Hasta La Creative!

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.

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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.

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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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Paul Caiozzo, a freelance creative director with a long agency history, has joined the in-house team at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners New York.

Caiozzo, whose career to date includes time spent with Twofifteenmccann, CP+B and the late Cliff Freeman, has spent the last two and a half years doing freelance work for such brands as Squarespace and Etsy in addition to working with Droga5 and Help Remedies on the “Help, I Want to Save a Life” campaign.

The new ECD will begin working on Comcast/XFINITY, but a large part of his ongoing role will be finding new business for GS&P. He also contributed the release’s best quote:
“I love Goodby Silverstein and everything they represent, but that’s not the reason I took this job. This is an office that wants to break out and do frightening and independent work. That’s what attracted me to it.”

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DDB California has announced the addition of Jonathan Byrne as creative director. In his new role, Byrne will “oversee the ongoing diversification and integration of new skill sets into the creative department.”

“I’m excited to join DDB California and build something really unique there,” said Byrne. “Clients and agencies alike are searching for the ‘new way’ of doing things, but we all know the ‘new way’ will be outdated the moment the meeting ends where it’s introduced. The answer is as timeless as our business and it starts with smart, nimble minds. I’m fortunate to have found a trove of them ready to be ignited.” continued…

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It’s been over a year since we last heard from Mark Moll, the former R/GA ECD and SVP/creative director at Leo Burnett who’s been making the rounds on the freelance circuit for some time now. Well, now that he’s concocted “Take Your Non-Ad Person to Work Day” posters, Moll has returned with a project aimed at his fellow freelancers in the industry with an effort called “The Freelancer’s Opportunity-Based Day Rate Sliding Scale.” Concepts for a site for this Scale are being developed as we speak, but in the meantime, Moll explains his latest project to us, saying, “The life of a freelancer is pretty nice. Decent hours, no politics, no client meetings. Everything is good except the fact that you don’t produce a lot of shiny new work. It’s not for a lack of wanting, it’s just that most freelancers have to slog through the less than stellar projects. Enter The Freelancer’s Opportunity-Based Day Rate Sliding Scale. The better the assignment the better the price. The not so great the assignment, well, then it’ll go the other way.”

Apologies for the size and making you squint (the image was damn huge) but according to Moll, the Scale is “not for everyone. It’s merely a friendly suggestion, sized in a poster for your favorite recruiter’s wall.” Other categories Moll has included in the Freelancers Sliding Scale are pharma, tech, deodorant and food & beverage. We’ll update once a site is actually launched, but Moll says it will be a simple destination where you can enter a client and based on the strength of the current work it will give you a opportunity/day rate number to consider. As for other projects, the industry vet is also contemplating not only a return to full-time work, but starting a competition called Old Guns, which would cater start competition called Old Guns. One made for people who have been in the business at least 15 years or are over 45. He adds, “Everything is targeted at the younger ones in our business, it’s time someone celebrated the ones [who have been in the business a while and encourage them to flex their creative muscle.” We’ll keep you posted as we hear back from the man.

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Lowe Campbell Ewald created a new role for the latest addition to its L.A. team: executive strategy director Craig Kleber.

Kleber–who previously worked as chief strategy officer at DDB L.A.–will be tasked with leading the agency’s strategic planning efforts while also expanding its client roster. He’ll answer to president/managing director Angela Zepeda.

While at DDB, Kleber oversaw all agency strategy with a particular focus on client Wells Fargo’s “total marketing approach”; prior to that role, he was one of Hall & Partners‘ partners, overseeing various planning/research operations for Young & Rubicam and Wunderman Southern California. Kleber also held positions at Publicis Seattle, RPA and Suissa Miller, among others.

Google also tells us that he works well with puppies, which are more strategically challenging than one might think.

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Saatchi New Zealand and cereal brand Weet-Bix has solicited the help of handful of players from native team The All Blacks, perhaps one of the most well-known rugby franchises in the world, to help make a young fan’s dream come true. How? By surprising the lad at his breakfast table, obviously. Ten-year-old Auckland boy Bailey Paki‘s reaction says it all as he’s greeted by All Blacks teammates Ben Franks, Wyatt Crockett, Tom Taylor and Frank Halai. To make the surprise that much sweeter, the parties involved set up a pitch in Paki’s grandfather’s backyard. Of course, a hearty breakfast comes in handy prior to the athletes getting down to business. In a statement, Saatchi NZ ECD Antonio Navas says, “”The experience of bringing Bailey’s dream day to life has been an incredible journey for everyone involved. I think we have all been a little inspired by his passion and determination along the way. Creatively, the opportunity to bring together two of New Zealand’s most iconic and loved brands together in this way was our very own dream day.” Nothing like a a quick heartwarming clip for lunchtime, now who else is hungry? Credits after the jump.

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The Los Angeles offices of Wongdoody have expanded by one.

Today the Seattle/L.A. agency announced the hiring of Dennis Lee as associate creative director.

Lee won’t be a completely new presence in the office, though: he previously served a six-year stint at the agency before working as ACD at Ogilvy & Mather Los Angeles. His career also includes roles in the art departments of Ogilvy New York and Young & Rubicam.

He will work closely with ECD and fellow Art Center College of Design alumni Pam Fujimoto on accounts including Scion, VIZIO and Epson.

Most importantly, he will “get to wear shorts and basketball shoes everyday”. Priorities.

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With Mother’s Day around the corner, the folks at Cadillac have unveiled this timely effort that might just warm your cockles and put your old flowers-and-card gift for moms to shame in the process. The automaker, armed with director Spike Lee and his SpikeDDB unit, Lawson Clarke (aka @Malecopywriter) and art director Khari Streeter (from Hill Holliday and Rogue, respectively) as well as Grenadier’s Mark St. Amant, have turned the spotlight on Teddy Bridgewater, University of Louisville QB who’s now a top NFL draft prospect. You see, folks, as a wee lad–when he was nine-years-old, to be exact–Bridgewater made a promise to his mom that one day, he would buy her a pink Cadillac (and yes, the Springsteen tune is rolling along in our heads). Well, as you can see in the 7-minute Lee-directed doc above called  “A #Promise2Rose” (ideal for lunchtime viewing), consider mission accomplished.

According to ABC News, the pink Cadillac has even more significant meaning than just a promise from son to mother fulfilled, though, as  Bridgewater’s mother also raised her son while battling, and eventually beating, breast cancer. Yes, folks, it is getting hella dusty in here.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.