Digital marketing agency Firewood has brought on Warren Marenco Chase as its first chief operating officer to support continued growth across its seven offices. The new hire speaks to the direction Firewood continues to pursue in disrupting the traditional agency model by focusing on partnerships and building in-house teams to support clients globally.
Chase most recently served as COO at Verizon’s in-house creative agency “140” and brings more than 20 years of experience running agency operations in all areas of creative, digital, and media communications. He previously served as EVP, global director at Wunderman San Francisco. Chase also served as global director at BBDO New York and held CEO positions at various BBDO/OMD offices in Latin America.
Firewood will leverage Chase’s unique background across both the traditional and in-house agency space to push Firewood’s evolving model beyond its current state.
“Having been on both sides of the fence and in multiple international markets, I can attest that Firewood’s unique model and approach is a disruptive solution for brands’ ever-evolving, real-time marketing needs,” said Chase. “The company leverages the strength of deep partnerships with clients to deliver amazing creative solutions fast and at scale.”
“Warren understands the importance of our culture and values, and his significant experience is a perfect fit for our next stage of growth,” said Juan Zambrano, co-founder of Firewood. “His leadership will also play a key role as we aggressively expand in the New York and Latin American markets.”
Review: Malcolm Washington Makes His Feature Directing Debut With “The Piano Lesson”
An heirloom piano takes on immense significance for one family in 1936 Pittsburgh in August Wilson's "The Piano Lesson." Generational ties also permeate the film adaptation, in which Malcolm Washington follows in his father Denzel Washington's footsteps in helping to bring the entirety of The Pittsburgh Cycle — a series of 10 plays — to the screen.
Malcolm Washington did not start from scratch in his accomplished feature filmmaking debut. He enlisted much of the cast from the recent Broadway revival with Samuel L. Jackson (Doaker Charles), his brother, John David Washington (Boy Willie), Ray Fisher (Lymon) and Michael Potts (Whining Boy). Berniece, played by Danielle Brooks in the play, is now beautifully portrayed by Danielle Deadwyler. With such rich material and a cast for whom it's second nature, it would be hard, one imagines, to go wrong. Jackson's own history with the play goes back to its original run in 1987 when he was Boy Willie.
It's not the simplest thing to make a play feel cinematic, but Malcolm Washington was up to the task. His film opens up the world of the Charles family beyond the living room. In fact, this adaptation, which Washington co-wrote with "Mudbound" screenwriter Virgil Williams, goes beyond Wilson's text and shows us the past and the origins of the intricately engraved piano that's central to all the fuss. It even opens on a big, action-filled set piece in 1911, during which the piano is stolen from a white family's home. Another fleshes out Doaker's monologue in which he explains to the uninitiated, Fisher's Lymon, and the audience, the tortured history of the thing. While it might have been nice to keep the camera on Jackson, such a great, grounding presence throughout, the good news is that he really makes... Read More