Hasta La Creative!

Though it’s been a minute since his New Orleans Saints last won the Super Bowl, Drew Brees‘s status as one of the elite quarterbacks in the NFL hasn’t really diminished. Unfortunately, though, it seems the play-calling and other rigors of the season just aren’t cutting it for the record-setting QB these days as he’d much rather be riding a motorcycle, something that isn’t allowed per his NFL contract (well, at least the one in the ad). So, what’s the best solution? Well, retirement of course. Therein lies the premise of this new spot for the Can-Am Spyder from Chicago-based shop, The Escape Pod.

The Spyder itself is the most interesting character in the ad as it looks like something Lucius Fox would draw up for Bruce Wayne. Complete with a little dubstep and, yes, doves, the 90-second spot is a fairly amusing effort that lets Brees flaunt his off-the-field personality as he fulfills his wish. Plus, after the million Brett Favre retirement/unretirements that plagued the media a few years back, we’ll gladly take this fake one any day. Oh yeah, did we mention that there’s also a contest to win a Spyder? Credits after the jump.

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“Brand builder, leader and consummate strategic thinker” Kofi Amoo-Gottfried joins FCB Garfinkel today as chief strategic officer, replacing Sara Bamber. He will work in tandem with chief executive officer Lee Garfinkel.

Amoo-Gottfried joins FCB Garfinkel from Bacardi Rums, where he worked as a global communications director out of London. The Ghana native “created and launched the first majority-owned network agency on the African continent” while working as a managing director at Publicis West Africa. He began his career at Leo Burnett Chicago as an account supervisor and communications manager, where he worked alongside current FCB Worldwide CEO Carter Murray. The team later reunited while at Publicis. Amoo-Gottfried cited Murray as a key motivator for joining the agency. “I have a lot of faith in his ability to turn places around, to inspire and motivate,” Amoo-Gottfried said. “We are very similar. I, too, am all about creating a culture that brings people together to focus on creating incredible work, and having fun doing it.”

Amoo-Gottfried also worked as a senior strategic planner at Wieden+Kennedy, where he crafted the strategy for Nike’s global Beijing Olympics campaign. In January, he was named to Ad Age‘s “40 Under 40” list of young marketing stars. Lee Garfinkel says Amoo-Gottfried “doesn’t know where planning ends and creative begins, and that’s a formula for success.”

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Click 3X announced today that it has added The Kloons and Jetpacks Go! to the live action division of its directorial roster. Jetpacks Go! and The Kloons will also bolster Click 3X’s video amplification initiative, Multiply, which launched during Social Media Week, in partnership with WTF Studios, Marlon Wayans digital media company.

The Kloons are a collective comprised of Mitch Lewis, Greg Washburn and Nik Kazoura, who create original content such as sketch comedy, music videos and game shows for their YouTube channel, which boasts over 11 million views and 110,000 subscribers. Mitch Lewis also manages the YouTube channel for The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. Last week The Kloons were accepted into SHOOT magazine’s 12th Annual New Director Showcase.

Jetpacks Go! is comprised of directing team, Alden Ford, Justin Tyler and Bobby Webster. Ford and Tyler have been working together out of the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater for almost a decade, as writers and comedians. They have written and directed scripted and non-scripted television for Comedy Central, MTV, MTV2, FUSE, Nickelodeon and Fox Sports 1. Bobby Webster has a background in film, directing shorts and commercials, including an Oscar-winning short film. As a collective, “they specialize in producing gorgeous, creative, hilarious commercials and content for brands like Oral-B, Boost Mobile, Nerdist, Comedy Central, Trident, Silk Soymilk, Sprint and the UFC.”

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BBH has welcomed a new global chief growth officer in Michael Densmore, who you may remember from his brief stint (nine months, give or take) on the account planning and business development side at Droga5. Densmore will officially assume his post at BBH’s New York office post-Memorial Day and will work across the agency’s London, New York, Los Angeles, Singapore, Sao Paulo, Shanghai and Mumbai offices, though there will be emphasis on North America-based global businesses.

Prior to joining BBH, Densmore served as chief marketing officer at McKinney. The 20-year ad vet’s additional agency credits include time spent with JWT, Mondernista!, Fallon and W+K.

