• Wednesday, Jun. 14, 2023
David Day joins Special Group London as CCO and partner
Special London's (l-r) Emily Harlock, David Day and Jennifer Black
LONDON -- 

Independent creative agency Special has appointed David Day as chief creative officer and partner. Day joins CEO Jennifer Black and chief strategy officer Emily Harlock to form the partner team for the London agency.

Currently executive creative director at CPB London, Day will take the new role when he joins in the autumn. His appointment comes as Special adds the pan-European account Mutti to its roster of clients, including Virgin, Speedo, Time Out and Asos.

In his time at CPB London, Day has grown the creative agency winning multiple accounts including Tinder, Asics and most recently Marie Curie. He also worked on the “Imagine” campaign for International Women’s Day, with his work for The Glenlivet, “Breaking Walls,” picking up numerous awards. A former creative director at Mother and executive creative director at Pablo London, Day also produced award-winning work for the BBC at Fallon London and won multiple awards during his time as creative director at Wieden + Kennedy.

Special, which originally launched in New Zealand, now has offices in Australia, U.K. and the U.S.. Clients across the group include Uber, PepsiCo and Virgin.

Day will lead the London office of Special alongside Black and Harlock, bringing his start-up experience, creative leadership and pitch-winning talent to grow the agency and drive its creative and design output.

Black said, “I loved working with Dave in my past life. He’s a hugely talented and experienced creative leader, and an absolutely lovely human to boot. We are incredibly excited for everything we’re going to do together.”

Day said, “Our role is to create interactions. Moments where we connect brands with people. And it’s in those interactions, no matter how fleeting, where we exist and they have to be special. It’s the reason I’ve come to join."

 

  • Tuesday, Jun. 6, 2023
TMA names Rick Utzinger an ECD; Erin Wasson upped to EVP, managing director
Rick Utzinger
DALLAS -- 

TMA (The Marketing Arm) has made a couple of talent moves on the executive leadership front, bringing Rick Utzinger aboard as an executive creative director and appointing Erin Wasson, currently EVP of growth and development, to serve as EVP, managing director.

Utzinger arrives at TMA following his work at BBDO LA, where he contributed to the AT&T business.  Prior to that, he was an ECD with Fallon in Minneapolis handling Arby’s, Silk, Samsung and Cooper Tires, among other clients and brands.  He also served as a creative director at both David&Goliath and TBWA\Chiat\Day in Los Angeles.  Utzinger has been recognized by Cannes, D&AD, The One Show and Clios for his work on Arby’s, Toyota, New Directions for Homeless Veterans, Miller Lite and The Grammy Awards.

Wasson has been with TMA for more than 12 years across two stints, first as an account director in the Chicago office, and later in growth and development, based in Dallas.  Throughout her career she led accounts at agencies including DDB Chicago and Ogilvy.

TMA is part of Omnicom Group Inc.

  • Friday, Jun. 2, 2023
Public Label adds ECD DeFrees, group creative director Czarnowski
Bruce DeFrees
DENVER & TORONTO -- 

Marketing agency Public Label, North America has brought Bruce DeFrees aboard as executive creative director and Emil Czarnowski as group creative director.

Prior to joining Public Label, DeFrees worked client-side and agency-side in a variety of creative roles, most recently as the executive creative director at E&J Gallo Winery, the world’s largest winery with a portfolio of more than 150 brands. During his five years with Gallo, DeFrees led the Creative Activation studio to deliver best-in-class, shopper-focused solutions. 

DeFrees’ agency experience encompasses more than 20 years of creative leadership, touching on live events, branded entertainment, experiential marketing, integrated campaign development and global retail marketing for a wide-ranging roster of CPGs, corporations and media properties. A few of the highlights include American Idol, Harry Potter, Treasure Wine Estates, Coca-Cola, M&M Mars, Warner Bros., Pabst and Wendy’s.

Czarnowski is a Manhattan-based, NY-native specializing in strategy, design, and innovative brand solutions. He has spent more than 15 years developing experiences that live in both the real world and the digital space. Czarnowski has served as a creative executive servicing Fortune 500 brands like Pepsi, Nestle, Heineken, Diageo, L’Oréal and LVMH, across their portfolios of brands. He has been an agency lead at New York creative shops like TracyLocke, Mirrorball, Magnetic, and MKTG, and has even worked abroad delivering international work in Paris and Singapore. 

Based in Denver, Public Label also maintains offices in Toronto and New York.

  • Thursday, May. 25, 2023
Tina Bianchini named head of production at Epoch Films
Tina Bianchini
LOS ANGELES -- 

Bicoastal production company Epoch Films has promoted Tina Bianchini to head of production. A member of the Epoch family since 2004, Bianchini will continue to grow and lead the company’s roster of filmmakers in her new position.

