A prime mover in agency's success is promoted to a worldwide role
Michael Houston, 43, has been promoted to global president of Grey, reporting to James R. Heekin III, chairman/CEO of Grey Group. Houston served most recently as CEO of Grey North America.
In his expanded new worldwide leadership role, Houston will work closely with Heekin in the management of Grey's EMEA, Latin America and Asia-Pacific regions, while continuing to oversee North American operations.
"Michael Houston has played a pivotal role in the ongoing success of Grey North America, which just completed its seventh year of record new business and creative performance," Heekin said. "Together we have built a culture of innovation with the finest talent, integrated offering and a winning spirit second to none. This well-deserved promotion, the next step in our evolution, will enable Michael to extend his proven leadership across our global network in the years ahead."
Houston joined Grey New York, the global network's flagship headquarters office, in 2007 as executive VP, director of marketing, to lead Grey's business development and brand marketing efforts. He was promoted to global chief marketing officer of Grey worldwide in 2010 in recognition of Grey's growth. Appointed to the new position of managing director of Grey New York in 2011, Houston took on the role of COO of the 1,000-person strong office in 2012.
One year later, Houston was promoted to CEO of Grey North America overseeing the New York, San Francisco and Canadian offices as well as Grey Activation and PR, and Wing, the multicultural marketing communications agency. Under his leadership, Grey has won such blue-chip clients as Gillette, Volvo, Hasbro, Papa John's, Kellogg's and Marriott.
Houston said, "I am energized by, and grateful for, this new challenge and the opportunity to work even more closely with Jim Heekin and our leaders across the world. As we approach our 100th anniversary, I look forward to capitalizing on our momentum and the tremendous potential and vitality of the Grey brand as we look to the future."
Grey's recent high-profile new business wins have included: AT&T/DIRECTV, Emirates Airlines, Pandora Jewelry, Procter & Gamble's Venus, Braun and the Art of Shaving lines, Motorola and significant assignments from Nestlé, GSK, Volvo, Best Buy and Vodafone.
Gary Oldman’s Series “Slow Horses” Trots For Several Seasons Before Getting Some Emmy Love
Jackson Lamb is an Englishman who solves mysteries, but he's not your typically elegant, charming type. One clue is that he often passes gas, rather loudly.
Lamb — portrayed by Gary Oldman — is the beating heart of Apple TV+'s "Slow Horses," a critical darling that seems to have gained traction in the U.S. only lately, now in its fourth season. Ignored at the Emmys for two seasons, it goes into Sunday's telecast with nine nominations, including for best drama series.
"I think it's been a slow burn," says Oldman, who earned an Emmy nod for his Lamb. "More people are now coming up to me and saying, 'I really like the show.' I've become that guy on TV, which I kind of like, actually."
Lamb is the comically unpleasant leader of a band of dejected British spies nicknamed the "Slow Horses" because they work at lowly Slough House, far from the gleaming center of power in London. They've messed up their careers in a variety of ways, including botching surveillance operations, gambling addictions or leaving a top secret file on a train.
Lamb's hair is unkempt and greasy. He wears a ratty, dirty raincoat and his stocking feet are forever up on his desk. He smokes too much, drinks scotch on the job, is violently un-politically correct and is blunt to the point of rude. His voice mail says: "This is Lamb. If I didn't answer it's because I don't want to speak to you."
He's also fiercely loyal to his team and is the sharpest — if the most unclean — knife in the drawer. He can tell from just a footprint the person's salary and is at least three steps ahead of anyone else. He refuses to follow rules — a petulant middle finger to the establishment.
"If there's a sign that says 'No smoking,' Lamb will smoke," says Oldman. "He's... Read More