Wieden+Kennedy (W+K) has pegged Iain Tait to be its global interactive executive creative director, effective April 1. Accomplished in the digital advertising space, he will join executive creative directors Dan Wieden and John Jay, and COO Dave Luhr on the global management team that oversees all seven W+K network offices. Tait is the first addition to the global team since its formation in 2006.
Tait spent the past eight years as creative director and head of strategy for independent agency Poke in London, where he was a founding partner and driving force behind lauded work for clients such as American Express, Orange, Topshop, Yahoo! and Zopa.
Among the awards his endeavors have won over the years are Webbys, One Show Pencils, ADC Cubes and Cannes Lion recognition. He is the author of a well read industry blog, crackunit.com, and has been named jury chairman for this year’s One Show Interactive Awards.
“Iain is one of the industry’s most influential and respected digital leaders,” said Wieden, co-founder/exec creative director of W+K. “He understands the remarkable relationship between people, culture and business, and his background as a strategic, creative business leader complements our global management team’s abilities.”
Prior to his work at Poke, Tait was a part of the management team for Oven Digital, a global digital agency in London, and director of product development for First Tuesday in London, where he worked in the startup space responsible for developing and delivering new online business models.
Tait will relocate to W+K’s Portland office.
Mindy Kaling and Kate Hudson Take On Pro Basketball In Netflix Series “Running Point”
In Mindy Kaling's new Netflix series, "Running Point, " Kate Hudson stars as Isla Gordon, the new president of the Los Angeles Waves, a pro basketball team that's been run by her family for years. Hudson's character has to prove herself as a woman in a man's world not only to her passed-over brothers, but also to players whose egos need checking and other executives who don't take her seriously.
If Isla's story rings a bell, take a look at the list of executive producers on the 10-episode season dropping Thursday: Among them is Jeanie Buss, the president of the Los Angeles Lakers, who was embroiled in similar turmoil over control of the storied NBA franchise after the death of her father, Jerry Buss.
Buss not only has given the show her blessing, it was her idea said Kaling. Buss was a big fan of "The Office" and approached Kaling with the premise about five years ago. Kaling ended up as the co-creator, writer and executive producer alongside Ike Barinholtz and David Stassen.
"She's in a very serious, stressful job but she loves comedy. She does not take herself seriously," Kaling says of Buss. "That's really rare when someone has that much power and that much to lose."
Jeanie Buss' blessing
In fact, Kaling said, Buss wanted the show to be funny and had "no ego" about using her real life as inspiration.
"She's had some extremely interesting things happen to her as the president of the Lakers. Some of it is she literally dated the coach for many years and she's like, 'Do whatever you want,'" Kaling says, referring to Buss' former relationship with Phil Jackson. "To get that kind of carte blanche, I'd never heard that from someone who is so famous and, you know, pretty private."
Shortly after the news... Read More