Advertising agency Fitzgerald & Co. has hired creative directors Mike Groenewald and Bowen Mendelson to work exclusively on the agency’s growing Coca-Cola business at Fitzco//McCann, its dedicated Coke unit. The pair will report to executive creative directors Wes Whitener and Mitch Bennett.
Fitzco has increased its headcount almost 25% in 2016 and recruited several senior-level executives outside the Atlanta area. The agency’s growth is the result of new business from brands such as Checkers & Rally’s, Coca-Cola’s Odwalla, and American gas and electric utility holding company Southern Company.
Groenewald hails from Johannesburg, South Africa. He is a CD and art director with 15 years of experience and numerous creative awards including several Cannes Lions, Clios and One Show and D&AD Pencils. Groenewald has worked on blue-chip accounts such as SABMiller, Nike, KFC, Standard Bank (South Africa’s largest bank) and Nissan.
Mendelson has served as CD and copywriter in the creative departments of several top shops including Ogilvy & Mather, mcgarrybowen, Energy BBDO and Deutsch. He has worked on brands such as Uber, Quaker Oats, Huggies, Sears, Wrigley, BP, Arby’s, General Mills and Expedia.
People on the Move
- Monday, Jan. 23, 2017
- Monday, Jan. 23, 2017
Deluxe Entertainment Services has named veteran production executive Kerry Shea head of its Vancouver studio, overseeing day-to-day operations for Deluxe’s global visual effects (VFX) brand Method Studios and TV post/VFX brand Encore. In this role Shea will lead the studio’s world-class talent and resources to deliver the highest-quality work for feature films and episodics.
Deluxe’s Method Studios is among the largest in terms of worldwide VFX capacity, with studios in Los Angeles, Sydney, Melbourne, New York and India. A key focus for Shea will be to collaborate with worldwide counterparts and Method global head of features VFX Gabby Gourrier to match the talent and capacity of Method’s worldwide studios with clients’ creative and budget needs to provide the right combination of resources and location for any production. As the Encore team continues to raise the bar in visual sophistication for episodics, Shea’s leadership of both teams and studio-wide resources will optimize efficiency and quality across all productions.
Shea reports to president and GM of Deluxe VFX and VR Ed Ulbrich. “We’re working to align all of our VFX teams worldwide to operate as one integrated studio, and having Kerry heading our 500-person Method team in Vancouver is going to be key in the growth of our global capacity for feature films,” he said. “Kerry’s institutional and operational knowledge of VFX and post is of the highest order.”
Credited on more than 60 feature films, Shea has an extensive background in visual effects and post as well as live action, animatronics and creature effects. She joins Deluxe from previsualization company The Third Floor where she was chief operating officer. Previously she was a digital producer at Digital Domain on Disney’s massive VFX feature Tron: Legacy, head of digital production at Jim Henson Co. where she spearheaded creation of the digital studio and pipeline for the Emmy Award-winning PBS series Sid the Science Kid, production manager at DreamWorks Animation on Madagascar bidding and scheduling that feature as well as overseeing key departments, digital production manager at Sony Imageworks (Polar Express, Stuart Little 2), postproduction manager at Square USA, VFX coordinator at DreamQuest Images, and bidding producer/production manager at Banned from the Ranch. She began working on films at the age of 19, starting her VFX career at 20th Century Fox as a VFX coordinator on Alien Resurrection.
Shea said, “I’ve had the opportunity to work with Method on a number of features and I’ve always been blown away by the quality and inventiveness of the work. When I met the Vancouver teams personally, the camaraderie, the collaboration, and the welcoming environment made me want to join immediately. That culture of teamwork, on top of the talent and massive technical capability of Deluxe overall, made it a very easy decision.”
- Thursday, Jan. 19, 2017
Creative studio Artifact Design has brought postproduction veteran Kitty Snyder on board as executive producer. In this role, she will bring her expertise in developing brand and marketing strategies, cultivating client relationships, and bidding and producing projects.
Most recently, Snyder was the director of creative partnerships for the Atlanta branches of Beast, Company 3 and Method Studios, part of Deluxe Entertainment. Her previous positions include producer at ad agency Huge, working on campaigns for such clients as Airheads, Lowe’s, Mohawk, and Coca-Cola; and a nearly decade-long tenure as sr. business manager, creative services at Crawford Media Services.
