People on the Move

Andrea (Ring) Grodberg has been appointed global chief strategy officer for VMLY&R. The role will provide strategic leadership across the network’s nearly 100 offices in 45 countries as Grodberg heads strategy for key client accounts including The Coca-Cola Company. Grodberg will join the agency’s global leadership team, reporting to global CEO Jon Cook.

Throughout her career, Grodberg has placed brand experience (BX) and customer experience (CX) at the center of her thinking. Grodberg most recently served as chief strategy officer at BBDO, where she leveraged principles of creativity, deep brand strategy, data rigor and advanced technology. Prior to that, Grodberg was global chief strategy officer at Big Spaceship serving clients like Starbucks, Chase Bank, and Pepsi. She spent 10 years at R/GA, including five heading strategy for the agency. Over the past 25 years, she has also held key strategy roles at J. Walter Thompson, Bigchalk.com, and Digital Pulp Advertising.

“Andrea is an industry leading talent, motivated to shape culture and grow brands,” said Cook. “She brings a depth of experience influencing strategy across regions, clients and diverse disciplines. And she is a true connector of ideas and people. Andrea’s finely honed brand expertise and XD craft will uncover new opportunities for our agency and client partners.” 

Grodberg has been awarded numerous strategy and creative awards including Cannes Lions, Chiat Strategy Awards, and Effies for brands including Nike, Barnes and Noble, MARS, Converse, and McCormick. She is dedicated to using the next chapter of her career to deepen her commitment to sustainability, equity, and helping all companies do good, by doing good.

Grodberg said, “The time for change in the world of business is here as is the time for agencies to take a more aggressive role in that change. Agencies have the privilege and responsibility to help brands modernize--to lead our clients to responsible growth and give people the progressive options and experiences they deserve. The only way to do this is to make it easy for our clients to be future-oriented. I’m thrilled to join an agency leading the industry’s most advanced, and actionable work across CX, BX and Commerce. At this point in my career, I can’t wait to join a team that has the power and potential to make a positive impact.”

Grodberg is based in New York and volunteers for Potential Energy, a climate-focused advertising project.

Creative marketing agency Compadre has brought Patrick Jones on board as executive creative director, creative. He will work closely with Curtis Doss, executive creative director, design, overseeing projects and campaigns for Compadre’s existing clients, as well as helping expand the agency’s footprint into new verticals and markets with his expertise in social media, Web3/Metaverse, and experiential. 

Robert Blatchford, Compadre co-president, said of Jones, “He’s a big-picture conceptual thinker with strong experience in innovative 360 initiatives. That, coupled with Curtis’ beautifully designed storytelling, will lead the way in shaping and elevating the ‘big idea’ for our clients.”

“Compadre has a strong footprint in the world of entertainment marketing--from leading names like ESPN and CBS to tech-forward brands like Netflix, Amazon, Apple, and Meta that have emerged as big players in the space,” added Jones. “I’m excited to help build on that legacy and help break new ground as we harness the exciting things that are happening at the intersection of media, tech, and storytelling today.” 

Jones joins Compadre following a tenure at modern marketing agency Known, where, as group creative director for growth & innovation, he spearheaded campaigns and projects for HBO Max, Netflix, Spotify, Paramount Pictures, and CNN, to name just a few.

Another highlight from Known was the Promax-winning, immersive transmedia campaign for the TBS comedy series Chad, which saw Jones develop an in-world cross-platform social campaign where the titular awkward teen attempts to become a social media star. This allowed Jones and his team to collaborate with the show’s creator and star, SNL’s Nasim Pedrad, creating wholly original comedy content that ran parallel to the show’s first season.

“If a fan is going to follow our marketing, we want it to offer a deeper experience that builds on the world of the IP and rewards their investment,” observed Jones. “That’s the sweet spot, especially for Gen Z, who have infinite options to spend their attention and time on.” 

