Deutsch New York has hired Menno Kluin as executive creative director and head of art & design. He reports to CCO Kerry Keenan. Kluin will lead creative on the global Acuvue account as well as a recent win soon to be announced. Kluin joins from DDB NY, where he has served as the exec creative director, head of art and global creative director on the Reebok account since 2011. He also worked on the NY Lottery’s “Yeah, that kind of rich” campaign and WaterIsLife’s “Hashtag Killer” business. Prior to DDB, Menno was at Y&R where he worked on brands including Dell, Virgin Atlantic, Colgate and Land Rover. His first job was with Saatchi NY, where he won eight Cannes Lions in his first two years working on brands including JC Penney and P&G. Kluin currently serves as chair of the ADC Young Guns and has been the recipient of awards, including Cannes Lions, Clios, International ANDY Awards and The One Show….Johannes Leonardo, NY, has appointed Matt Edwards as art director. Edwards will work across all agency clients including Google and Coca-Cola, and will report to exec creative directors Tom Martin and Julian Schreiber. This addition comes on the heels of Johannes Leonardo’s recent appointment of Michael Duda to CEO and the hire of Australian duo Martin and Schreiber. Edwards joins Johannes Leonardo from Y&R Prague, where he served as creative director working on clients such as Harley Davidson and Zatec beer. During his time at Y&R Prague, Edwards helped the agency win its first Cannes Lion in more than 18 years. Prior to that, he served as art director at both MetropolitanRepublic and Matchboxlogy, agencies based in Johannesburg. Edwards was previously head of design at Cape Town-based media company one small seed, and head of art at Atoll Media, based in Durban, South Africa. Edwards has been recognized for his creative work, receiving honors from Cannes, the Clios, The One Club and ADC Young Guns, among others….
Utah Leaders and Locals Rally To Keep Sundance Film Festival In The State
With the 2025 Sundance Film Festival underway, Utah leaders, locals and longtime attendees are making a final push — one that could include paying millions of dollars — to keep the world-renowned film festival as its directors consider uprooting.
Thousands of festivalgoers affixed bright yellow stickers to their winter coats that read "Keep Sundance in Utah" in a last-ditch effort to convince festival leadership and state officials to keep it in Park City, its home of 41 years.
Gov. Spencer Cox said previously that Utah would not throw as much money at the festival as other states hoping to lure it away. Now his office is urging the Legislature to carve out $3 million for Sundance in the state budget, weeks before the independent film festival is expected to pick a home for the next decade.
It could retain a small presence in picturesque Park City and center itself in nearby Salt Lake City, or move to another finalist — Cincinnati, Ohio, or Boulder, Colorado — beginning in 2027.
"Sundance is Utah, and Utah is Sundance. You can't really separate those two," Cox said. "This is your home, and we desperately hope it will be your home forever."
Last year's festival generated about $132 million for the state of Utah, according to Sundance's 2024 economic impact report.
Festival Director Eugene Hernandez told reporters last week that they had not made a final decision. An announcement is expected this year by early spring.
Colorado is trying to further sweeten its offer. The state is considering legislation giving up to $34 million in tax incentives to film festivals like Sundance through 2036 — on top of the $1.5 million in funds already approved to lure the Utah festival to its neighboring... Read More