Snyder’s enthusiasm for all things creative originates from a background in music. A former singer-songwriter, she has toured all the over the country both solo and with bands. She got her start in the television and film industry producing and writing for various network shows for HGTV and GPTV. Since then, she has collaborated with clients, such as Tyler Perry Studios, Cartoon Network and CNN, as well as ad agencies BBDO, JWT and Ogilvy & Mather.
- Thursday, Jan. 19, 2017
Nicholas Kemp is joining Kino Lorber as director of theatrical marketing, after a five-year run as the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s digital marketing manager. Kemp begins at Kino Lorber on January 30, and will report to the company’s sr. VP theatrical/nontheatrical distribution and acquisitions Wendy Lidell.
Kemp has been building the digital presence of the Film Society of Lincoln Center, where he’s overseen cross-channel content and digital marketing for the New York Film Festival, New Directors/New Films, and year-’round programming. He has pioneered Film Society’s video initiatives, mining the institution’s existing archives and creating new content, while serving as co-producer of its weekly podcast, The Close-Up.
Kemp has shaped the organization’s voice online and grown followers across social media channels and other digital platforms, besides bringing new, data-driven digital marketing strategies to the Film Society of Lincoln Center. Previously, he worked on web content and audience engagement campaigns for film and other media projects, including independent film website Hammer to Nail, where he helped launch their Short Film Contest.
Lidell said, “All of us at Kino Lorber look forward to working with Nicholas. He is clearly a marketing executive with multiple talents, and we are delighted to give him an opportunity to bring the skills he honed, cultivating audiences in New York, at one of the city’s great art institutions, to bear on cultivating film audiences nationwide. We welcome him to our team.”
Kino Lorber is opening Simon Stone’s The Daughter, starring Geoffrey Rush, Paul Schneider, Ewen Leslie, Miranda Otto and Sam Neill on Jan. 27 in New York, followed by Josef von Sternberg’s rarely screened and fully restored Anatahan, exclusively at Metrograph on Feb. 3. Later this year the company will release Vanessa Gould’s Obit., Bruno Dumont’s Slack Bay, and the Hungarian dramedy Kills on Wheels to theaters nationwide, to name a few of its upcoming theatrical releases.
With a library of 1,500 titles, Kino Lorber Inc. has been a leader in independent art house distribution for over 30 years, releasing over 25 films per year theatrically under its Kino Lorber, Kino Classics, and Alive Mind Cinema banners, including five Academy Award nominated films in the last eight years.
In addition, the company brings over 250 titles each year to the home entertainment market through physical and digital media releases under its five house brands. It also now distributes a growing number of third party labels in all ancillary media and is a direct digital distributor to all major digital platforms including iTunes, Netflix, Hulu, Filmstruck, Tribeca Shortlist, Amazon, Vimeo, VHX, Fandor, and Mubi.
- Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2017
Global creative studio MPC announced that colorist Houmam “H” Abdallah has joined its global MPC Color team. Abdallah starts his MPC career in London but will later move to Los Angeles, and work alongside colorist Mark Gethin, U.S. creative director/Color, and colorist Ricky Gausis.
Abdallah has spent the past three years coloring as well as directing projects out of Black Dog Films. He has also worked at Electric Theatre Collective collaborating with directors including Andreas Nilsson, Saam Farahmand, directing duo Us, Sam Miller, Nick Gordon and Rollo Jackson. Among the commercial work he has graded is the Gold Lion-winning Women’s Aid “Look At Me” campaign via WCRS London, and spots for Nike, Audi, adidas, Virgin Atlantic, Dyson, Glenfiddich, Intel and McLaren, to note a few.
“Joining MPC in Los Angeles is a golden opportunity to work with the best directors and cinematographers in the world and amongst colleagues I have long admired and been inspired by, Mark Gethin and Ricky Gausis,” Abdallah said. “I’m excited to collaborate with new commercial clients on memorable brand work, and now that I’m in the entertainment capitol of the world, I look forward to getting in the mix of grading films and TV series.”
Abdallah has lent his artistic touch to music videos for artists FKA Twigs, The Last Shadow Puppets, The War On Drugs and Blur, as well as short films including Tomorrow’s Flames are Already Burning. He graded FKA Twigs promo “M3LL155X” (Melissa) which was nominated in 2016 for both Best VFX at the MTV VMAs and Best Color at the UK MVAs. He also graded the Twigs’ “Two Weeks,” a nominee for Best VFX at the MTV VMAs in 2015. And H was the colorist for Clock Opera’s “Once And For All,” which earned director Ben Strebel a Cannes YDA honor.
