Fitzgerald & Co (Fitzco) has added creative director/copywriter Dave Gordon and associate creative director James Beikmohamadi.
Gordon has a strong experiential and digital background and honed his creative skills at several shops over the past decade, including Razorfish in San Francisco and HUGE in Brooklyn, where he served as copywriter. Most recently, Gordon was creative director at Pereira & O’Dell in New York. Throughout his career, he’s worked on brands such as Best Buy, Intel, Microsoft, EA Games, General Mills, Procter & Gamble, Fox Sports 1, and Charter Communications.
At Fitzco, Gordon creates consumer campaigns and touchpoints for Checkers & Rally’s and several Coca-Cola brands as part of Fitzco//McCann, its dedicated unit for Coca-Cola.
“Dave is a great crossover creative who is equally at home on the digital side of our business as he is on the traditional side—and he’s already proved a hit with clients and our agency,” said Noel Cottrell, Fitzgerald’s chief creative officer.
Beikmohamadi partners with ACD Sherman Winfield. He worked at CP+B from 2010 to 2016 and split his term equally as copywriter and senior copywriter. He contributed to many of CP+B’s key accounts, including Microsoft, Best Buy, Kraft Mac & Cheese, Domino’s, Applebee’s, Velveeta Shells & Cheese, Fruit of the Loom, Infiniti and Old Navy. Prior to that, he was a copywriter at EVB in San Francisco.
“James’ book has a lot of my favorite Crispin Porter + Bogusky (CP+B) work in it from the six years he worked there,” added Cottrell. “It took some convincing to get him to leave the lucrative and flexible world of freelance, but I think he saw the opportunity in what we’re creating here in Atlanta.”
Fitzco increased its headcount almost 25% in 2016 and recruited several senior-level executives from outside the Atlanta area. The agency’s growth is the result of new business from brands such as Checkers & Rally’s, Coca-Cola’s Odwalla, and national energy company Southern Company. Creative directors Bowen Mendelson (Ogilvy & Mather, mcgarrybowen, Energy BBDO, Deutsch) and Mike Groenewald, who hails from Johannesburg, South Africa (TBWA and Ogilvy), were recently hired to work exclusively on Fitzco//McCann’s growing Coca-Cola business.
People on the Move
- Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2017
- Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2017
Matt Antonello and Noel Fenn have joined the Toronto office of FCB Canada as group creative directors. The moves reflect a growth spurt at FCB that included a number of client wins (most recently Ontario Tourism), the expansion of the creative department and the promotion of Nancy Crimi-Lamanna and Jeff Hilts to chief creative officers late last summer.
“With our move into the CCO role, we wanted to put into place a creative structure that keeps us focused on elevating our creative product on a day-to-day basis,” said Crimi-Lamanna. “In January, we promoted Jeremiah McNama and Andrew MacPhee to group creative directors and with the addition of Matt and Noel, we’ve rounded out a senior creative leadership team that will help us continue to build on our momentum.”
Antonello got his start as a writer and was most recently creative director with Saatchi & Saatchi. During his time there, The Gay Sweater Project earned a shelf-full of creative hardware including The Impact Award at the D&AD awards. Earlier in his career at DDB, he won two Cannes Lions for Cialis “Mustang” and Best of the Best at the CMAs for Subaru “Carwash.”
Fenn got his start as a designer and art director and was most recently at Zulu Alpha Kilo as associate creative director. Like Antonello, Fenn has a long list of international and domestic awards on his resume. At Zulu Alpha Kilo he worked on Cineplex’s much loved “Lily and the Snowman” and 1903 | A Harley-Davidson Café. Earlier in his career he earned One Show, Effie and Clio acclaim for his work on IKEA’s Human Coupons.
- Monday, Feb. 6, 2017
Independent creative agency Battery has hired Scott Brown as VP, creative director, and promoted Raymond Hwang to VP, creative director.
Brown comes to Battery having previously been a creative director for TBWA\Chiat\Day in Los Angeles where he worked for the past 15 years on a variety of accounts, including Airbnb, Visa, Netflix, Nissan, Southwest Airlines and Activision. He worked directly with Lee Clow on Pepsi (Refresh) and has won top awards including One Show, D&AD, Cannes, Communication Arts and Effies.
At Battery, Hwang has led award-winning campaigns for Warner Brothers Injustice 2, Mortal Kombat X, Mike’s Hard Lemonade and LEGO. He was previously at Saatchi & Saatchi and TBWA\Chiat\Day where he worked on clients such as Toyota, Surfrider, PlayStation, Energizer and Nissan.
- Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2017
72andSunny Amsterdam has recently promoted Simone Moessinger to creative director. She will continue to help 72andSunny Amsterdam dig deeper to deliver progressive work that works across borders and deep in markets with partners such as Axe, Google, HeForShe, adidas, Bugaboo. Moessinger will report to executive creative directors Carlo Cavallone and Stuart Harkness.
Swiss-American Moessinger grew up between Europe and the U.S., and is fluent in six different languages. With over 10 years of experience, Moessinger has worked for W+K in Portland, London and Amsterdam, creating work for Nike and ESPN, and then Anomaly NY, where she developed work for brands such as Converse, Nike, Umbro and Budweiser.
In 2015, Moessinger joined 72andSunny Amsterdam’s creative team, and since then has helped produce impactful, global work for Google, Benetton and Samsung. She is particularly proud of the work she developed for Samsung for the 2016 Youth Olympic games, which gave a voice to young athletes who often feel alone, encouraging them to pursue their dreams.
- Monday, Jan. 30, 2017
Creative editorial shop Uppercut has added editor Danielle Sclafani to its roster. Sclafani joins Uppercut--the shop founded by owner/editor Michah Scarpelli--after serving as an editor at Crew Cuts where she spent nearly seven years cutting spots for the likes of CVS, Starbucks, GE, Accenture and IBM.
“Danielle edits with such focused and deep emotion,” said Uppercut EP Stefanie Bassett. “She can make you laugh, make you cry, and feel everything in between. We are very proud to add such a strong female editor to our roster.”
- Friday, Jan. 27, 2017
Matt Miller has been promoted from executive creative director to chief creative officer of BBDO San Francisco. Miller will oversee creative direction, as well as work with BBDO S.F. president/CEO Jim Lesser and the rest of the management team on the agency’s business operation.
Miller joined BBDO San Francisco as an ECD in 2014. Over the past two years, he has helped to attract notable new business and generated high-profile work that has gained attention for clients. He led the creative for Barbie’s “Imagine the Possibilities” campaign, which was instrumental in turning that business around.
“This promotion recognizes the considerable contribution and impact Matt has had on the growth of the agency and the quality of our creative product,” said Lesser. “In his new role, Matt will have greater opportunities to help shape the future direction of the agency.”
David Lubars, chief creative officer, BBDO Worldwide, added, “Matt is a fantastic leader, I love what he’s accomplished with the agency. And, with this well-deserved promotion, I look forward to loving all the things he’s going to accomplish.”
- Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017
DDB NY has strengthened its management team with two promotions and two new hires. Melissa Martinez, former group business director, has been promoted to chief marketing officer, and Michael Collins, former global business director, has been upped to managing partner. In addition, Alexander Rea has been brought in as creative technology officer, and Kimberly Bernhardt will join the organization as managing partner.
Martinez joined DDB New York two and a half years ago, and has successfully led multiple integrated communications teams during her tenure. Most recently as group business director Martinez led integrated communications planning for the New York Lottery, and digital innovation initiatives and platform development for State Farm. In the newly created role of CMO, Martinez will be responsible for new business development, driving organic growth and leading key strategic marketing initiatives for the agency including introducing potential clients to DDB Flex, the agency’s new agency model for client service in the US.
Rea joins DDB New York as CTO from Framestore where he was head of creative technology. There, he worked on Lockheed Martin’s “Field Trip to Mars” which earned 19 Cannes Lions. Previous to Framestore he served as technology experience lead at Co: Collective. This new role is responsible for providing technology leadership and oversight for all of the agency’s projects and directs the technology strategy, development and execution. Rea’s new position is a modern creative refresh on the traditional role that experiments, invents and guides creative and strategic thinking to deliver innovative digital solutions.
As managing partner, Collins becomes further accountable for fostering an environment of collaboration and creativity, driving successful work for DDB New York’s clients, and building positive, enduring agency/client partnerships in his group, which includes clients such as Merck, Lilly, Huawei, and Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices Companies. Prior to assuming his new role, he led integrated agency teams for Johnson & Johnson’s Ethicon global surgery business. In addition, he has extensive channel knowledge including digital, sales, advertising, database analytics, and PR.
Bernhardt joins the agency from Glamour, where she served as executive director of communications and had oversight of all communications, including brand development, PR, events, partnerships and special projects. In her role, she built a number of major brand initiatives that ranged from women’s issues and politics to fashion. She most recently spearheaded Glamour’s Women of the Year. Prior to Glamour, Bernhardt was the executive vice president at Edelman on the global and U.S. Unilever business. In her role, she provided the spectrum of communications for Dove and other marquee personal care brands.
- Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2017
Creative company Imaginary Forces has added executive producer Chris Hill to its Los Angeles studio. Recent work of note at Imaginary Forces, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, includes main titles for Netflix’s summer blockbuster Stranger Things; the logo reveal for Michael Bay’s Transformers: The Last Knight--Paramount’s biggest trailer debut ever; and a one-of-a-kind immersive experience for the Empire State Building.
Hill’s diverse production experience includes commercials, experience design, entertainment marketing and branding for such clients as HBO Sports, Google, A&E, and the Jacksonville Jaguars. He joins Imaginary Forces after recently presiding over the broadcast division of award-winning entertainment marketing agency bpg.
Hill climbed the ranks at Digital Kitchen in Chicago early in his career. From business development to producing, he led the entire lifecycle of a variety of commercial, broadcast, and experiential jobs for clients, including Microsoft, Reese’s, and Coors Light. In 2011, he expanded his talents to the realm of sports marketing and branding at LA-based agency Troika, where he led accounts, such as HBO Sports, A&E, NBC Sports, and Golf Channel in major rebranding initiatives. In addition, he produced special projects for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Charlotte Hornets, and EA Sports during his four-year tenure at Troika.
“Imaginary Forces has a proven ability to use amazing design and storytelling across any medium or industry,” said Hill. “To me, that’s really powerful and exciting, and we can expand that ability to new markets, whether it’s emerging technologies, original content, or sports franchises. When you consider, for example, the investment in massive screens and new technologies in stadiums across the country, it demands the same high level of brand strategy and visual storytelling that our film and TV clients have valued for decades.”
- Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017
Circus Maximus has hired Paul Sutton as director of production. He will oversee the production and operations units for the agency which has a client roster which includes Justworks, Siggi’s, and glacéau vitaminwater.
Sutton now reunites with Ryan Kutscher, founder and chief creative officer of Circus Maximus. The two have known each other since the early 2000s when they worked together at CP+B, where Sutton built the digital and interactive production department from the ground up. “I remember sitting in a room with Paul, and people would come by and ask him to fix their email—they thought he was the IT guy,” Kutscher said. “Clients need production agility across digital platforms to grow their businesses and brands—this is non-negotiable. There’s not a better, more experienced person in the industry than Paul.”
Before joining Circus Maximus, Sutton served as a consultant for brands, including several global electronics and financial companies. He recently completed a role as the director of digital production for McCann Worldgroup’s m:united unit, where he built the production team that currently services the digital components of Microsoft’s product groups, including Windows Phone, Windows 10, PC and tablet lines.
Prior to m:united, he was director of digital production at JWT New York, where he was tasked with leading all digital production capabilities in the agency’s flagship office. He joined JWT from CP+B, where he served as VP/group executive producer, and led production on Burger King, Baby Carrots, Best Buy, Coke Zero, Jell-O, Kraft Mac & Cheese, Microsoft and Old Navy.
Earlier Sutton was director of digital production at 180LA, managing digital production for Adidas, Boost Mobile and Sony Electronics. And before joining 180LA, he started and built the interactive production group at CP+B. He was there for four years running digital campaigns for American Express, MINI, Burger King and Volkswagen.
Sutton has left a trail of award-winning campaigns in his wake. Career highlights include a Cannes Titanium for “Counterfeit MINI,” Cannes Grand Prix for Volkswagen GTI Interactive, Cannes Gold Lion for Macy’s “Yes, Virginia” school plays campaign, One Show Gold for the Domino’s “BFD Builder” and a Webby’s People’s Voice Award for Burger King’s “Whopperettes.”
- Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017
Independent creative agency Zambezi has hired Dan Maxwell as creative director, Annie Johnston as associate creative director and promoted Chris Rutkowski to associate creative director.
Maxwell, who had been freelancing in recent years, held previous staff positions as associate creative director at R/GA Los Angeles, copywriter at Wieden+Kennedy and creative technologist at Venables, Bell and Partners. He was part of the W+K team that won a Cannes Gold Grand Prix for Heineken’s “The Express” campaign featuring Daniel Craig as James Bond, and helped launch Beats by Dre while at R/GA, winning a Sports Gold Grand Clio for the “Hear What You Want” campaign.
Johnston, a veteran art director from TBWA\Chiat\Day, was an integral part of winning the Airbnb pitch and producing the Effie winning international TV commercial. Throughout her time there, Johnston worked closely with Lee Clow on animal welfare group, Best Friends Animal Society.
Rutkowski is a three-year veteran of Zambezi, which he joined after working at Pereira O’Dell. As sr. art director he was part of the Zambezi team that won the Cannes Mobile Gold Award for the “Uncommon Force” campaign for Stance.