VMLY&R has promoted McKay Hathaway to executive creative director, leading Wendy’s creative teams in the U.S. and further shaping its creative output. He will report to Jeff Godsey, chief creative officer, North America.
Prior to the promotion, Hathaway served as group creative director, spearheading Wendy’s expansion across social and digital, specifically in gaming. Under his leadership, the brand and agency landed a Cannes Grand Prix for “Keeping Fortnite Fresh” in 2019. He has worked across other standout campaigns including “Feast of Legends,” “National Roast Day” and “Super Wendy’s World.” Over the last four years, the brand’s relevance and distinction among its younger, digitally savvy audience has rocketed.
Recently, Hathaway pushed to expand Wendy’s reach in the gaming community, growing the brand’s Twitch following to over 100k and earning the coveted partner status, reserved for only the top 1% of all Twitch streamers. These efforts led to more success at the following Cannes Festival, with another Gold and Silver Lion.
Additionally, Hathaway’s work with Wendy’s has been recognized at D&AD, The One Show, Art Directors Club, The Clios, Effies, Andy’s, 4A’s, and the AAF, among others.
“McKay is the perfect example that you can be a great, breakthrough creative and a great human at the same time, which is what makes him such a brilliant creative leader,” said Godsey. “The work he leads for Wendy’s consistently makes others jealous across the industry and his relentless, never-settle attitude never ceases to amaze me. He’s an important part of pushing this great brand forward.”
“I’m very lucky to be surrounded by such talented people and have incredible clients who trust us completely,” said Hathaway. “I couldn’t be prouder of the work we produce together.”
Before joining VMLY&R, Hathaway worked for a wide remit of brands including: Nintendo, Red Bull, Adidas, Lexus, Honda, Turkish Airlines, Applebee’s, Vitaminwater and Royal Caribbean at Leo Burnett, Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Kastner and MullenLowe.
Director Malin Ingrid Johansson Brings “Deck 5B” To The Toronto International Film Festival
In her young career, director Malin Ingrid Johansson continues to gain recognition on the festival circuit while looking to extend her reach into the American advertising market. On the latter score, she’s joining the roster of Little Minx, the production company under the aegis of Rhea Scott who’s known for nurturing the careers of filmmakers and helping to successfully establish them in the U.S. across commercials, music videos and other varied projects.
As for Johansson’s film festival pedigree, she first saw her short film Madden, a coming-of-age story inspired by her teenage years on a farm, debut internationally at the Berlinale (Berlin International Film Festival) 2023. Madden was also awarded best Swedish Short at last year’s Gothenburg International Film Festival. Furthermore, Johansson is currently in development on a feature-length film based on Madden.
Now another Johansson short film is making a major splash. Her Deck 5B premiered this week at the Toronto International Film Festival during its Short Cuts program. Among the production houses behind Deck 5B--and earlier Madden--was Pine, a Stockholm-based shop which reps Johansson for commercials internationally.
In the interest of avoiding a spoiler alert, SHOOT in this piece provides a deliberately sparse description of the storyline for Deck 5B. Suffice it to say that the short stars Alma Pöysti as Mia, a mother torn between the needs of her young son and her own desires for romance and fulfillment. Johansson said that she was deeply moved by Pöysti’s portrayal of the recently divorced Mia and considers getting the chance to work with the actress as a major career highlight. Earlier this year,... Read More