• by Richard Whitman , Columnist, July 17, 2014

So...Martin Sorrell spoke to Bloomberg TV's Trish Regan to share why he thinks Rupert Murdoch is the Martin Sorrell of the media business. In a video interview speaking about Murdoch's $80 billion bid to buy Time Warner, Sorrell said: "When Rupert moves, he usually moves successfully [ed. Ahem, except when he buys MySpace]. So I wouldn’t -- it would be very foolish to bet against him. So I would say the deal has a lot to offer. It creates a very powerful combination -- U.S. cable and sports, obviously TV and film globally. HBO is a really interesting asset that I’m sure Fox can -- can leverage very successfully in a very powerful international cable operation." You can view the video in its entirety here.

Agencies, you will soon have someone new from Facebook knocking at your door. Former Smirnoff VP of Global Marketing Michelle Klein is joining the social network as head of global agency marketing, where she will play a significant role in managing agency relationships. Facebook has been looking to fill the role for 86 days with a LinkedIn job posting which reads:  "Facebook seeks an experienced marketer, who is passionate about the online advertising industry, to develop and manage industry facing programs and events to drive education, inspiration and give advertisers (mainly agencies) a reason to believe that Facebook can drive business results for their clients."

Word has reached our ears that there have been about 20 layoffs over at Saatchi & Saatchi New York, which are said to be tied to the recent hiring of Jay Benjamin as the agency's chief creative officer. Much like the arrival of a new CMO at a brand shuffling the agency deck, the arrival of a new CCO is bound to have an effect on current creative staffing. 

Upping their creative game, Erwin Penland has filled two new creative positions with a creative team that's more than just a working team. They're a married team. Husband and wife Craig Melchiano and Bee Reynolds, both former Goodby Silverstein & Partners creatives, have joined Erwin Penland as EVP executive creative director and associate creative director, respectively. The pair will relocate to the agency's Greenville, SC headquarters and report to CCO Con Williamson who is stationed in New York. Of the hires, Williamson said, “As our agency continues to grow with new business and creative projects, we have to make room for more big brains. Craig and Bee are the creative types we love to see. They’re open to big ideas and crafting the small ones to create great work.&rdquo ;