People on the Move

Special London has hired Ashley Biack as strategist and added the creative team of Josephine Rasmussen and Marie Jensen.

Biack joins the agency from McCann London and will work at Special London on the Monkey Shoulder and Mutti accounts, reporting directly to chief strategy officer Emily Harlock. Rasmussen and Jensen join from Saatchi & Saatchi, and will work across the Special London portfolio including new accounts Employment Hero and Monkey Shoulder, reporting into chief creative officer David Day.  

Biack worked at McCann London, helping the agency win clients such as McArthurGlen Group and Sky, and building its creative accelerator Atomic Soup. Before this she held various positions within the Vice Media Group including Pulse Films, Vice UK and Virtue (the creative agency born from Vice). While at the entertainment group she helped brands like Topshop, Zalando, Puma and Etsy find new ways to matter to the world, by translating cultural trends that shaped the habits of a generation of digital and purpose driven consumers. 

Rasmussen and Jensen started their career at Crispin Porter+Bogusky in London, working on campaigns for brands including Tinder, Asics and George and creating the viral hit ‘”Imagine a CEO” campaign for International Women’s Day. They have won a slew of honors, including Creative Circle’s “Most Promising Creative Team” award in 2023.

Brendan Robertson has been named chief strategy officer at David&Goliath (D&G). Reporting directly to D&G founder and creative chairman David Angelo, Robertson oversees all strategic development across existing clients and new business opportunities. His responsibilities include leading the strategy department to ensure all businesses have the best staff to meet their needs, as well as training and growing talent. 

“The foundation for creating engaging, memorable and impactful creative always begins with great strategy. As a strategic leader, Brendan’s exemplary track record depicts a depth of expertise that has delivered consistent results for brands throughout his career,” said Angelo. “His outstanding leadership, expansive experience, mentorship and values around purpose-driven culture make him a perfect addition to D&G and we’re excited about the immediate impact he’ll make within the strategy department and leadership team.” 

Robertson joins D&G from VCCP where he was managing partner and led strategy on brands including Activision Blizzard, Native (P&G), Equinox, Audi of America, Staples, Amazon Prime Video, Apple, and Salesforce. Prior to that, he was EVP of strategy and planning at Edelman, serving as strategic lead for HP, Nissan, Starbucks, Adobe, Juniper Networks and PayPal. His career also includes posts as brand strategy director at Goodby Silverstein & Partners and associate strategy director at Eleven. 

“I’m honored and excited to join an agency I have always held in high regard,” said Robertson about D&G. “The focus on creativity and fostering a culture where you can be your true, authentic selves is always how I have worked,” said Robertson. “I look forward to joining the team that will help the agency continually evolve and lead brands into the future.”

Robertson has been the recipient of numerous industry awards over the course of his career, including Cannes Lions, D&AD, One Show and Effie honors. He has also taught brand planning at Miami Ad School and been a guest lecturer at The Academy of Art.

Élodie Ichter has joined Light Iron, the postproduction creative services division of Panavision, as a senior colorist. Ichter will work out of Light Iron’s New York facility, leveraging the company’s industry-leading remote capabilities to collaborate seamlessly with clients worldwide.  

Ichter’s recent work includes the FX miniseries Shōgun and the Ben Affleck-directed feature Air. Her credits also include the American Society of Cinematographers Spotlight Award-nominated feature God’s Country, shot by Andrew Wheeler; Venom: Let There Be Carnage, with cinematographer Robert Richardson, ASC; the Best Picture Oscar-winning feature Nomadland, directed by Chloé Zhao and shot by Joshua James Richards; Marshall, with cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel, ASC; director Bong Joon Ho’s Okja, shot by Darius Khondji, ASC, AFC; and director Justin Simien’s Sundance Special Jury Prize-winning feature Dear White People, shot by Topher Osborn. Earlier in her career, as an associate colorist, she also lent her talents to projects as The Irishman, Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 and Part 2, The Maze Runner, Maleficent and The Wolf of Wall Street. 

Ichter comes to Light Iron The Mill. She began her career in France at Éclair, then went on to work at Deluxe in London and Efilm in Los Angeles before spending time at Harbor and Picture Shop. 

Ichter said of Light Iron, “This company is at the heart of postproduction for series and features, with the knowledge and ability to support filmmakers from production through post. That’s the most exciting part of the job for me — being able to create a LUT for the cinematographer before shooting begins, being part of the filmmakers’ visual creative process throughout production, and elevating the look with our final touches in the color suite. Light Iron’s connection with Panavision adds to those opportunities, streamlining workflows and communication and allowing projects to be delivered even more efficiently.” 

Ichter joins Light Iron’s roster of artists, which also includes supervising colorists Ian Vertovec and Corinne Bogdanowicz, senior colorists Charles Bunnag, Katie Jordan and Ethan Schwartz, and colorists Pat Fitzgerald and Keith Jenson. From its locations across North America, Light Iron’s full suite of creative services also includes VFX, dailies, offline editorial rentals, mastering and archive. 

Seth Hallen, managing director at Light Iron, said of Ichter, “Her expertise and the outstanding artistry she’s contributed to movies and episodic series aligns seamlessly with Light Iron’s dedication to excellence, innovation and creativity. Our whole team is excited to collaborate with her to continue pushing the boundaries of creativity and helping our clients elevate their projects to even greater heights.”

The Television Academy Foundation has appointed Anne Vasquez as its executive director effective May 13. She will oversee daily operations and provide strategic leadership of its programs and fundraising to fulfill the charitable organization’s mission to identify, advance and empower future television leaders while honoring TV’s legacy.                                                                                                  

Vasquez is a veteran media and nonprofit executive who will step down as CEO of EdSource, Inc., an award-winning California nonprofit news organization with the state’s largest newsroom devoted to education. During her five years at EdSource, she established groundbreaking new partnerships, expanded funder and donor support by more than $2 million, oversaw a website redesign and brand refresh, as well as led the organization through a strategic plan to position it for the future.    

Prior to her time at EdSource, she served as sr. VP of strategic initiatives and chief digital officer at Tribune Publishing, where she led digital strategy across 10 news markets. Before that, Vasquez was managing editor of the Sun Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale, FL, when the newsroom won its first Pulitzer Prize--the 2013 Gold Medal for Public Service. She’s also an adjunct professor at the University of Southern California (USC) where she teaches a graduate course in narrative storytelling.

The daughter of Cuban immigrants, Vasquez was raised in Miami, FL, and began her career as a reporter for The Miami Herald and later for the San Jose Mercury News in California. A passionate champion of diversity and inclusion, she became the editor of one of the country’s first race and demographics teams.

Vasquez has served on the boards of the American Society of News Editors and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. She is on the Leadership Council of the Kopenhaver Center for the Advancement of Women in Communication at Florida International University, Vasquez’s alma mater.
 
Vasquez will report to Television Academy Foundation chair Tina Perry and Television Academy president and CEO Maury McIntyre.
 
“Anne’s background championing education will be critical as we look to expand the scale of the Foundation’s programs, focusing on the impact we can make in nurturing and developing the next generation of television leaders,” said McIntyre.
 
Perry commented, “With her expertise in the nonprofit, education and media sectors, Anne is uniquely qualified for the Foundation’s executive director role. Her perspective and experience will be instrumental in driving the Foundation’s mission to educate and inspire students, promote diversity within the industry, and preserve the oral history of television.”
 
“I am thrilled and honored to be joining the Television Academy Foundation,” Vasquez said. “It’s never been more important to tell the stories of our time with nuance. I’m eager to lead the Foundation in its mission to support and prepare emerging talent from all walks of life while also preserving television’s rich history.”