Sam Walsh, general manager of bicoastal/international Propaganda Films’ Commercial and Music Video Division for the past year, has relinquished that post to enter into a first-look production deal with Propaganda. Walsh remains part of the Propaganda family and will primarily be involved in developing traditional TV programming, as well as new media content for advertisers.
Helping to free Walsh so that he could embark on this new career chapter was the hiring of former Wieden+Kennedy (W+K) mainstay Charles Wolford as VP/executive producer of Propaganda sister company Satellite. Walsh and Trevor Macy, COO of the overall Propaganda, which also encompasses talent management and feature film operations, led the executive search that eventually landed Wolford. During the past three and a half years, Wolford headed up European production for W+K, working out of the agency’s Amsterdam office. Prior to that, he had been a producer at W+K, Portland, Ore. Succeeding him as head of European production at W+K, Amsterdam, is senior producer Donna Lamar.
As GM, Walsh was responsible for overseeing and refining the business and production processes for the spot and music video divisions of Propaganda and Satellite. But with Wolford taking the Satellite reins effective Oct. 1, and Colin Hickson continuing as VP/executive producer of Propaganda Films, Walsh can now focus on producing, taking advantage of his agency contacts to develop longer-form projects for advertisers. He intends to tap into Propaganda’s and Satellite’s directorial rosters—as well as Propaganda Management’s talent pool of helmers and writers—for those projects. There will be no successor to Walsh’s GM title, as those duties have pretty much been apportioned between Hickson and Wolford, who both report directly to Macy and Propaganda president Rick Hess.
Given his longstanding advertising agency background, which includes four years as head of production at Publicis & Hal Riney, San Francisco, Walsh found himself being sought after by ad shop and client colleagues to help develop TV program and new media content. "There have been some terrific opportunities that I would have liked to have further explored for Propaganda, but couldn’t because my focus was on operations at Propaganda and Satellite," related Walsh. "Now I can pursue those opportunities on behalf of Propaganda, and fully develop the marriage of commerce and content." He will be doing this at a time when "advertisers and agencies look to become involved in TV programs and emerging media, including content for the Internet." Walsh also plans to look into Propaganda’s forming relationships with several enterprises in the traditional and new media sectors.
"Everyone seems to be grappling with the next generation of advertising," observed Walsh. "Survivor with its Reebok shoe tie-in, and people on the island making calls on Ericsson phones, is sort of sophisticated product placement. In a sense it hearkens back to the early days of television when we had sponsors involved in program production [e.g., Philco Playhouse, Texaco Star Theater]. But Survivor also represents a glimpse of the future, with interactivity and viewer options that help access more information or opportunities for commerce. There are chat rooms and accompanying Internet content. Either via a set-top box on a TV or on the Web, interactivity and transactions triggered by shows can happen immediately. … Agencies and clients have been asking me to help them explore this new landscape, with the help of Propaganda’s creative and production resources."
AGENCY PEDIGREE
Like Walsh, Wolford brings an agency pedigree to the production house side of the business, which includes his having collaborated with some of the industry’s leading directors, including Tarsem of bicoastal/ international @radical.media, Michel Gondry of bicoastal/international Partizan, Tony Kaye of Tony K., Santa Monica and London, and feature director John Woo, who is repped for commercials by Los Angeles-headquartered A Band Apart. 35mm.
Woo made his spot directorial debut with Nike International’s "Airport ’98," which Wolford produced for W+K, Amsterdam. Featuring members of Brazil’s soccer team and premiering during the ’98 World Cup, the :90 went on to gain numerous industry accolades. It shows some of the world’s leading players engaged in an impromptu soccer game that winds through the interior and exterior of an airport. The match ends when the renowned Ronaldo kicks the ball toward what appears to be an easy goal, only to miss, much to the dismay of several young, star-struck fans.
Among Wolford’s last W+K projects was a Tarsem-directed Nike job, "The Mission," which is slated to debut during soccer’s European Championship 2000 competition.
Wolford described his tenure at W+K as being "an incredible experience. I had the opportunity to work with the best directors, to live abroad and to manage production in Europe. I accomplished most of what I wanted to do on the agency side of the business—which led me to evaluate what I should do next. I realized that I wanted to go to the other side [a production company]. I had some interesting conversations with [production house] people, but didn’t actively pursue anything. Then the opportunity at Satellite piqued my interest.
"The reasons I was interested in Satellite," continued Wolford, "were its incredible roster of director talent—it’s a group that appeals to me in terms of my personal taste in commercials and videos—and my respect for the people who have run that company over the years, starting with Julia Reed [who now heads London-based Harry Nash]."
Macy and Walsh said that Wolford’s sensibilities are simpatico with Satellite’s directors. Noting that Wolford comes from the agency arena, Macy related, "That’s important to me. We have been conscious about trying to improve our client service. And it’s helpful to have people like Sam and Charles who understand the client’s point of view." Macy added that Colin Hickson, too, is an agency alumnus, having been head of production at WCRS, London, before joining Propaganda under its previous regime in ’98.
Walsh conjectured that Wolford’s familiarity with up-and-coming European directors could also bode well for Satellite and Propaganda. "We’re looking forward to his point of view on how some of that talent can translate into the U.S. market as well," said Walsh.
Born in Merced, Calif., Wolford was raised in Texas. His first agency job was in the mailroom of McCann-Erickson, Houston. When he left that ad shop four years later, he had risen to senior producer. Wolford then moved to Chicago, serving as a senior producer at now defunct Bayer Bess Vanderwarker, which was acquired by FCB. After three months with FCB, he relocated to Portland, coming aboard W+K.