Recent work from the MPC LA Color team includes Mike Mills’ 20th Century Women (colorist Gethin), FX’s critically acclaimed series “Atlanta” (Gausis), Samsung Surf’s “Snail” (Gausis), Vaseline’s “Wonder Jelly” (Gethin) and The Weeknd’s “Mania” (Gethin).
- Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2017
Media agency Carat USA has appointed Anathea Ruys to serve as SVP, managing director of its Los Angeles office. In her new role, Ruys will be responsible for the success of Carat’s client partnerships by fostering its current relationships as well as establishing new ones. She will report to Michael Epstein, president and chief client officer of Carat USA.
Ruys has over 20 years experience leading teams in media, advertising and content agencies, building strong collaboration between clients and their agency partners. She has worked across a range of categories including FMCG, entertainment, telco, beverages and retail in local and regional roles across Asia Pacific. Most recently, she was the head of Fuse, the branded content, sponsorship and ideation division of Omnicom Media Group Asia Pacific. Prior to Omnicom, Ruys was Managing Director of Mindshare, Melbourne. Earlier in her career she was the managing director at Clemenger Harvie Edge, Melbourne and also served a 10-year stay at Spark Activate, where she grew the agency from a small boutique PR agency into one of New Zealand’s leading activation agencies.
- Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2017
The Association of Film Commissioners International (AFCI) has announced the appointment of four new officers to its 2017 Board of Directors:
- 1st vice-chairman, Nick Maniatis, director, New Mexico State Film Office (US)
- 2nd vice-chairman, Dr. Marijana Stoisits, CEO, Vienna Film Commission (AT)
- Treasurer, Karen Carberry-Warhola, director, Maine Film Office (US)
- Secretary, Jess Conoplia, sr. VP--US Production & Events, British Film Commission (UK)
Kevin Jennings, executive manager, Film Otago Southland (NZ), continues as AFCI Chairman completing the final year of his two-year term that began in 2016.
In October 2016, AFCI announced its elected two-year term board members: Tim Clark, Buffalo Niagara Film Commission (US); Sigmund Elias Holm, film commissioner, Western Norway Film Commission (NO); Heather Page, director, Texas Film Commission (US); and Virginia Pearce, director, Utah Film Commission (US).
They join current board members with one year remaining in their respective terms: Jeanne Corcoran, Sarasota County Film & Entertainment Office (US), and Pamela Haynes, West Virginia Film Office (US).
AFCI executive director Kevin Clark applauded the results of the election. “Once again we look forward to working with a diverse, experienced and capable group leading our organization.”
- Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2017
Independent agency Cutwater has brought on board Stephanie Foster as business development director, Michael Huntley as exec producer, William Yen as media executive, and Rebeca Schefkind as art director.
In the agency’s newly created role of business development director, Foster will be responsible for finding clients that are in need of a Cutwater, a platform for their brand that cuts through the noise. A strategic thinker, team leader and creative problem solver, Foster formerly managed multidisciplinary teams for traditional, digital and experiential campaigns for clients, including Facebook, Instagram, Audi, TaskRabbit, Phillips 66, 76, Conoco, Russian Standard Vodka, French’s Foods, 1% for the Planet and Tyra Banks. Additionally, she spent time as the VP of Branding & Marketing at a startup incubator in Silicon Valley where her primary focus was advising early to late stage startups on marketing and branding challenges, such as go-to-market strategies and creating branding identities.
EP Huntley will oversee all production of Cutwater campaigns and projects. Prior to joining the agency, he worked at Argonaut, leading its interactive production department. Earlier he was the head of integrated production at Grey San Francisco. Huntley has extensive experience in interactive, broadcast, and print and has worked with agencies such as Goodby Silverstein & Partners, AKQA, Venables Bell & Partners, McCann Erickson and Eleven. His work for brands including Audi, Sprint, Intel, Microsoft, EA, MetLife, X-Box, Fitbit, and Virgin has been recognized by various award shows, including Cannes, D&AD, Effies, One Show, Addys, Webbys and FWA.
