Team One, Publicis Groupe’s fully integrated media, digital and communications agency, has hired Mark Koelfgen as its newest executive creative director. Joining from David&Goliath, Koelfgen will help lead efforts across Lexus and Team One’s growing portfolio of clients including Mark Levinson, Sparklight, Wisk, and Make-A-Wish, and will be involved with the agency’s new business efforts. He will report to Team One’s chief creative officer, Chris Graves.
“We’re known for our deep understanding of modern affluent consumers and heritage building premium brands. With that comes an even higher expectation for the creative thinking that’s needed to resonate in those worlds,” said Graves.”With the addition of Mark, we’ll continue to push our creativity even further, up-leveling our ambitions for our clients. It’s an exciting but challenging time to be a creative in our industry, but if anyone is up for the challenge of leading our team through it, it’s Mark.”
An experienced industry veteran, Koelfgen spent the last four years at David&Goliath where he served as executive creative director, heading up the agency’s flagship account, Kia. His most recent work, Kia’s “Robo Dog,” placed fourth on the USA Today Ad Meter for the Super Bowl. Prior to that, Koelfgen had a stint at Ogilvy as executive creative director, spearheading the IBM and Comcast accounts, and served as chief creative officer at mcgarrybowen NY for a decade, where he helped grow the shop from 70 to over 700 people and touched clients including HP, Verizon, JP Morgan Chase, Marriott, InBev, Reebok and Maserati. He also worked in the creative departments of GSD&M, Deutsch, DM9 and DDB earlier in his career.
“I’ve admired Team One from a distance for nearly two decades and always thought, maybe someday I would work there,” said Koelfgen. “I’m really looking forward to contributing to the Team One legacy, helping grow the agency and overall creative offering for clients–I know I can make a difference and learn a lot.”
Comedic Director Roderick Fenske Joins Yard Dog TV For U.S. Spot Work
Roderick Fenske, the award-winning agency copywriter/creative director turned comedic director of commercials and films, has joined Yard Dog TV for U.S. representation.
Fenske--known for his idiosyncratic casting, stylish art direction, and blend of practical and digital effects--saw his newest commercial work, for Drink Weird Ice Tea, break earlier this month. His most recent short film, I’m Dead, You’re Welcome, starring JR Russell, Taissa Zveiter, Sandy Eels, and Julia Lorpriore, is making the rounds of film festivals now, having won Best Comedy Short at the Flagstaff International Film Festival last month.
Fenske, who started out in the business as a copywriter, is one of a select group of agency creatives to have found success in both New York and London, where his last post was as a creative director at TBWA there. “I owe so much of my career to Trevor Beattie [TBWA London chairman/creative director at the time], because he believed in me and started my career directing commercials,” said Fenske, citing work for Sony PlayStation, French Connection UK, and Channel 5.
Those spots led to an invitation to become a member of the visionary Swedish film collective known as ACNE. “I learned so much there working in a directing collective. With everybody talking about how to make stuff look stylish and cinematic it was like a film school for me,” Fenske explained. “Production design is so important because humor can be much more unexpected when you have an elevated look.”
Over the course of his career, Fenske’s work has received many international awards from shows including the Cannes Lions, British D&AD, and AICP. He moved from London to Los Angeles, and during this time he met Yard Dog... Read More