What started as a temporary gig as the Epoch office manager nearly 20 years ago has grown into a flourishing career for Bianchini. A freelance PA on an Epoch Verizon commercial directed by Phil Morrison sparked a full-time passion. Bianchini took on many roles at Epoch Films over the years, including production coordinator, production manager, bidding producer, and now, head of production.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, where she still lives with her husband and their dog, Bianchini’s father worked in the art department of many feature films, including Never Been Kissed, where she landed her first job in the industry as an extra. However, a mixture of fate and staying open to inspiring opportunities placed her with Epoch Films, where she says, “I instantly knew it was the place for me. I felt welcomed, loved the culture and knew it was a place where I could grow.” Highlights from her lengthy career include campaigns for Levis (dir. Martin de Thurah), Sephora (dir. Bianca Poletti), and Coors Light (dir. Dugan O’Neal). 

Bianchini is known by Epoch’s executive producers for her knack for creative problem-solving and now looks forward to making new relationships in the industry as Epoch’s head of production. She said, “I owe my time at Epoch and my production career as a whole to staying curious about what else I can learn from each new project. Growing up, I was naturally very curious about the industry as a whole with my father working in film, but finding my own place within the world of production has always been exciting for me. This is new territory for me, but I feel like everything so far has led up to this.”

Melissa Culligan, Epoch’s managing executive producer, added, “I can’t picture Epoch without Tina. She was already so established within the company and welcoming when I got here. No matter what she was doing, whatever role she was in, her presence as a leader could be felt through every project and throughout the company’s culture as a whole. It only feels right that she’s our head of production. Personally, I’m very happy for her and I can’t wait to see where she continues to take Epoch.”
 
 

  • Tuesday, May. 23, 2023
Candace Queen named VP of AAF Mosaic Center
Candace Queen
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- 

Candace Queen has joined the American Advertising Federation (AAF) Mosaic Center as VP. The AAF Mosaic Center implements all of the AAF’s multicultural and diversity initiatives, ranging from its Most Promising Multicultural Students program to Mosaic Awards, HBCUs for Advertising, APEX Multicultural Speakers Bureau and more. In her role, Queen will oversee all of the Mosaic Center’s activities, helping to deliver on AAF’s promise to serve as “the unifying voice for advertising.”

“This appointment is an example of how well the AAF develops professionals and provides valuable leadership opportunities that lead to impactful roles that help shape our entire industry,” said Steve Pacheco, AAF president and CEO.  “Candace has held leadership roles within the AAF at the Student Chapter, Ad 2 and Local AAF Chapter level.  She has participated in judging, facilitated workshops, and presented keynote presentations across a large portfolio of the AAF DE&I programs.  Those experiences have given her a valuable perspective into the AAF’s evolution and insights on how to take the Mosaic Center’s work and visibility to the next level.”  

Queen has championed diversity, equity, and inclusion through her work with the AAF as the chair of the Mosaic Next Generation Leadership Council, ADCOLOR as the co-chair of the ADCOLOR Advisory Board and serving on the SnapChat U.S. Creative Council.  She’s infused DEI in advertising curricula as an adjunct professor and lecturer for several universities and portfolio schools.  Most recently she founded Tabernacle in 2019--a branding and design consultancy where she’s guided agencies and brands in building and maintaining a community-centric ethos and equity-first approach in their brand’s DNA.  Queen has been recognized as one of the 4A’s 100 People Who Make Advertising Great, a 4A’s MAIPer to Watch, a Bill Sharp Award Honoree, an ADCOLOR FUTURE alum and recipient of ADCOLOR’s Unsung Hero Award.

“The AAF has not only served as an integral foundation for my pivot into advertising over a decade ago, but has supported my growth and development in many ways.  So, to be able to contribute to the organization in this capacity is an exciting opportunity and one that’s close to my heart,” commented Queen.  “I truly believe the Mosaic Center’s work is more important than ever and am excited about the opportunity to be a part of its continued elevation.”

Queen starts at AAF on June 1.

  • Monday, May. 22, 2023
Emily Garvey joins Zulu Alpha Kilo as its first head of strategy in NY
Emily Garvey
NEW YORK -- 

Zulu Alpha Kilo has hired Emily Garvey as its first head of strategy for the New York office, rounding out the independent creative agency’s leadership team.

