Chuck Studios, an Amsterdam-based food brand production specialist, is accelerating its presence in the U.S. The company, known for its “Culinary Identity” branding programs that develop distinctly appetizing brand imagery for Unilever, KFC, McDonald’s, Heineken and others, will bring this approach to the U.S. market led by newly named managing director Daryl Devlin. Olaf van Gerwen, Chuck’s global creative director, has collaborated with Devlin for years, including during Devlin’s stretch heading up U.S. sales for the company. In addition to its Amsterdam headquarters, Chuck maintains offices in Los Angeles, London, Berlin and Moscow…..
Havas Media Group (HMG) has named Sarah Ivey as its chief strategy officer, North America. Her appointment comes on the heels of her predecessor in that role, Meghan Grant, being elevated to president of HMG U.S. and chief experience officer for North America last month. Based in Toronto, Ivey will report directly to HMG North America CEO Greg Walsh and serve on the agency’s North American executive leadership team. Ivey spent four years consulting with HMG, working with the global team on the agency’s unique Mx, or Media Experience, system. She also consulted on key growth opportunities, working on high-profile pitches such as Hyundai Kia, and Facebook. Most recently, Ivey served as founder and head strategist for Agents of Necessity, a global strategy agency…
London-headquartered global creative agency Amplify, which also maintains hubs in Sydney and L.A., has hired Bonnie O’Hara as EVP heading up the Live arm of its L.A. office, becoming a member of the sr. management team and working alongside Mark McDermott, EVP, clients, and Marcus Childs, president. This marks a return to the agency for O’Hara, who was Amplify’s third employee when it launched in 2008. O’Hara brings years of transatlantic experience with a focus on culture shaping work for brands such as adidas, Converse, Samsung, Barclaycard and Google….
First-Time Feature Directors Make Major Splash At AFI Fest, Generate Oscar Buzz
Two first-time feature directors who are generating Oscar buzz this awards season were front and center this past weekend at AFI Fest in Hollywood. Rachel Morrison, who made history as the first woman nominated for a Best Cinematography Oscar---on the strength of Mudbound in 2018--brought her feature directorial debut, The Fire Inside (Amazon MGM Studios), to the festival on Sunday (10/27), and shared insights into the film during a conversation session immediately following the screening. This came a day after William Goldenberg, an Oscar-winning editor for Argo in 2013, had his initial foray into feature directing, Unstoppable (Amazon MGM Studios), showcased at the AFI proceedings. He too spoke after the screening during a panel discussion. The Fire Inside--which made its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival--tells the story of Claressa “T-Rex” Shields (portrayed by Ryan Destiny), a Black boxer from Flint, Mich., who trained to become the first woman in U.S. history to win an Olympic Gold Medal in the sport. She achieved this feat--with the help of coach Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry)--only to find that her victory at the Summer Games came with relatively little fanfare and no endorsement deals. So much for the hope that the historic accomplishment would be a ticket out of socioeconomic purgatory for Shields and her family. It seemed like yet another setback in a cycle of adversity throughout Shields’ life but she persevered, going on to win her second Gold Medal at the next Olympics and becoming a champion for gender equality and equitable pay for women in sports. Shields has served as a source of inspiration for woman athletes worldwide--as well as to the community of... Read More