FCB New York has named Deborah Sullivan to the position of executive VP/director of broadcast production; her official start date is Dec. 4. She fills the void left by the departure of former production head Herb Miller, who is pursuing other interests.
Sullivan was most recently with DDB Worldwide, New York, where she headed its broadcast production department for two and a half years. In that span, she oversaw work for such clients as Dial, Mobil, Merck, Michelin and Compaq, an account which shifted to FCB this past summer.
At FCB, Sullivan will report to executive VP/executive creative director Rich Russo. Besides Compaq, FCB’s accounts include AT&T, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Chase Bank, Kraft, Nabisco, Tropicana and the U.S. Postal Service.
According to Russo, the agency had considered a number of top players to fill the position. But Sullivan won out due not only to her talent and credentials, but also because she fit well into the agency’s culture. "She’s really very highly regarded," said Russo, adding that he’s received dozens of congratulatory calls from people, many of whom asked how FCB managed to score such a coup. "She’s one of the final pieces to the creative puzzle. You have to keep trying to take it to a higher level.
"What’s also striking to me," Russo continued, "is that she really sees the big picture of production—where it’s going tomorrow and in the near future. She doesn’t think of advertising just as TV commercials; she’s looking at how to tie all the new mediums together and get that done here efficiently. She’s very progressive in that way. And that, today, is vital to an agency of our size."
Sullivan related that FCB approached her shortly after its Compaq win. She responded to Russo’s plans to move the creative department forward.
"When I met Rich, I listened to what his ambition for the agency was, and it’s really about the work," observed Sullivan. "The chemistry was terrific, and there’s a lot of enthusiasm and excitement over there. They have a great deal of forward momentum right now; they’re winning a lot of business. It seemed like a great opportunity to do work that [Russo] is ambitious for. The kind of work he talked about is the kind of work I admire."
Although she has no specific plans to revamp FCB’s production department, Sullivan added that she hopes to broaden the scope of directors considered for projects, and to explore different production methods. "When you think of different ways of producing work, it also gives the creative department a new way to think about the work, so they can think about developing it differently. They don’t always have to think about it having the same look or the same tonality."
Sullivan has extensive experience in agency production. Since 1993, all of the positions she has held have been as director of broadcast production. In the fall of that year, she joined what was then known as Berlin Wright Cameron (later renamed Berlin Cameron Doyle), New York—an offshoot of DDB New York—in what marked the beginning of an enduring professional association with Andy Berlin, now president of Berlin, Cameron & Partners, New York.
When Berlin Cameron Doyle lost Volkswagen, its main account, in early ’95 to Arnold Communications, Boston, Sullivan moved to Hal Riney & Partners (now Publicis & Hal Riney), San Francisco, where she worked for a year. She then returned to New York in ’96 for what turned out to be a nine-month stint at N.W. Ayer & Partners, New York, at the invitation of Ayer’s then-chief creative officer, Mark Fenske, another longtime colleague.
In Sept. ’96, Sullivan was reunited with Berlin at Fallon McElligott Berlin (now Fallon, New York). After Fallon and Berlin parted ways, Sullivan went with Berlin to work at Berlin Cameron & Partners. In May ’98, she moved over to DDB.
Sullivan has also worked on the production company side of the business. From ’85 to ’88, she had various production roles at San Francisco-based Jon Francis Films. Sullivan credits that experience, particularly her tutelage under company partner Sandra Marshall, with introducing her to production.
"They really did teach me everything about the business," said Sullivan, who cites Marshall as a mentor. "They taught me about collaborating with great agencies and good accounts." Chief among these was Goodby, Berlin, Silverstein (now Goodby, Silverstein & Partners), which provided her introduction to Berlin.
Sullivan was producing by the time she left Jon Francis Films in ’88. From there, she joined Red Dog Films, West Los Angeles (now Culver City, Calif.), as executive producer for director/ partners Marc Chiat and Stephen Kessler. (The latter is now at bicoastal Promiseland)
Sullivan told SHOOT that after three years, she decided she was ready to make a change. She moved over to hybrid creative boutique/production house The Bomb Factory, Venice, Calif. (now Malibu)—which is where she worked as an executive producer with creative director/ owner Mark Fenske. "He started doing a ton of directing," recalled Sullivan, "and then he started doing music videos." Most notable among these clips was Van Halen’s "Right Now," which earned honors at MTV’s ’94 Video Music Awards, including best director and best breakthrough video.
"I’ve been really lucky," said Sullivan. "I’ve met really terrific creative people, and I sort of follow them around. It’s been amazing working with all those guys."
A spokesperson for DDB related that the agency is actively seeking a replacement for Sullivan. Meanwhile, DDB producers are reporting to group creative directors.