Yen will be responsible for managing search and display media activity for Cutwater’s clients. Prior to joining the team, Yen worked at Resolution Media. During his tenure there, his duties and responsibilities focused around SEM (search engine marketing), which now acts as the cornerstone of his skill set. He is currently working on expanding his knowledge horizontally into other channels to be able to create more holistic marketing solutions for improving both brand awareness and acquisition.
Prior to Cutwater, Schefkind was an art director at Mekanism working on brands including Pepsi, Ben & Jerry’s, MSNBC, Aquafina, Ralph Lauren, and Starbucks. Schefkind started her ad career at mcgarrybowen NY.
- Friday, Jan. 13, 2017
BBDO New York announced that Tara DeVeaux will be joining the agency as chief marketing officer. In this role, DeVeaux will report to John Osborn, CEO of BBDO New York, and be responsible for driving business growth and optimizing the agency’s marketing service offerings. In addition, the agency announced that Crystal Rix has been promoted to chief strategy officer. Rix was most recently director of business development. She is also a key member of the AT&T new agency model--a role she will continue. Both appointments are reflective of the ongoing transformation that has taken place at BBDO New York over the past year as the agency bolsters its specialist data and analytic capabilities and communications planning practice.
DeVeaux’s appointment as CMO at BBDO is a homecoming of sorts, as she previously spent nearly seven years at BBDO as a sr. account director. Most recently, she was president of MING Utility and Entertainment Group.
Rix has been with BBDO for more than 10 years, beginning as a sr. brand strategist. That background provided a unique perspective in her most recent role as director of business development, where she was instrumental in helping to win new business, such as Mattel, and shaping the agency’s new data-driven approach for handling the consolidated AT&T business. As chief strategy officer, she will continue to lead strategic guidance of the AT&T brand, as well as oversee the agency’s newly consolidated strategic practice, including communications planning and data and marketing science. She is a recipient of one of BBDO New York’s People Awards. Rix will report to Kirsten Flanik, president of BBDO New York.
DeVeaux and Rix join a senior management team that has already been rapidly expanding to include those in other specialist areas. Key hires include: Tina Allan, head of data and analytics; Sharona Sankar-King, head of marketing science; Julian Cole, head of communications planning; Denise Henry, head of the agency’s HealthWork partnership with CDM Group; and Dave Rolfe, head of integrated production.
DeVeaux joins BBDO New York the week of January 16; Rix assumes her new role immediately.
- Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2017
To support clients of its creative services as they address expanding content opportunities worldwide, Deluxe has promoted two long-time executives into new roles. Dave Grove, former SVP of sales for EFILM, moves into the role of SVP, global feature sales. Jackie Lee, former SVP of feature services for Deluxe’s Company 3, has taken on an expanded role as SVP, global client strategy, creative enterprise sales, supporting clients across Deluxe’s full portfolio of creative services worldwide.
Deluxe chief revenue officer Carol Hanley said, “With so many new content opportunities in front of them and increased global demand for their productions, our clients’ needs are changing and opening up. They need broader services and different creative talent than any one brand can offer, so we’re opening up new conduits for them to access the full range of talent, services and technologies of Deluxe around the world. Dave and Jackie have wonderful, long histories with our clients and talent, and in these new roles they’re better able to address the specific needs of each client’s unique projects as well as support the wide range of their creative undertakings.”
To support clients’ feature needs for color, finishing, and dailies solutions, Grove will leverage the services of Deluxe’s Los Angeles-based EFILM and Company 3, with studios in Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, and London; and coordinate with Deluxe facilities in Toronto, Vancouver, and Spain to serve any feature shooting anywhere in the world. Lee will focus on developing deeper client relationships, and connecting clients to the full range of the company’s creative services and brands and matching them with the right talent and capabilities across post, VFX, VR and creative marketing for features, episodics, and advertising. She will also work with the development team to drive further innovations for Deluxe’s VFX/post workflow application, The Portal, and other new technology services.
Grove built his career at Deluxe, joining the Company out of NYU Film School in 1995 and moving up the ranks of the sales organization to VP of sales, Deluxe Labs; then moving to head sales at EFILM in 2010 as SVP. Lee is a 12-year veteran of Deluxe’s Company 3, having joined the company in 2004 as executive producer to launch its then-new Features department. A native Australian, she previously served in sales/marketing and executive producer roles at Digital Pictures. Both Grove and Lee report to Hanley and are based in Los Angeles.