Garvey joins from Johannes Leonardo, where she drove its new business streak over the past several years with key wins like Instagram Global, Oscar Mayer, HBO Max and Amazon Music. Most recently as group strategy director, she oversaw strategy on Kraft Heinz, the agency’s largest account, where her vision helped the company’s heritage brands make a comeback with a multi-year sales turnaround. Her leadership on the “La Dolce Velveeta” platform earned acclaim, and her team’s tongue-in-cheek insight behind Oscar Mayer’s “Bologna Face Mask” broke the internet and drove record bologna sales. Garvey played a crucial role at Johannes Leonardo leading other key accounts like Adidas, helping the brand regain its status in youth culture with Gen Z. 

Garvey previously held key strategy roles at places like R/GA, Publicis Groupe’s Rokkan and 360i. Her expertise and tenacity helped the agencies make the transition from digital/social shops to full service AORs, while winning pitches and leading award-winning campaigns for iconic global brands like Samsung and Cadillac.

“I’m so impressed by Zulu Alpha Kilo’s work and culture. Smart, surprising, full of heart. I can’t wait to bring that much-needed spirit to the industry,” said Garvey who’s looking forward to working in NYC with Zulu Alpha Kilo’s partner and chief creative officer Tim Gordon, and managing director Meghan Mullen.

“We’re terribly excited to have Emily join us in New York. Great strategy is the building block for great creative and Emily has proven she knows how to set up an agency for great success,” added Gordon, who joined Zulu himself as a partner last July after 14 years at Droga5, most recently as its CCO.

The New York office, specifically, launched a year-long brand campaign for Booking.com in this year’s Super Bowl, including a two-minute musical featuring Melissa McCarthy that ran during the Oscars. It became the most-watched Super Bowl ad in YouTube history, racking up 118M views.  Additional projects are in the works for Booking.com and Campbell’s launching later this year.

Zulu Alpha Kilo maintains offices in Toronto, Vancouver, and most recently in New York City.

  • Friday, May. 19, 2023
Melody Lee named CMO of Mercedes-Benz USA 
Melody Lee
ATLANTA -- 

Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) has appointed Melody Lee as its chief marketing officer.

Lee joins MBUSA from global design company MillerKnoll, where she served as SVP of global brand & product marketing, leading brand strategy across Herman Miller and Knoll’s products, channels and audiences. Prior to MillerKnoll, Lee was the global COO for design communications agency Camron and VP for brand development with beauty brand Shiseido. Lee served in two executive roles at luxury automotive brand Cadillac, including global brand director of BOOK by Cadillac and director of brand marketing during her six-year tenure. Before joining Cadillac, Lee was EVP at PR agency Hill+Knowlton Strategies. Lee assumes her new role from previous CMO Drew Slaven, who retired from MBUSA earlier this year. Lee is a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology and will begin her new assignment effective July 1.

  • Friday, May. 19, 2023
HELO bolsters leadership team, hires Kayrala, Goodspeed, Evely
HELO's (l-r) Rana Kayrala, Piper Goodspeed and Neil Evely
NEW YORK -- 

HELO, a global production company noted for its multi-platform campaign work for brands such as Coors Light, Amazon, and Nissan, has made three senior hires.

Rena Kayrala joins as VP, global strategy & growth, with a seasoned history of managing business growth at companies such as Unit 9, Buck, and Park Village. Kayrala supported the launch of Vice Media in Spain, before moving to the U.K. where she developed her career as an award-winning executive producer, and business development specialist. Rena will be working with HELO founders Brendan Kiernan and Justin Moore-Lewy across global markets to identify creative opportunities and partnerships for the studio’s growing roster of commercial, film, and experiential marketing directors. 

Piper Goodspeed joins as global head of client partnerships & experience. Piper’s career spans leading roles at Condé Nast, WIRED, The New Yorker, and ARS Technica. 
 
Neil Evely joins as global head of innovation, responsible for continuing to build HELO’s moving experience offering for brand and agency clients. Evely will be focused on exploring the best applications of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, allowing HELO’s directors to break new ground on what they can deliver for their creative partners. Evely joins from technology studio Superbright where he was head of business development, prior to which he worked at experience studio Rewind (now Magnopus UK) and The Mill. Evely has been working across new technological innovations such as VR, Software Design, Real-Time CGI, and AI for over a decade. 

Moore-Lewy, founder and president of HELO, said, “The last couple of years have presented significant challenges for the experiential and production communities, but we’re now seeing a renewed appetite and enthusiasm for experiences that really bring people together in both the physical and virtual worlds. As we delve into a new realm of opportunities in the branded experience space, I believe we are well armed with a senior team that can help HELO, and our clients, create beautiful things in the coming year.” 

HELO’s latest brand work includes the Cannes Lions and Clio-winning “Chillboards” campaign for Coors Light. In summer of 2023, the studio will be launching an auction of 10,000 NFTs to raise money for the citizens of Ukraine affected by the ongoing war.

