People on the Move

John Lux has been hired to serve as executive director of entertainment and production association Film Florida Inc. With increased membership and the greater role the organization now plays in marketing the State of Florida for production and digital media companies and projects, Film Florida added the full-time position. Lux had previously been on Film Florida’s executive board as treasurer as well as being chair of the marketing committee. The announcement comes days after Film Florida announced Kelly Paige as the new incoming president for 2016-2017.

“Based on the growth the organization has seen over the past few years, this is an obvious next step to continue the positive momentum forward. We’re are thrilled and fortunate to recruit John in this role,” said Paige. “Our organization is made up of volunteers from around the state, but to now have a full-time executive focused on Film Florida’s future and the entire industry is a huge advantage. I look forward to working with John in strengthening our role in marketing, membership and legislative matters as it relates to the production and digital media industry in Florida.”
 
Film Florida is dedicated to developing new marketing and legislative strategies with an emphasis on increasing membership and adding new programming initiatives to maximize the exposure and diversity of the Film Florida brand.
 
Lux related, “The production and digital media industry has been an economic driver in Florida for decades through high-paying jobs, economic development and enhanced tourism and I look forward to spreading that message and strengthening our industry. Our industry, with 16,000 companies in Florida and 100,000 Florida residents working in the industry, is stronger as one voice than many individual voices so focusing on membership and keeping everyone together will be key.”
 
As treasurer the last two years, Lux has helped grow the organization’s financial position. As marketing chair, he executed the Film Florida rebrand in December 2014, creating an entirely new image, website, sizzle reel and visible internal and external presence. He has worked with the legislative & marketing committees to create and deploy two major legislative toolkits, developing all aspects from statistics to style, presenting the document in a professional manner aligned with high-quality industry standards. Lux also took over the social media strategy and execution for Film Florida in 2014, which has resulted in increased participation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram by the thousands. He has also been integral to the legislative efforts, meeting with over 40 legislators and aides since joining the executive board.

Standard Time, a content and design studio based in L.A., has made a number of new hires and promotions. On the latter score, Spencer Somers has been upped to creative director from associate creative director while Sara Karnowski has been promoted to account director.

Somers joined Standard Time in 2012 as a copywriter and has served as a creative problem solver for such clients as Starbucks, CVS Pharmacy, TOO FACED Cosmetics and olloclip. He’s been a key contributor—helping win new business, creating holistic campaign strategy, managing freelancers and partnering directly with a diverse set of clients. Somers is a graduate of the NYU Gallatin School of Individualized Study, where he created one of the first mash-up movie trailers. His work was exhibited in 2013 at The Museum of The Moving Image in NYC. 

Karnowski started at Standard Time nearly 18 months ago. In her new capacity she will lead both client side management and project management departments. She has international experience managing successful campaigns across a variety of media for such global brands as Red Bull, L’Oreal Paris, Lexus and Triumph International. It was while living in Cape Town, South Africa, a city bursting with culture and creativity, that she realized her love for all things creative.  

As for Standard Time’s hires, Amy Marek has come on staff as production head in charge of the agency’s in-house production and postproduction divisions, as well as broadcast. And Ashley Jones has joined as associate creative director.

Marek began her content producing career at The Martin Agency and several years later moved to San Francisco to work at Camp+King where she led in all parts of the process from research and strategy to production, while also helping with new business. Key clients have included Expedia, Discover Card, Hanes, Experian and Pizza Hut. In the past year Standard Time has produced all video work in house for Sephora, Twitter, CVS Health, and Ole Smoky Moonshine. 

Born and raised in Toronto, Jones has spent most of her career in New York City. She worked at the design firm RoAndCo where she was the studio’s art director in addition to leading all interactive design projects. In 2013, Jones was awarded a Young Guns award from the ADC. She then worked as an art director at Partners & Spade, where she combined her love for branding, art direction and the online world, to build holistic brand identities for a diverse portfolio of clients. Jones has experience with larger brands, such as Warby Parker, Target, Moda Operandi, and Etsy, as well as smaller brands such as M. Gemi, Frances Valentine and Loeffler Randall. She recently led the rebrand for Peloton Cycle. 

Somers and Jones will lead Standard Time’s creative department and report directly to executive creative director Michael Sharp.

Creative marketing agency Erwin Penland has promoted Karen Mawhinney and Kat Shafer to the newly created position of managing director. Additionally, Jeff Hoffman has been upped to director of business development.

Shafer, Hoffman and Mawhinney had been SVPs, group account directors.

Reporting to Allen Bosworth, co-president and COO, Shafer will handle half of Erwin Penland’s client portfolio, including Califia Farms, CIT Bank, hello products, L.L.Bean, TUMI, Verizon and others. This promotion comes on the heels of three new business wins in which Kat played an integral role.

Mawhinney will continue to lead Denny’s, The UPS Store, and Sears Auto Center, in addition to others. She is a trusted advisor to these teams and has generated significant organic growth opportunities, including leading the Denny’s team from a small, project-based account in 2009 to its current agency of record status attained in 2013.

Havas Worldwide has appointed Michael Keany to the newly created role of chief commercial officer, Americas, effective June 27.

Keany will be responsible for developing and expanding Havas Worldwide’s digital capabilities in North and South America, with a focus on developing strategic partnerships, identifying new lines of business for Havas and its clients, and scaling digital products and services.  
 
“Throughout his career, Michael has helped organizations use emerging technologies to develop disruptive products and services, enter new markets, and drive client impact,” said Andrew Benett, CEO of Havas Worldwide and Havas Creative Group. “As we aim to continuously transform for the future, Michael will help better position both Havas and our clients for success.”

Keany is a seasoned digital leader and business builder with over 25 years of experience. He joins the agency from McKinsey & Company, where he served as VP and co-founder of McKinsey Academy, a platform as a service (PaaS) start-up focused on digital professional development. Most recently, Keany led Digital Quotient (DQ) and Digital Capabilities (DC), two new ventures that focus on digital transformation. Previously, Keany worked at three iconic digital design innovation firms: Schematic, Method, and Code and Theory, where he was first EVP of strategy and marketing development and, later, CEO.

“I’m delighted to be joining Havas at this exciting time for the industry,” said Keany. “With its commitment to true multidisciplinary collaboration, Havas understands that real innovation requires outstanding teamwork. I look forward to finding better ways to evolve current capabilities and drive business impact.”

Keany will be based in New York and report to Benett.