icrossing, a search engine marketing firm, announced that ROD LENNIGER has joined the company as senior vice president of operations. Lenniger was formerly the president of Stoner-Roland, an interim management and consulting services firm. He will be responsible for all operations functions including natural search optimization, paid search, and search business analytics.

WorldPictureNetwork, which offers high-quality imagery to the news media and advertising clients, has appointed STEPHEN CLAYPOLE as its CEO. Claypole is a former head of newsgathering at BBC News and was the start-up managing director of Associated Press Television News (APTN) in l994.

Sawyer Riley Compton has promoted RICH FABRITIUS to vice president and account director. In his new role, Fabritius is responsible for managing account teams and for leading strategic campaign development to hands-on concept creation efforts for clients.

AMP Agency has promoted JOHN COSTELLO to vice president of sponsorship and event sales. Costello will be charged with strategic development of sponsorship properties and driving sales across all of AMP properties. Prior to his new role, he served as senior account director, cultivating marketing relationships with accounts such as Panasonic, mtvU and K'NEX Industries.

Bennett Kuhn Varner, a full service, direct-response advertising agency, has added several new members to its staff including: KELLY MARTIN, assistant media buyer; CHRISTY OWENS, senior account executive; VALERIE PANNELL, interactive media manager; CHAD POLIKOV, interactive media planner; MICHELLE SCRUGGS, senior interactive media planner; and PAM WALKER, broadcast media supervisor.

Blattner Brunner's integrated eMarketing services brand, bbdigital, recently hired VICTORRIA WYTCHERLEY as senior interactive account executive. Wytcherley joins Blattner Brunner from Bensur Advertising, where she served as account supervisor. She will be responsible for projects for Del Monte, GlaxoSmithKline and SEI Investments.

ALVORD R. REESE has joined Pivot + Levy, a design, advertising, and interactive agency located in Seattle, as director of business development. Reese will be responsible for revenue growth and building new client relationships. Prior to joining Pivot + Levy, Reese spent a number of years helping large brands with wireless marketing strategies.

Midwest Living magazine has named ANDREA STEVENSON Detroit manager and JENNIE KOFOED as account manager, Los Angeles. Stevenson joins Midwest Living from the Fairchild Bridal Group in Chicago where she worked on Bride’s, Modern Bride, Your Prom, Brides.com, and ModernBride.com. Kofoed joins the magazine from TV Guide where she worked on accounts in the automotive, packaged goods, retail, and entertainment industries for the previous six years.

Charlex, a 3D, animation and effects studio for film and television, has named ADAM ISIDORE as vice president and executive producer. He moves from BBDO New York where he held the same title. At BBDO, Isidore served as executive producer in charge of production for the Cingular Wireless account.

The Los Angeles Times named PATRICIA VARGA as its senior team leader for new business development. Varga and her group will develop new content-based products, along with strategic partnerships for the Times. Varga began her career at The LA Times when it was owned by Times Mirror and returns after nearly 20 years of magazine publishing experience.