Federico Fanti has joined FP7McCann MENAT as chief creative officer. He will report to FP7McCann MENAT CEO Tarek Miknas and be the creative voice of the agency.
Fanti, who started his career at McCann Milan, brings more than 20 years of cross-market experience to the role, and joins FP7McCann from BBDO Guerrero in the Philippines.
At BBDO Guerrero, Fanti was responsible for the creative output across all the agency’s brands including Johnson & Johnson, PepsiCo, MARS and Red Ribbon.
Prior to BBDO Guerrero, Fanti led Y&R Moscow for 5 years and was behind the agency winning their first ever Cannes Lion in 2013 (winning a total of 10 Lions in five years); again, transforming the agency to become the most awarded in Russia.
Miknas, CEO of FP7McCann MENAT, said, “We looked far and wide and took all the time we needed to get the right person for the job. Beyond Federico’s impressive work and list of 100+ accolades across industry shows like the Cannes Lions, Epica, D&AD, LIA, Clio, Eurobest, The One Show and Spikes, it was a combination of his ability to transform two agencies into creative stardom, his ambition and his attitude that were the driving forces for me to welcome him into our family.”
Fanti commented, “I’ve always been profoundly fascinated by the charm of this region. This portion of the world is full of contrasts and interesting cultural shades that makes the Middle East a very compelling place to live in. It’s a great honor to be a part of the FP7Mccann family. The creative ambition, the drive for excellence and the human emanation here are the key reasons that validated my decision to move to the agency and to the region. The other fundamental perk at FP7McCann is the goal to create work that has a positive impact on our world. I have always believed that today, more than ever, advertisers have the moral obligation to help our society with our work because ultimately our job is not only about creating ads to sell, but also creating ads to serve. Whether it’s diversity and inclusion, corporate social responsibility or any other social issue, consumers want to know where we stand, and more importantly, what we are doing about it. For all the above reasons, I truly believe I am in the right place in the right time.”
Outside of the office, Fanti is a keen photographer. He is also passionate about inspiring and nurturing young talent. He was a Professor in Design and Art Direction, both in Moscow and in Milan, and looks to give back to the local industry by doing something similar in our region.
Vatican, Microsoft Create AI-Generated St. Peter’s Basilica–For In-Person and Virtual Visitors
The Vatican and Microsoft on Monday unveiled a digital twin of St. Peter's Basilica that uses artificial intelligence to explore one of the world's most important monument's while helping the Holy See manage visitor flows and identify conservation problems. Using 400,000 high-resolution digital photographs, taken with drones, cameras and lasers over four weeks when no one was in the basilica, the digital replica is going online alongside two new on-site exhibits to provide visitors -- real and virtual -- with an interactive experience. "It is literally one of the most technologically advanced and sophisticated projects of its kind that has ever been pursued," Microsoft's president Brad Smith told a Vatican press conference. The project has been launched ahead of the Vatican's 2025 Jubilee, a holy year in which more than 30 million pilgrims are expected to pass through the basilica's Holy Door, on top of the 50,000 who visit on a normal day. "Everyone, really everyone should feel welcome in this great house," Pope Francis told Smith and members of the project's development teams at an audience Monday. The digital platform allows visitors to reserve entry times to the basilica, a novelty for one of the world's most visited monuments that regularly has an hours-long line of tourists waiting to get in. But the heart of the project is the creation of a digital twin of St. Peter's Basilica through advanced photogrammetry and artificial intelligence that allows anyone to "visit" the church and learn about its history. The ultra-precise 3D replica, developed in collaboration with digital preservation company Iconem, incorporates 22 petabytes of data — enough to fill five million DVDs — Smith said. The images have already identified structural... Read More