Director Tony Franklin has joined Harpoon Pictures for commercial representation. Franklin began his career in advertising in-house with Target where he became and art director and honed his skills in design direction. He’s since carried out and directed award-winning music videos and short films, as well as content, and commercials for multiple agencies, such as Duffy & Partners’ short film that showcases the design firm’s influential branding….Astrid Downs has been named executive producer for Hollywood, Calif.-based MRB Productions. Founded in 2001 by two-time Emmy Award-winning producer Matthew Brady, MRB specializes in television, features, new media and commercial. Downs, a native of Mexico, formerly acted as the executive producer and head of sales for Santa Monica-based Bully Pictures, where she was responsible for elevating industry recognition of the company’s brand as the face of the company. In her role, she also helped to manage the careers of the company’s directors, which included Dustin Lance Black, Javier Aguilera and Juergen Bollmeyer. Downs is bilingual and has 20 years of experience working as a producer, which includes working with companies such as Digital Kitchen, Gartner and Saville Productions….
Ben Edwards and Guy Hobbs Set To Return To FCB London As Exec Creative Directors
Multi-award-winning senior creatives Ben Edwards and Guy Hobbs are rejoining FCB London as executive creative directors. They will assume their appointments in February 2025. The duo will report into chief creative officer Owen Lee, and partner closely with ECD Kyle Harman-Turner. Edwards and Hobbs will work across the entire portfolio of the agency’s client roster including Skoda, Andrex, Intuit Quickbooks, and new client, global confectionery brand Perfetti Van Melle for which FCB London has just been awarded lead agency for creative and strategic responsibilities for a portfolio of its gum brands. The appointment of Edwards and Hobbs follows a remarkable year for FCB London which has secured a raft of new business wins not only for Perfetti Van Melle but also Kellanova’s advantage brands including Pringles--as well as launching a number of celebrated campaigns including “Get Comfortable” for Kimberly-Clark’s Andrex. The creative duo join from Wonderhood Studios where they have been ECDs for nearly three years working with Three, Coral, and premium car brand Ineos Grenadier, among others. Prior to this they had a three-year stint at BBH firstly as sr. creatives, then associate creative directors, working across brands such as Tesco, Samsung, and Barclays. Edwards and Hobbs first teamed up eight years ago while at FCB London. During their time, they produced an array of award-winning work, including the acclaimed “This Girl Can” campaign for Sport England and “Pay it Forward” for The Big Issue, which won a host of awards including a Grand Prix at Eurobest; Gold, Silver, and Bronze Awards at Cannes Lions; and a Gold Pencil at The One Show. FCB London CCO Lee said, “Everybody loves a boomerang. We’ve been wanting to tempt Ben... Read More