MeringCarson has hired Mark Taylor as chief creative officer. The 100-person agency has offices in Sacramento and San Diego, and clients including Visit California, The Islands of Tahiti, Merlin Entertainments (LEGOLAND), Pebble Beach Company, and the San Diego Tourism Authority.
Taylor has worked on prominent campaigns and served as the lead on multiple accounts, driving business results and revenue across every category for blue chip brands such as: Air Force, American Express, Bayer, BMW, Brawny, Bud Light, GMC, KFC, S.C. Johnson & Son, Marshalls, Nestlé Waters, Norwegian Cruise Line, Southwest Airlines, Windows Phone and Wrigley Company.
Taylor has had an illustrious career, with the majority of time spent at Crispin, Porter + Bogusky (CP+B) where he was responsible for creating some of the agency’s most iconic work, including MINI Cooper’s “Let’s Motor” and the Film Grand Prix-winning Ikea “Lamp” spot. For Burger King, he developed the Titanium Grand Prix-winning “XBOX Games,” the reincarnation of the “King,” and “Subservient Chicken,” which was named the One Show’s “Digital Idea of the Decade.” He also spearheaded the “Small Business Saturday” work for American Express, which won 10 Cannes Lions including two Grand Prix.
“The most exciting moments in my career revolved around developing creative platforms that used bold brand purpose and action to drive consumer engagement,” said Taylor. “So, I was naturally drawn to MeringCarson because of its similar focus on using experiences and social movements to achieve business results. Dave (Mering, founder/CEO of MeringCarson) and I are aligned in our belief that it isn’t enough to simply be a good storyteller. In order to truly become a brand ingrained in culture, you need to stand for something and consistently express it in everything you do.”
Taylor most recently ran his own firm, Mark Taylor, LLC where he worked with agencies including BBDO, David&Goliath, Digitas, Doner, FCB, Leo Burnett, mcgarrybowen, Publicis and VMLY&R, leading campaigns or new business pitches for brands such as: 3M, Blue Bunny, Ford, GMC, Goose Island, Indeed, Intel, Jeep, Kia, Miller Lite, Nestlé Waters, Pizza Hut, Rolex, Taco Bell, Tesla, Wendy’s, and Schick. During this period, he also served as interim executive creative director, leading the GMC creative pitch for EM1, where in six months, he helped defend the account, and led it to a win, launching the “Like A Pro” effort, which debuted in 2017.
Prior to his own firm, Taylor served as EVP, chief creative officer at Energy BBDO, where he led a team of 275 people, and a portfolio of global clients within Anheuser-Busch, Bayer, PepsiCo, S.C. Johnson & Son and Wrigley Company. During that time, the agency developed award-winning work including Bud Light’s “Up for Whatever” Campaign and the “Real-Life Pacman” Super Bowl commercial, along with Extra’s “Sarah & Juan,” an internet sensation, which racked up 74 million views in its first week online.
At MeringCarson, Taylor replaces Greg Carson who recently became partner/CCO at Crown & Greyhound, an agency with offices in Las Vegas and San Diego, focused on digital branded storytelling.
Taylor previously held roles as co-creative director at Fallon, Minneapolis and ECD at GSD&M, Austin.
Movie Armorer On “Rust” Pleads Guilty To Gun Charge In Separate Case
The weapons supervisor in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer by Alec Baldwin on the set of the Western film "Rust" pleaded guilty Monday to a separate criminal charge of carrying a gun into a licensed liquor establishment.
Movie armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed agreed to change her plea to guilty on the charge in exchange for a reduced sentence of 18 months supervised probation.
Judge T. Glenn Ellington approved the agreement that allows Gutierrez-Reed to begin probation while serving out an 18-month prison term at a New Mexico state penitentiary for involuntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
In the "Rust" case, prosecutors blamed Gutierrez-Reed for unwittingly bringing live ammunition onto the movie set and for failing to follow basic gun safety protocols.
Gutierrez-Reed shuffled into the Santa Fe courtroom Monday in a beige jumpsuit, handcuffs and ankle shackles to change her plea to guilty and waive her right to trial.
"I'd just like to apologize to the court and thank you for your judgment today," she said.
The case stems from evidence that a few weeks before "Rust" began filming in October 2021, Gutierrez-Reed carried a gun into a downtown bar in Santa Fe where firearms are prohibited.
Special prosecutor Kari Morrissey said Gutierrez-Reed filmed herself in the bathroom of the bar with a handgun — explaining how she snuck in the prohibited firearm in a video that was obtained when authorities searched the armorer's phone during the "Rust" investigation.
Gutierrez-Reed was convicted in March at trial of involuntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting of Hutchins. She has an appeal of that conviction pending in a higher court.
Baldwin, the lead actor and... Read More