People on the Move

Production and post house Optimus has promoted Tim Cahill to editor. Cahill brings almost a decade of experience with top agencies and brands, as well as significant industry recognition, to the chair.
 
“Tim’s easygoing manner belies the fact that he is a true professional in the edit chair,” said Optimus EP/managing director Brian Hrastar. “He runs the room effortlessly, balancing the creative and technical needs of the project while simultaneously making the clients feel immediately comfortable. Clients and Optimus producers alike know their projects are in good hands with Tim. He has built lasting relationships inside and outside the building.”
 
A University of Dayton graduate, Cahill started at Optimus in the fall of 2009 as an intern and worked his way up to assistant editor two years later. He has worked with agencies including Edelman, Leo Burnett, mcgarrybowen and Ogilvy for clients such as Barilla Pasta, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Capri Sun, Coca-Cola, DSW, Humana, JCPenney, Lincoln, and Olive Garden. Earlier this year, Cahill was nominated for AICE Awards in two different categories for his work on Leo Burnett and Off the Street Club’s “One Chicago,” which also made the AICP shortlist in 2016. 
 
“It means everything to have accomplished my goal of making editor,” said Cahill. “Years of hard work, learning, dedication and patience have paid off, and I look forward to creating and collaborating with clients and colleagues alike on exciting new projects and brands. I’ve met amazing people along the way, and look forward to continuing to do so. My new goal is to establish myself as a top-tier talent in the postproduction community.”

Yan Elliott is joining CHI&Partners as joint executive creative director, alongside Micky Tudor.
 
Elliott leaves Lucky Generals where he was creative partner, and responsible for notable recent campaigns including the Radiocentre work talking directly to the UK’s leading marketers, and Popchips campaign “Be a Bit Good.”
 
Previous to Lucky Generals, Elliott’s career spans two years at HHCL, nine years at Mother and five years as joint ECD at WCRS before leaving to start up his own agency, Fabula, in 2012.
 
Throughout his career, Elliott has created and overseen work for brands including Coca Cola, Dr Pepper, Super Noodles, Weetabix, Selfridges, Brylcreem, Sky, Orange, 3Mobile, 118 118, The Observer, Kiss FM and TfL.
 
At WCRS, he was responsible for famous work including Sky’s £100m brand campaign “Believe in Better.” He also oversaw campaigns including Brylcreem’s “Effortless,” Weetabix’s “Steeplechase,” TfL’s “Cycle Safety” and 3Mobile’s “Expo.”

At Mother, Elliott created work including Orange’s D&AD Pencil-winning “Gold Spot” cinema campaign in which celebrities such as Patrick Swayze, Carrie Fisher, Spike Lee, Darth Vader and Darryl Hannah pitched their film ideas to the Orange Film Funding Board, only to have their pitch ruined by a mobile phone. This led to the creation of Orange Wednesdays: one of the UK’s most successful sponsorship and reward programs ever, with tens of millions of tickets redeemed.
 
Elliott also made headlines at Mother for Dr Pepper’s Lion-winning “What’s The Worst That Could Happen?”--in which people tried the drink and were dramatically publicly humiliated--and SuperNoodles’ West-Side-Story-inspired spoof campaign ‘Face Off’.
 
Elliott said: “It will be hard to leave Lucky Generals – I’ll be leaving a rock-steady ship with a rock-steady crew, but for me this is a golden opportunity. CHI is small enough for me to make a difference and big enough for us to make an impact. I’m already really looking forward to working with Micky [CHI joint ECD Tudor] and Goldie [CHI CEO Sarah Golding]. 

The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures announced the appointment of Katharine DeShaw as its managing director, advancement and external relations.

Beginning on November 1, DeShaw will direct all aspects of fundraising, including completion of the $388 million capital campaign to support the new Museum, now under construction. She will play a key leadership role in expanding external relations efforts, including community and civic outreach, while supporting publicity and marketing initiatives for the Museum. 

“As we forge ahead toward our opening, Katharine brings not just expertise but also superb leadership, born of nearly three decades of success in philanthropy and the arts,” said Kerry Brougher, director of the Academy Museum. “She has the skills, the vision and, above all, the talent to help us create the great movie museum that the film capital of the world expects and deserves.”

DeShaw said, “I can’t imagine any opportunity more exciting than helping to bring the Academy Museum to the public in Los Angeles and movie fans around the world. The new facility will be extraordinary, the exhibitions and programs under development are remarkable and the base of support is strong. I can’t wait to begin fundraising for the remaining third of the $388 million campaign.”

DeShaw has led record-breaking fundraising campaigns for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, the New York City Chapter of the Multiple Sclerosis Society and Gay Men’s Health Crisis in New York City. She most recently led the consulting firm Philanthropology, which focuses on best practices in philanthropy for clients in a variety of areas, including the arts, culture, the environment, health and social justice. DeShaw serves on the faculty of the Getty Leadership Institute, an executive management program for international museum directors, and designed its fundraising curriculum.

In 2005, DeShaw was recruited by the presidents of the Ford and Rockefeller foundations to serve as the founding executive director of United States Artists (USA). In eight years, she built a national board of directors and secured a donor base of arts patrons that included Michael Bloomberg, Eli and Edye Broad, Agnes Gund, Elaine Wynn and Target. She secured $56 million in funding--including a $10 million endowment--for the USA Fellows program, providing grants to artists across all disciplines. She also incubated USA Projects, the world’s first crowdfunding website for artists.

Strategic branding and marketing innovations agency Troika has hired Nuri Djavit as its new general manager. Djavit joins Troika with 17 years of experience in global digital marketing and advertising. He is charged with overseeing day-to-day operations and leading agency growth, development and innovation from within.
 
Most recently, Djavit served as the chief marketing officer at Emotiv, a San Francisco-based tech company, where he successfully carried out marketing efforts and key commercial activities with brands such as Disney, ABC, Lucas Arts, Sony and organizations such as the World Economic Forum. At Last Exit, he transformed the design and tech innovation boutique into a multidisciplinary, full-service agency as chief operating officer. Prior to that, he was the managing director and partner at Brick & Bond, a New York-based digital strategy, marketing and product consultancy. Throughout his career, Djavit has worked with Apple, Belvedere Vodka, Cablevision and Estee Lauder, among many others.