Four have been added to the ranks of Oakland-based agency Funworks: Jiangzi Tan (Tanny) as sr. art director, Kevin Turner as sr. copywriter, Claire Crozier as sr. account director and Nicole Dongara as account director.
Tan was sr, art director at both mcgarrybowen and Argonaut, working with Intel, Disney, and Fitbit. Turner joins from Oakland agency EVB as sr. copywriter, where he worked with a range of clients like Jameson Irish Whiskey, Pandora and the LA Clippers.
Crozier previously built her management career at Collinson, eventually becoming the global account cirector. For a decade, she collaborated with financial services, airline, hotel and retail brands, helping shape their loyalty initiatives, customer benefits and reward programs.
Dongara most recently worked at BBDO, managing communication planning and campaign development for American Girl, Barbie and Fisher Price. Before that, she worked at Havas, driving ROI for condom brand Durex and helping to lead a successful holiday communications plan for eBay.
Attracting talent into the shop, said Funworks CEO Paul Charney, is a natural result of the success of its improv-inspired Funworkshops, a method for clients and creatives to quickly generate great ideas. “This rush of new talent is a signal that people are eager to explore new ways of collaboration,” he related.
The extreme collaboration Funworkshops include clients, agency staff, and comedian consumers who act as a neutral third party. Workshop exercises get to truths and strategies in a relaxed, positive environment, helping to gain alignment from all decision makers on the best ideas. According to Funworks, the resulting work is sold on the first round 90 percent of the time, far outperforming the traditional creative process.
Tilda Swinton Explores Assisted Suicide In Pedro Almodóvar’s 1st English-Language Feature
Although "The Room Next Door" is Pedro Almodóvar's first English-language feature, Tilda Swinton notes that he's never written in a language that anyone else truly speaks.
"He writes in Pedro language, and here he is making another film in another version of Pedro language, which just happens to sound a little bit like English," Swinton said.
Set in New York, Swinton stars as Martha, a terminally ill woman who chooses to end her life on her own terms. After reconnecting with her friend Ingrid, played by Julianne Moore, Martha persuades her to stay and keep her company before she goes through with her decision.
Beyond the film's narrative, Swinton said she believes individuals should have a say in their own living and dying. She acknowledges that she has personally witnessed a friend's compassionate departure.
"In my own life I had the great good fortune to be asked by someone in Martha's position to be his Ingrid (Julianne Moore)," Swinton said.
She said that experience shaped her attitude about life and death: "Not only my capacity to be witness to other people in that situation, but my own living and my own dying."
Swinton spoke about "The Room Next Door," Almodóvar and he idea of letting people die on their own terms. Remarks have been edited for clarity and brevity.
Q: Tackling that role, what was the challenge to get into the character?
SWINTON: I felt really blessed by the opportunity. So many of us have been in the situation Julianne Moore's character finds herself in, being asked to be the witness of someone who is dying. Whether that wanting to orchestrate their own dismount or not, to be in that position to be a witness is something that I've been... Read More