  • Monday, May. 15, 2023
Editor Dean Pelton joins Republic Editorial
Dean Pelton
DALLAS -- 

Editor Dean Pelton has joined the Republic Editorial roster. Most recently the lead editor at CharlieUniformTango’s Austin office, with a strong client base in Dallas as well, Pelton joins Republic’s crew of six creative editors at Republic Editorial alongside directors and creative directors from their Republic Production and Republic Design studios.

His body of work spans brands including Jeep, Fiat, Alfa Romeo, American Airlines, Sub-Zero, Wonderbread, Pennzoil, America’s Best, Chick-fil-A, Interstate Batteries, and Rent-a-Center. 

“We’ve had our eyes on Dean for the last several years,” said Republic partner Keith James.  “I remember seeing his Alfa Romeo Super Bowl and thinking, ‘Who’s this new guy in town that’s come out of nowhere?’ As more and more of his work hit the market--a lot of it auto, but also a good amount of it comedy--I realized, ‘This guy can do all the things; he’s the complete package.’”

Pelton’s background as a storyteller traces back to his childhood in Los Angeles, where he shot and edited Indiana Jones themed home-movies with his friends. After getting his undergraduate degree in theater studies at UCLA, he went across town to USC for his Masters in Film. Throughout film school and during his first years in the industry, he was always doing something in the background--shooting, editing, writing--working on cult side projects such as “Yacht Rock” and “Ikea Heights.”

He began his career as a runner at Company 3 in Santa Monica in 2007, and after meeting his future wife there, moved to Texas in 2012 to be closer to family. He joined CharlieUniformTango in 2013, where he rose from the bullpen into the edit chair in an unprecedented amount of time. In 2017, his first national Super Bowl spot for Alfa Romeo entitled “Dear Predictable,” was a crazy last minute project thrown together on a Monday as the clock ticked down. Hitting that last second field goal endeared him to producers and creatives in town, and his career took off from there.

“I’m really stoked about joining the crew at Republic,” said Pelton. “This shop has a tremendous reputation nationally, and the success they’ve had in recent years in beefing up their production and design studios clearly illustrates a leadership team that’s forward thinking and built to make well thought out strategic decisions. I’m really enjoying getting to know the rest of the team and I’m continually impressed by their capabilities. They’ve got a serious group of creative artists here--I can’t wait for my clients to walk in our doors and get down to business.”

  • Thursday, May. 11, 2023
Phil McCluney joins UNIT as executive producer
Phil McCluney
LONDON -- 

Creative studio UNIT has hired Phil McCluney as an executive producer, He will be responsible for strengthening existing client relationships and will be expanding UNIT’s offering in emerging areas of the VFX, production and postproduction industry. 

In his 20-year history, McCluney has produced commercials, animated media, shorts and documentary films working across agencies, production and postproduction. His wealth of creative and production experience has led him to work with agencies worldwide including Uncommon, Mother, McCann Erickson, Fallon, Joint, Anomaly,  BMP DDB and DDB UK, including a role client side at Deliveroo as executive producer and lead producer for Google during a stint at 72andSunny in Amsterdam. He was also a post producer at The Mill and an EP at production companies B-Reel and Dog Eat Dog. 

His portfolio includes producing for brands such as Amazon, Google, MINI, Volkswagen, Audi, Unilever, Expedia, Barclaycard, Sony, Facebook and most recently British Airways and Formula E. His latest film project was with Oscar winner James Lucas on a short film Paint the Dragon’s Eyes, an Iris film festival “Best of British” selection shown on All4. Other film projects include EP’ing director Ryan Hope’s documentary Skin which received wide acclaim, premiering at the SXSW festival, and a documentary for YouTube about their creators Zoella, Tomski and others for Anomaly.

McCluney was a founding member of the APA interactive group APAi, a digital and integrated group with the aim of implementing unified processes across the industry. 

McCluney said, “Throughout my career, I’ve always had such a solid experience working with UNIT. They are real problem solvers and it’s great having sound and picture under one roof. I was very happy when they asked me to join the team and grow their client base. I want to make all producers that come to us feel they are having the very best service, the highest standard of work possible and who feel supported all the way through.”

Ian Luxford, UNIT managing director, said, “Having known and worked with Phil for some years now, he has a fantastic reputation for having one of the calmest heads in the game. Phil’s experiences on the brand side, agency producing and in VFX houses will be invaluable to UNIT. It’s incredibly exciting that he is on our team now, and I look forward to seeing how his ideas and energy can help us expand our offering to UNIT and our clients.”

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