Another particularly innovative campaign of Jones’ saw Postmates team up with TikTok for an L.A.-exclusive experience, where local restaurants whipped up the platform’s most popular recipes for delivery, like whipped coffee and pancake cereal. The campaign, launched at the height of COVID-19, helped raise funds for local restaurants during lockdown and led Rolling Stone to comment, “Postmates launching a menu based on TikTok trends is the most 2020 thing ever.” 

Originally hailing from New Orleans, Jones studied both advertising and psychology at the University of West Florida--a perspective he sees as key to his marketing perspective. After beginning his career in NYC where he worked on numerous brands like Heineken, Charmin, Reebok, and Verizon, he relocated to Los Angeles in 2015 and transitioned primarily into entertainment marketing. Since making this shift, he has done everything from using bleeding-edge Adobe motion capture tech to host a livestream Q&A with Sherlock Gnomes, to launching the biggest continuous grid takeover in Instagram history for HBO Max, to writing and producing interactive video content with John Cena for Peacemaker (a career highlight for the WWE fan).

“Ultimately, the best creative is all about paying attention to shifts in the ways that audiences consume what you’re putting out there, and really asking yourself why fans care about something in the first place,” concluded Jones. “Once you know that, you can start to figure out where people will be in a few years, and get in on the ground floor. Plant your flag early, so that you’re not trying to play catch-up. Out on the edge is where the coolest stuff is typically done.”

Animation studio Golden Wolf has promoted long-time executive producer Dotti Sinnott to the new title of managing director for the studio while adding Heidi Stephenson as head of production, and elevating Tan Jones to exec producer.  

Sinnott originally joined the studio’s London-based office in 2015 as a freelance producer where she oversaw projects for Nike, Disney, Ubisoft, and more. In 2017, she assumed the title of EP and spearheaded the studio’s expansion into New York City. Her leadership played an integral role for the studio’s transition into remote production during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now in her seventh year with Golden Wolf, Sinnott will now oversee the business operations for both the New York and London offices as managing director.  

Stephenson, a newcomer to the animation studio, has experience spanning from animation production all the way to broadcasting and will manage internal production across both offices as the head of production. Executive producer Jones assists in managing the production team and has overseen projects for brands such as Nike and Adidas. A fellow Golden Wolf veteran, Jones’ promotion includes the new responsibility of spearheading all new business ventures for the studio globally. 

“I couldn’t be more excited to have Dotti, Heidi and Tan by my side as we take Golden Wolf to the next stage of our evolution,” said Golden Wolf founder Ingi Erlingsson. “Having been my right hand woman for over half a decade, Dotti is the perfect person to lead this exceptional team into uncharted territory as we broaden our horizons into music, AI and more.”

Golden Wolf recently celebrated its ninth anniversary earlier this month. The studio has 27 staff members total, with team members hailing from countries around the world.  
 

Camp + King has promoted Katie Burleson to sr. art director and Justin Marimon to sr. 3D artist.

Burleson is being promoted from art director. For the past four years, Burleson’s visual storytelling talent has been put into play in international galleries and for brands like Cesar Dog Food, Wells Fargo, Papa Johns, and RE/MAX. 

Of her promotion, Burleson said, “Since my first day at Camp + King I’ve felt lucky to be at an agency that prioritizes heart, creativity, and a good laugh! Better yet, I’ve been surrounded by great people who have helped me grow so much.”

Marimon is being promoted to sr. 3D artist from motion graphics artist. Marimon prides himself on being a multi-disciplinary designer, animator, and a lifetime-student of his craft. He started his career as a graphic designer with a passion for commercial photography and has since expanded his skillset to include CGI motion graphics as well as VFX and compositing. When art directors present groundbreaking concepts, Marimon aims to be the artist that can make it a reality, regardless of the toolset required.

“I started at Camp + King as a 2D visual designer with aspirations of learning animation,” said Marimon. “At every turn, they’ve supported my learning, growth, and constant exploration into new mediums.”