| Reel Chicago – At the intersection of Chicago Advertising, Entertainment, Media and Production
Reel Chicago is a daily digital magazine that covers the news in Chicago on all aspects of advertising, film, TV, media and production. The content is original, written by industry experts and contributing Op Eds
Historically, Mad Men who are transferred or recruited by a Chicago agency for top management or creative positions don’t buy houses and settle in for the long haul. A two-year span is about the length of their Michigan Avenue tenure.
DDB Chicago’s Diane Jackson’s new title of Chief Production Officer is confirmation of management’s high regard for her being “formative in strategizing for the entire network,” as president/CEO Paul Gunning put it.
Minority owned New York ad agency HERO Group (aka HERO Collective) filed suit against Omnicom-owned agency DDB in Illinois Northern District Court court this week, alleging DDB “exploited” HERO to win the U.S. Army contract and didn’t pay it for two years of work. Chicago-based Swanson, Martin & Bell and Beverly Hills-based Singh, Singh & … Continue reading “Minority New York agency sues DDB over Army account”
The coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect ad agencies, causing reductions of staff, salary cuts and furloughs. DDB, Chicago is the latest agency forced to slightly restructure. The agency has reportedly laid off 30 people including global business director for Unilever, Mark Mulhern, and chief people officer, North America Britt Hayes. Last week, our sister outlet Reel … Continue reading “DDB Chi reportedly reduces staff by 30”
After a month-long competitive review, the brand moves its creative to the newly created unit fifty5Zero Pass DDB Chicago a Blue Moon. The agency announced last week that client Chicago-based MillerCoors has decided to move creative responsibilities for its Blue Moon brand to fifty5Zero, a newly created unit of DDB. According to a spokeswoman, this … Continue reading “DDB taps into Blue Moon as AOR”
NAMES IN THE NEWS. Industry veteran Tom Fletcher, the former Fletcher Camera & Lenses executive, was named director of sales at Fujifilm’s optical devices division. In his new post, Fletcher, who has been consulting for the company for almost a year, will oversee sales and promotion of Fujifilm’s broadcast and cinema lenses in North America, reporting to division VP Gordon Tubbs and working out of a Lake Forest office.
DDB Chicago’s award-winning Diane Jackson was elevated to the newly-created and wider-ranging position of Chief Production Officer, from EVP/Director of Integrated Production.
She has headed an award-winning production team since rejoining the agency in 2007 and will continue to report to DDB CCO John Maxham.
FIRST NEW AD BUSINESS of the year was announced by DDB Chicago, which has succeeded The Martin Agency on creative duties for the $30 million American Cancer Society account, following a recent review.
PARTICLE’S LA BRANCH has hired Eddie Alonso to head the post audio company’s West Coast expansion via a new position that encompasses engineering, mixing, sound design and composition.
How does an agency with a reputation for great television commercials prove its worth in the digital arena? If the agency is DDB-Chicago, it’s simply a matter of flaunting the digital work it’s been doing all along on social media sites like Instagram.
DDB Chicago’s new chief creative officer is John Maxham, who is returning to the agency after a four-year stint with Cole + Weber, Seattle.
Prior to Cole + Weber, Maxham worked at DDB for two years as group creative director on the AT&T business. He replaces CCO Ewan Paterson who left the agency last August to return to his native London.
DDB’S BIG COUP to start the year was importing of Brit Tony Malcolm to fill the top creative spot on its US McDonald’s business. He comes from nearly a decade with Leo Burnett, London, which has McDonald’s business for the UK.
His first day was Monday, Jan. 7.
The devastation of the deadly May tornado that swept the Ozarks was still evident when Cap Gun Collective director Tom Haines shot the band Civil Wars’ music video in June on a 150-mile stretch from Arkansas to Missouri.
“The One that Got Away” is the first single from the Grammy-winners’ self-titled new album, released just as the chart-topping band announced it was going on hiatus.
