People on the Move

The Marketing Arm, the Omnicom agency behind Pepsi’s award-winning “Uncle Drew” film series and the Dove Men+Care “Real Strength” video, has hired Greg Neal as VP, head of production, a new position at the company. Based in the agency’s Dallas office, Neal will be responsible for leading the agency’s video content studio. He will report to CEO Dan Belmont.
 
“From in-house producers to a network of studio partners and makers, The Marketing Arm’s hub-and-spoke model helps us pivot to the right content solution for our clients,” said Belmont. “Greg’s the perfect guy to build on this model and deliver at the speed and efficiency brands are demanding today.”
 
A seasoned media executive with 20 years of experience launching cable television networks in Los Angeles and New York, Neal most recently served as VP for Silicon Valley-based Clippit, the popular mobile app used by media platforms such as SB Nation, Bleacher Report and USA Today that allows users to share live TV clips to social media.
 
Previously, Neal served on the executive teams that helped launch Pac-12 Sports Networks and OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network. He also served as a VP of creative for Food Network. His television work has earned more than 70 creative awards, including from Promax, Telly, and the New York Festival.
 
“Over the last several years, I’ve been impressed — and a little jealous — of the terrific content work that The Marketing Arm has been doing for brands like Frito-Lay, Pepsi, AT&T, the NBA, and on and on,” said Neal. “They’re great storytellers, but they understand how to create content that solves many of the challenges that our clients are facing. Great work, great creative minds, big ideas.”

Cross-cultural agency the community, part of SapientNitro, has promoted three key executives to new leadership roles as VPs. 

Ricky Vior and Rodrigo Butori will be elevated to VP, executive creative director. In these new roles, Vior and Butori will continue to oversee the day-to-day creative work for the community’s clients such as Verizon, Constellation Brands, Converse, The Kroger Company and BMW. In addition, they will also be tasked with helping shape the agency’s future, not just creatively but also from a business perspective. They will continue to report to co-founder and chief creative officer Joaquin Molla.
 
Additionally Ana Bermudez, who currently serves as group account director, will be promoted to VP, group account director. Bermudez will continue to head up the agency’s largest accounts, Verizon and Kroger, among others, and will be tasked to help lead the shop’s future growth efforts as well. She will continue to report to president Luis Montero.
 
“Our position as a creative agency with a fresh voice in a crowded market place is due in large part to Ricky and Rodrigo and their efforts over the years. And Ana right out of the gate has shown a tremendous ability to partner and strategize with our clients,” said Molla. “This group of executives are cut from the cloth of curiosity and I have no doubt that they will continue to help us be fearless and focused as we grow and evolve.”
 
With decades of experience creating breakthrough campaigns, Vior and Butori’s work has been recognized by nearly every major advertising awards show, winning honors at the Cannes Festival of Creativity, One Show, CLIO Awards, D&AD, The New York Festival, The London Festival, Festival Iberoamericano de la Publicidad (FIAP), and more.
 
Vior joined the community in 2000 when it was founded and helped build the agency’s creative reputation from the ground up. He started his career at Vegas Olmos Ponce/Lowe as a sr. art director and at BBDO as a jr. art director. Throughout his career, he has worked with brands like Pepsi, Nike, Volkswagen, Fedex, Audi, MTV, VH1, Citibank, and Subway.
 
A native of Brazil, Butori joined the community in 2009. Prior, Butori held creative roles in both the U.S. and Brazil including at David&Goliath, TBWA\Chiat\Day, Lowe Lintas Brazil, and Young & Rubicam Brazil. Throughout his career, he has created and overseen campaigns for brands like Toyota, Ford Motors, Dannon, Colgate, Beck’s Beer, Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, Heineken, ESPN, Virgin Mobile, VISA, and Nissan.
 
Bermudez is a recent addition to the community, having joined the agency in 2015. Prior to joining, she was a group account director at Alma DDB where she was responsible for developing and driving strategic plans for brands like McDonald’s, Diageo, and McCormick. Bermudez also held account roles at SapientNitro and Crispin Porter + Bogusky working on such brands as Vitaminwater, MinuteMaid, Breakfast Biscuits, Old Navy and Burger King, both in the U.S. and in Spain.

The Sweet Shop has promoted its head of production, Preston Garrett, to the role of executive producer. Garrett will oversee all production that comes through the Los Angeles office, driving future growth for The Sweet Shop in North America by expanding opportunities for its directors. 

With over nine years of experience, Garrett began his career in film and commercial advertising as a staff production coordinator at Form. He then worked as a freelance copywriter for commercial, TV and feature projects before joining Green Dot Films as a staff producer in 2011. Garrett joined The Sweet Shop in 2014 as head of production working on key projects, including the first ever commercial for Houzz, as well as ads for Lexus and Walmart. He has also worked with brands Audi, Dodge, Coors, Chevy, Wells Fargo, Dannon, Houston Methodist Hospital, McDonald’s, Almay, Netflix and NBC.
 
Laura Thoel, managing director of The Sweet Shop’s U.S. operations, described Garrett as “the backbone of our LA office.” 
 
“For the last few years, Mr. Garrett has been integral to The Sweet Shop’s growth in the U.S. market,” said Paul Prince, The Sweet Shop’s CEO and founding partner. “He shares our philosophy and our goals and he’s ensured the quality of our directors’ work throughout the region.”

Framestore Pictures has signed directors Anh Vu and Marcus Ubungen. The NYC-based Vu has a background in design and visual effects. Having started at Psyop in 2007 as a designer, Vu quickly elevated into Psyop’s director collective. To date, she has contributed to several award-winning campaigns for brands like Aetna, GE, Volkswagen, JBL, Samsonite, Stand Up To Cancer, Michelin and Silk. 

San Francisco native Ubungen has worked at creative agency Goodby, Silverstein, & Partners directing content for clients Chevrolet, Motorola, Adobe, Google, and Specialized Bikes. In 2014 he turned to directing full-time and went on to shoot campaigns for Gatorade, Samsung, Toyota, and Porsche. His last short film Halloween Meets Gasoline was staff picked by Vimeo and screened at SXSW.

Both directors have recently launched compelling personal projects; Vu’s Never to Forget portrays the lives of women and children from the state of Rajasthan, India, and their fight for equality while Ubungen’s Beyond The Fields follows child boxers in rural Thailand.