Team One, Publicis Groupe’s L.A.-based fully integrated media, digital and communications agency, has hired advertising veteran Kirsten Rutherford as executive creative director on Expedia.
In her new role, Rutherford leads all Expedia global creative work, overseeing creative talent at Team One as well as global teams in London, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Tokyo. She is responsible for the continuity of the Expedia brand voice, ensuring work is consistent across all continents.
“As a Kiwi turned Brit living in America, I’m thrilled at the opportunity to help the world’s leading travel brand go places,” said Rutherford who was also drawn to the opportunity to work with Team One CCO Chris Graves.
Prior to Team One, Rutherford was creative director at TBWAChiatDay where she led brands like Intuit QuickBooks, Persil, Southwest Airlines, Viking Cruises, the LA Mayor’s Office and TrinityKids Care Children’s Hospice. Her work for Gatorade’s “Sisters In Sweat” campaign, encouraging young women to keep playing sports, was honored at Cannes and The One Show in 2018, as well as awarded the Grand Clio for social good.
Rutherford began her career in her homeland of New Zealand in 1997, working for DDB, M&C Saatchi and FCB. In 2005, she moved to London, working at Saatchi & Saatchi, before heading to Brothers and Sisters. In 2011, Rutherford joined Wieden+Kennedy London, creating work for clients like Honda (now part of MoMA’s permanent collection), Fondazione Prada and Tesco. In 2013, she crossed the Atlantic to join 72andSunny where she was the lead creative for Target, Starbucks and Tillamook.
At Brothers and Sisters, Rutherford created “Streetmuseum” for the Museum of London—a groundbreaking AR app, which became the most awarded app in the world at the time. Her mission to use creativity for good has resulted in Rutherford leading pro bono passion projects for brands including Make-A-Wish® America and the LA Commission on the Status of Women, where she has been a leading force behind a campaign raising awareness about human trafficking in Los Angeles.
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