots and Branded Content
Director Candice Vernon has joined production house Eleanor for U.S. representation spanning commercials and branded content. She has already wrapped several jobs at Eleanor, which waited to announce her until they had a body of work together.
Via Eleanor, Vernon made history as the first Black director on a Febreze commercial. The “Small Spaces” campaign marks a major departure from Febreze’s typical blue-and-white world. The home of the “Revolving Door” commercial is a beautiful array of bold sunset hues, African prints, and African art.
Vernon said, “I asked myself, what feels right to me? What feels new? I wanted to bring an essence of not just Black Americans but the full diaspora. I wanted to make a statement that we’re not a monolith.”
Following the success of the “Small Spaces” campaign, Febreze brought Vernon back for a comedy-infused trifecta exploring the hilarious situations that call for an air freshening hero.
Febreze Brand VP Angelica Matthews said, “About two years ago, we realized the consumers that were the most loyal to Febreze were the African American consumers. And the more we learned, the more we realized the richness that we were really missing. So we said we have to go beyond just Black casting, we need to get Black directors that truly understand the culture that truly understand how to bring authentic performances out on screen. We really looked around the industry and noticed there’s actually a shortage of African American directors who have experience doing commercials. When we all saw Candice’s reel, we could all tell the passion for the craft, passion for really trying to help us from where we are to where we’re trying to go.”
Vernon brings a unique lens to... Read More