VML has made three promotions and a new hire in its creative department.
Kelly Durham has been promoted to executive producer of integrated production. Since joining VML in 2015, Durham has played an instrumental role in delivering some of the agency’s best-produced work including for Gatorade. Her role will focus on managing and elevating the broadcast work done by VML Chicago. Durham will report to Tyler Smith, head of production.
In addition to Durham’s promotion, Susan Hatten has been hired as a senior producer for the integrated production team, working on Pepsico. Hatten will be producing projects for several brands including Gatorade and Tropicana. She started her career in Kansas City, working for Valentine-Radford before moving to Chicago and later joining Ogilvy & Mather where worked as a senior content producer for the past 11 years. She has been a producer on nearly every national and global account at Ogilvy – producing shoots in more than 22 countries. Susan will relocate back to Kansas City to be based out of VML’s global headquarters. She brings a vast array of production and art buying knowledge to her new role. Hatten will also report to Smith.
Derek Clark has been promoted to executive creative director leading Tennessee Department of Tourist Development work and the recently won Electrolux / Frigidaire business. Clark joined VML in 2015 as group creative director of the Gatorade team. Clark has worked on multiple award-winning advertising campaigns including one of the original branded Snapchats with the G Dunk filter takeover during the Super Bowl. The work received five Cannes Lions, including gold, silver, and bronze, across a variety of categories. Clark will report to Debbi Vandeven, global chief creative officer. Prior to VML, Clark worked with several agencies including Leo Burnett, mcGarrybowen, and Cavalry.
Rob Romine has been promoted to group director, experience design. He joined VML in 2008 and has lead the experience design for clients such as FordPass, Common Wealth Bank of Australia, Korean Airlines and Electrolux focusing on eCom, user-centered design for mobile, web and retail experiences. Romine reports to Chris Wallen, managing director, experience design.
Yorick Le Saux Connects With Writer-Director Steve McQueen On “Blitz”
When opportunity knocked, cinematographer Yorick Le Saux, AFC couldn’t answer in the affirmative--though he desperately wanted to. Scheduling conflicts forced him to turn down overtures from director Steve McQueen on a couple of occasions--the first being for a commercial, followed several years later by a query as to the DP’s availability for what turned out to be the acclaimed Small Axe anthology. Thankfully, though, the third time proved to be the charm as McQueen once again reached out to Le Saux and the two wound up collaborating together on Blitz (Apple Original Films). McQueen, a Best Picture Oscar winner for 12 Years a Slave, wrote and directed Blitz, which makes its streaming debut today (11/22) on Apple TV+ after a wide theatrical release. Blitz, short for the Germans’ blitzkrieg bombing of London during World War II, is told largely through the eyes of a nine-year-old boy, George (portrayed by Elliott Heffernan), whose single mom, Rita (Saoirse Ronan), had made the heartaching decision to send him to the countryside with thousands of other schoolchildren to flee the devastating aerial attacks. The prospect of being separated from his mother and grandfather is traumatic for George who at his young age has also felt the sting of prejudice, having been ridiculed about his mixed-race heritage. Le Saux shared that going into Blitz, his only connection to World War II was what he heard about it from his parents and grandparents. But he was eager to work with McQueen and found that upon delving deeper into the subject matter he felt a profound bond to the story, which carries relevance to today. Le Saux said this gave him a sense of purpose to help realize the writer-director’s vision for the... Read More