Independent creative agency Zambezi has hired Tal Wagman as associate creative director. The writer teams up with art director Annie Johnston, who joined the agency in January. Wagman previously worked at Saatchi & Saatchi Los Angeles on Toyota and Bravo. Before that he worked in Toronto at the WPP agency Taxi on Koodo, Burger King and Mini Cooper, and at Saatchi & Saatchi Canada on Toyota, Wendy’s, Novartis’ Gas-X, and other brands. Most recently, Wagman led the digital effort for launching Toyota’s Prius Prime on the “Possibilities Now” campaign as well as the Toyota C-HR launch, collaborating with Bad Lip Reader. His work has been recognized at Cannes, Communication Arts, The Webby’s, and according to him, “many Canadian awards which no one has heard of”.
Wagman moved to Los Angeles to continue his advertising career while pursuing a side-hustle in stand up comedy.
“I thought I was good at standup,” said Wagman. “It was half the reason I came here. But with commuting to Torrance [Saatchi LA] every morning, the side hustle became impossible. I still write comedy, I just don’t perform it. What I try do is channel my humor into my ad work. Zambezi recognizes that, and that’s why I’m really excited about working here. I wanted to join an independent shop with an appreciation for comedy. It’s funny, I came to L.A. to do stand up, and Zambezi gave it to me, in the form of a stand-up desk. Actually, is that funny? I don’t know, and that’s why I’m not doing comedy.”
“Tal brings funny to Zambezi,” said Gavin Lester, chief creative officer. “There’s nothing more engaging than a brand story told with wit and humor. That’s Tal’s forte.”
A Similar But Different Take On A Feature Film Debut
Similar But Different is not only the moniker for the directorial duo of Dani Girdwood and Charlotte Fassler but also in some respects an apt description of their feature filmmaking debut, My Fault: London (Amazon MGM Studios). The movie, which premiered last week on Amazon Prime Video, has on one level some select elements similar to what we’re accustomed to in the young adult (YA) universe--which helps make it familiar, comfortable and relatable--yet at the same time My Fault: London brings a new, decidedly different dimension to YA entertainment, uniquely meshing action-adventure, mystery, music, romance and humor. The film captures the feel of the underground London culture, lending an authenticity and contemporary vibe that’s a departure from the norm when it comes to the adaptation of YA literature. This mesh of similar but different has served the film well in that there was some target audience skepticism initially over the notion of doing an English adaptation of the popular, fan-favorite Spanish-language novel “Culpa Mia,” the first of the “Culpables” trilogy. Thus it’s most gratifying for Girdwood and Fassler to see the social media response after the release of My Fault: London, with many viewers enthusiastically embracing the film. My Fault: London introduces us to Noah (portrayed by Asha Banks) who’s uprooted from her U.S. hometown, having to leave her boyfriend and friends behind to move with her mother (Eve Macklin) to London. Mom has a new rich husband (Ray Fearon) in London and their new residence is a mansion. There Noah meets Nick (Matthew Broome), her new stepbrother. They have an immediate mutual dislike for each other which blossoms into something quite different over time. Along the... Read More