People on the Move

Armando Turco, BBH NY’s head of account management, has been promoted to BBH North America head of talent, a newly created position. A BBH veteran of 8 years, Turco was chosen for the role not only for his longtime immersion in the agency’s culture, but also for the perspective he brings as a seasoned agency leader, who understands how to assemble, develop and lead successful teams to achieve their best work and drive a client’s business.

Turco’s responsibilities overseeing all of talent management will not only include operations and recruitment, but also career development, education and culture enrichment. He will report directly to Pat Lafferty, CEO, BBH North America. “Cultivating and championing our talent has always been a priority at BBH. We truly believe that hiring and developing the most amazing, smart, creative, all-around good people is critical to our ongoing success. In the wake of an incredible growth year both creatively and fiscally, increased emphasis on people and leader development was an essential next step,” said Lafferty. “Armando takes so much pride in the BBH brand and has an intimate understanding of the culture here. He truly knows what it takes for a person to thrive and succeed as a ‘black sheep,’ so selecting him for this role was a natural choice.”

During Turco’s tenure, he has amassed diverse experiences with clients like Sony PlayStation, Unilever (Axe), LG, Sprite, Johnnie Walker, Baileys and Miller Lite.

Succeeding Turco as BBH NY head of account management will be Torrey La Grange, current global business director at BBH New York since 2013. During her tenure, she has worked on BBH clients Axe, Vaseline, and Robinson’s Fruit Shoot. La Grange held previous positions with such shops as Tangerine, JWT, Saatchi & Saatchi, and Publicis.

Dentsu Aegis Network has appointed Robert (Rob) Horler, CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network Northern Europe, to the role of CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network, USA, reporting to Nigel Morris, CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network Americas & EMEA. 

In this newly created position, Horler will be responsible for developing, driving and executing Dentsu Aegis Network’s strategy across this key growth region for the business.  Relocating to New York, he will take up his new role in April 2015 and will continue as a member of Dentsu Aegis Network’s global executive board. 

Horler has enjoyed a long career to date at Dentsu Aegis Network, joining the business as managing partner of Carat Interactive in 2000.  In 2002 he was promoted to managing director of Carat Interactive before going on to found Diffiniti, which became one of the largest standalone digital media agencies in the U.K. In 2009, Diffiniti was integrated into Dentsu Aegis’s iProspect network as part of the global strategy to bring together search and digital performance.

After steering the integration, Horler was appointed as managing director of Carat UK in May 2009, before being promoted to the role of CEO for Aegis Media UK in January 2011 and then to CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network Northern Europe, in February 2013.  In addition to his responsibilities as CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network Northern Europe, Horler is also chairman of Dentsu Aegis Network in the U.K. and oversees the global development of Dentsu Aegis’s iProspect and Data2Decisions brands.

Commenting on Horler’s new appointment, Nigel Morris, CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network Americas & EMEA said: “In the global context, the U.S. economy continues to show its strength, resilience and innovation, with its advertising spend now exceeding its 2007 pre-recession peak. For Dentsu Aegis Network, the U.S. has been a great success over the last five years and it will be a key driver of our future growth. With the significant momentum we have in the market, as a group and across all our agencies, by having a dedicated CEO we will take the business to the next level. With his proven track record of delivering growth for our business, his experience and expertise in the digital economy and his deep understanding of our operating model, Rob was the standout candidate following an extensive internal and external global search.”

Following Horler’s appointment as CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network USA, Thierry Jadot, CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network France will take on responsibility for the oversight of Dentsu Aegis Network Netherlands joining the existing cluster made up of Dentsu Aegis Network, France, Belgium and MENA.  Similarly, Tracy de Groose, CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network U.K., will take on additional management responsibility for Dentsu Aegis Network, Ireland, and will join the Dentsu Aegis EMEA executive board. Horler will retain his global executive responsibility for the ongoing global development of Dentsu Aegis’s iProspect and Data2Decisions brands.

Dentsu Aegis Network USA is headquartered in NY and employs approximately 4,500 staff across 20 locations in the U.S.
 

Kevin Bradley has joined entertainment advertising and marketing agency AKA NYC as cultural business supervisor. Bradley brings more than 15 years of experience in marketing for arts organizations and non-profits, including leadership roles with Sotheby’s, Washington DC’s Signature Theatre and Momentum Worldwide. In his new role, Bradley will focus on developing relationships with performing arts groups, museums and other cultural organizations nationwide.

Bradley’s arrival is part of AKA NYC’s broader effort to diversify beyond its core business in marketing for Broadway shows and other live events. Managing partner Scott Moore said that the firm’s innovative “360 strategy,” an integrated package of advertising, marketing, partnerships, interactive, research and campaign management, can benefit a range of organizations and brands.

“We are seeking to branch out and create new opportunities for our staff to work on projects that are challenging and stimulating,” Moore stated. “We do a lot of work for institutional clients in the theater space and find that very rewarding. Cultural organizations are a natural fit for us; we believe we have a lot to offer such groups.”

AKA’s London office has a long history of working with museums, performing arts groups, non-profits and governmental bodies, including London’s Tate Modern, Royal Opera House and National Theatre.

Bradley most recently led the independent marketing consultancy Stringham Lane Marketing. Previously, he served as sr. brand strategist/head of marketing communications for Sotheby’s, New York. His background also includes director of marketing and communications for Signature Theatre, manager, business leadership for Momentum Worldwide, and business development manager for Plum Benefits.

Bradley’s career highlights include the marketing strategy and content development behind Sotheby’s record-breaking auction of Edvard Munch’s The Scream; the marketing campaign for Signature Theatre’s world premiere of Michael John Lachiusa’s Giant; the advertising launch behind the opening of the Rubin Museum of Art; and off-Broadway advertising campaigns for the Tony Award-winning I Am My Own Wife and Grey Gardens. He has worked with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Martha Graham Dance Company, the American Museum of Natural History, the New York Public Library, the Smithsonian Institution’s Cooper Hewitt Museum and Playwrights Horizons.

Bradley said that cultural institutions are facing increased challenges in funding and audience development. “The media market has fragmented and cultural groups face more competition than ever for people’s time,” he observed. “Organizations need to be more creative and tech savvy in reaching audiences.”

He added, “AKA combines a dynamic creative and aesthetic approach with state-of-the-art analytics. The agency has a great team and an outstanding body of work. It makes it very easy for me to talk to organizations about how we can help them.”

Slim Pictures has signed director Jason Headley for commercial representation. Known for his performance- and dialogue-driven work, Headley has a track record for viral hits, most notably his short It’s Not About The Nail, which has reached 12 million-plus views and counting.

Headley began his storytelling career in earnest with the publication of his novel, Small Town Odds. His journey in advertising began with a job in the mailroom of a San Francisco-based agency where he quickly worked his way up to copywriter. Headley’s first directing gig came at the suggestion of a producer, who offered him the opportunity to helm a spot he had written for Ancestry.com.

From there, he began writing and directing comedic shorts for fun. One such personal project--the witty web short series At The Bar--led to Sundance and Heineken commissioning Headley to create a batch of four new films as sponsored content.

Headley has directed work for Reliant Energy, TiVo, Mass Mutual, and AMC Networks, among others, and his short films have been featured on NBC’s Today Show, SundanceTV, and the front pages of Funny or Die and Reddit.

Headley’s distinct comedic voice is what caught the attention of Slim Pictures EP Tom Weissferdt.  “Jason’s command of story and performance speaks for itself, but I really appreciate his versatile artistic background and output,” said Weissferdt. “The spectrum of what Jason does creatively is so much broader than just directing commercials.”