The historic merger of two big agencies, DraftWorldwide and FCB, to form a giant shop under the Interpublic Group umbrella, has also created one huge production department.
The department’s new combined name is “broadcast production,” reflecting the traditionalism of FCB and emerging media, more in tune with DraftWorldwide’s flashier “below-the-line” direct marketing specialty.
Heading the 70-person department is Michael Davis, who wields the title of broadcast group director. He comes from the Draft side, where he’d been head of broadcast & emerging media (as they like to write it) since 2003.
From the FCB side, former production head Chris Bing takes on the supervision responsibility of all producers as director of broadcast creative production. Ron Lazzeretti was appointed director, of broadcast content development.
“Chris will help build out how producers will create and produce work across all media, as well as looking specifically at the challenge of rising production costs and the rise in expectations of better creative,” noted Davis.
Lazzeretti’s role is to “take on the whole gamut of traditional and digital production, including TV, broadband, computer, mobile and retail TV networks, like Wal-Mart, that are deployed at the aisle,” he said.
The third side of the triangle belongs to agency newcomer Steve Morrison, an editor most recently with Foundation Post, who bears the title of director, broadcast editorial.
