Alex Dobson has been named creative strategy lead, U.S., for The&Partnership. Dobson, who joined the agency in 2019, previously served as strategy director and has played a pivotal role in the global success of the firm’s Mars account, overseeing high-profile campaigns for brands including Skittles, Snickers and Extra Gum. Since joining The&Partnership, Dobson has helped lead the way on Mars’ addressable strategy, social content and purpose-led campaigns, enabling the company’s brands to forge stronger connections with their consumers. This includes developing the strategy behind the 2023 Gold Effie-winning “Everyone’s Original” campaign for Ben’s Original – the brand’s first campaign following its rebrand from Uncle Ben’s. Most recently, Dobson oversaw strategy on global Halloween TV campaigns for Twix and M&Ms. Other campaign highlights include the launch of Skittles’ “Squishy Cloudz,” the brand’s first-ever gummy confection, and the Snickers’ “Go Full Fan” campaign in support of England’s Lionesses, the country’s national women’s soccer team during the team’s run to the Euro 2022 championship. Dobson also played a key role in driving sales for Extra White gum up by more than 30 percent through the “Every Smile Should Shine” campaign. In his new role, Dobson will lead the U.S. creative strategy Team, working with the firm’s media agency, mSix&Partners, to bring more data-informed content strategies to clients. Along with client work, he will guide the agency’s implementation of AI tools throughout the agency’s work. Prior to joining The&Partnership, Dobson was a sr. strategist at Grey London, working with client Nomad Foods. Earlier at Bow&Arrow (now part of Accenture Song), he developed strategy for clients including Dow Jones and Google….
Director Neels Castillon Shares His Immersive Filmmaking “Odyssey”
One road show spawns another. For director Neels Castillon the first tour took a full year as he headed a crew capturing stunning visuals in 8K, lensing spectacular landscapes in locales ranging from the Namib Desert to Polynesia, Iceland and varied destinations in South America. Filmed in these settings were actors/dancers reinterpreting classic scenes from Homer’s “Odyssey,” playing characters such as Odysseus, Penelope, the Sirens, et al--the only character created in CG being Cyclops. This footage--some 20 hours divided into 40 scenes--is integral to another road show that’s just gotten underway: Cercle Odyssey, a large-scale, 360-degree immersive concert experience. Currently playing in Mexico City, Cercle Odyssey--created by Paris-based Cercle, a Paris-headquartered music company founded by creative director Derek Barbolla--will arrive in Los Angeles for shows May 7-11. Another upcoming run is slated for Paris from May 28-June 1. Castillon--whose global commercialmaking/branded content home is RSA Films, with sister shop Black Dog Films handling him for music videos--directed Cercle Odyssey via his Paris-based production studio Motion Palace. The “nomadic” Odyssey concerts are staged in giant performance spaces (including the Los Angeles Convention Center) using 29 state-of-the art projectors, creating a 360-degree film panorama across five giant 50m x 12m screens. Each night a different music act performs on a stage surrounded by the visuals. The artists choose their own footage and scenes for their performances, which means every night concert-goers see a different version of the film. The artists include Moby, Paul Kalkbrenner, Empire of the Sun, The Blaze, and Black Coffee. Castillon helped recruit Moby for the project. The scenography... Read More