Creative & strategic brand firm John McNeil Studio (JMS) is excited to announce the expansion of its leadership team with the addition of Executive Director, Social, Snow Burns and Executive Producer, Lauren Holmes. As celebrated talents within their fields, each will play an integral part in strengthening JMS’ offerings as it faces strong growth in an evolving landscape filled with both ongoing industry challenges and emerging opportunities.
Burns is a former member of JMS, who returns after a career spent navigating between the worlds of tech and marketing. She is a full-stack digital marketer with deep experience in analytics-driven B2B, B2C, ecommerce and retail marketing strategies — first running social media and content strategy for MyNewPlace.com and later leading global social content strategy for CA Technologies, driving a multi-million dollar paid social program. As Head of Marketing at Mountain Hardwear, she helped pivot the brand back to popularity and profitability while developing a deep understanding of outdoor, retail, ecommerce and consumer marketing across all channels and disciplines.
Besides her previous role at JMS, working with key clients like CA Technologies, Nest, Cisco, Polycom, and DocuSign, among others, Burns was also, most recently, SVP of Digital at Highwire PR.
Now as JMS’s Executive Director of Social, Burns will work to expand JMS’s social expertise and capabilities, offering best-in-class social programs that align with business strategy, deliver measurable results, push the creative envelope and most importantly — surprise and delight customers in every vertical.
“Having spent time working across the industry, I can say that the chemistry with the team at JMS is really special,” says Burns. “They are smart, funny, critical thinkers and extremely positive and supportive. We have remained close over the years and we work so well together. It has been a pleasure to watch JMS evolve since I've been gone and a privilege to rejoin and keep building.”
Meanwhile, Holmes is a unique talent in the world of film and animation production. Her awareness of emerging artists and cultural trends, along with a passion for developing collaborative client relationships to create authentic and eye-catching content, make her the perfect person to take the production offering at JMS to the next level. Holmes began her career in advertising at London’s TBWA/Media Arts Lab, the global advertising agency for Apple. From there, she joined commercial production company Nice Shirt Films and Stinkfilms, where she worked with the world’s leading advertising agencies, brands and media groups. Later she became Director of Sales at Final Cut in Los Angeles, a leading creative editorial and post-production company collaborating with top directors and agencies on the most prominent commercials, feature films and music videos.
In her role as Executive Producer at JMS, Holmes will drive growth and oversee production at The Annex — the studio’s in-house production company — together with its Managing Director, Brandon Kuchta.
“When I heard the vision JMS has for the future of The Annex, it felt like the perfect complement to the skills I have acquired over my career,” says Holmes. “The diversity in the work that they do, and the creative ways that they approach production and problem solving is very exciting. Working with such talented people with a variety of skill sets just felt like the right opportunity at just the right time.”
“These are both creative and strategic leaders at the top of their game,” explains studio Founder/CEO, John McNeil. “With Snow, we’re building world-class social capabilities and extending our strategic consulting efforts to better position JMS for future opportunities in an ever-changing landscape. Lauren will help drive production efficiencies for all JMS clients, and with her leadership, The Annex will reach new heights as a stand alone production entity. It’s an exciting time for JMS and I can’t wait to see where their talent takes us. ”