In a statement, BBH NA CEO Pat Lafferty says, “Creating the new role of Chief Global Growth Officer was a natural next step and Mike will help us continue our momentum. Mike’s been on several sides of the ad and marketing business, and his breadth of experience truly makes him the ideal choice to navigate growth for the agency.”

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Vince Gilligan needs no introduction, but he is new to the advertising game as of yesterday. The director–currently working on “Breaking Bad” spinoff “Better Call Saul”–signed with L.A./New York production company Interrogate.

No word on whether he will reveal alternate endings to the spots he directs.

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We have no idea where Chief Creative Officer Ross Ludwig of L.A and Miami-based Publicis agency Conill–described as “Saatchi’s Latino unit“–is going.

But an anonymous tipster does tell us that he’s resigning after just under two years on the job. And we like his goodbye email, subject “Farewell”:
As most of you know by now, I am leaving Conill this week. However, you might not know the reason. I’ve always believed in being as open and honest as possible, so allow me explain. I am moving on to pursue my lifelong goal of becoming an Olympic Ice Dancer. It has been my dream since I was a little boy and I know that if I didn’t pursue this now, at this moment in time, I would never get

another chance.
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Today global agency We Are Social announced two new senior hires in its New York office.

Jenn Bader joins the agency from mcgarrybowen to serve as group account director; she’ll oversee accounts including current media darling/jewel in the crown Beats by Dre. After beginning her career as a front-end developer, Bader spent six years at Digitas working on Samsung, TGI Fridays and Kraft Foods before heading to mcgarrybowen, where she oversaw digital/social for Chase and Verizon Wireless.

Craig Stauber will be director of research and insights, reporting to department head Peter Fontana. Stauber most recently spent four years as senior manager of analytics at JWT, where he primarily worked on CPG and financial services accounts. His resume also includes three years spent in the Deutsch New York analytics department.

Managing director Leila Thabet calls the two “…talented, well-versed practitioners in their fields who will provide value to clients and keep the agency on its fast growth trajectory.”

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

L.A.-based “full service Brand Response ad agency” Hawthorne Direct has named Jessica Hawthorne-Castro its new chief executive officer.

Hawthorne-Castro was promoted from VP of operations and client services to COO in June 2013; this move marks her second executive jump in less than a year.

The press release names the agency’s new chief officer as a member of the “‘next generation’ of brand marketing experts”; earlier this month she moderated a “Women in Advertising” panel sponsored by Digital Hollywood that included execs from Adobe, WongDoody, SapientNitro and others.

Hawthorne-Castro is the daughter of agency founder Tim Hawthorne, who was inducted into the Direct Response Hall of Fame in March.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

This morning we confirmed, via agency spokesperson, that Creative Director Kammie McArthur will be leaving San Franscisco’s Swirl to take a CD role at DNA in Seattle.

She beguns June 2.

McArthur brings an industry veteran’s portfolio to her new agency. Prior to joining Swirl, she performed copywriting and creative duties at Publicis‘ Seattle and Conseil/Paris offices as well as Hal Riney & Partners; her client list includes eBay, Clorox, Sprint, T-Mobile, Citi, Chevy and UNICEF (among others).

In the new role, McArthur will be reunited with DNA Principal and Director of Client Services Chris Witherspoon, with whom she collaborated on several client accounts while at Publicis Seattle.

She also founded The Mentory, a group comprised of agency vets and created to provide mentorship support for other (particularly female) professionals looking to advance within the industry.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

San Francisco/Brooklyn-based production company Story Developing has teamed up with host, Machinima, to unveil a new film for gaming publisher, 2K, that’s essentially a 60-minute advertisement disguised as a documentary. In what should appeal to both hardcore and casual gamers, emerging artists and the like, the film follows the story of a handful of college students who are vying for internships at 2K, the Novato, CA-based brand that’s known for titles like the NBA 2K series and Borderlands. 

Anyhow, this ideal-for-lunchtime doc not only follows our 2K hopefuls, but also features a host of interviews with industry folks, 2K execs and the students themselves who offer their thoughts on the evolution of gaming and the impact it’s had among other tidbits. The folks at Story Developing claim this film just might be a prime example of “a brand blurring the lines between creativity and advertising.” Well, perhaps, but at the least it might just inspire some budding artists looking to make some inroads into the gaming world. By the way, kudos on kicking things off with a little old-school Super Mario action. The trailer’s above, but if you have the time, you can check out the full-length doc dubbed The Art of the Game after the jump.

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