Wednesday, December 11, 2002
- Bigfoot Interactive
Bigfoot Interactive, a provider of strategic, ROI-focused email communication solutions and marketing automation technologies, announced the appointment of advertising and media veteran MICHAEL LOTITO to the company’s Board of Directors. Lotito’s distinguished career is marked by tenures at some of the world’s largest advertising and communications agencies, including Ammirati & Puris, McCann Erickson, Benton & Bowles, MediaPort and Initiative Media North America. Lotito founded MediaPort in 2001, for which he secured funding from The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc., Omnicom Group and WPP. Prior to MediaPort, he served as President and COO of Initiative Media North America.
Independent shop Wongdoody has hired longtime Los Angeles adman BRUCE SILVERMAN as President of its Los Angeles office. Silverman was President-CEO of Initiative Partners, which focuses on buying media for the clients of independent agencies. Initiative Partners is a unit of Interpublic Group of Cos.’ Initiative Media North America. Silverman has also worked at agencies such as BBDO Worldwide, Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide and Bozell & Jacobs. For 11 years, he was with now defunct independent shop Asher/Gould Advertising.
JOHN J. SARSEN JR., President-CEO of the Association of National Advertisers since 1994, this week announced plans for his retirement effective Jan. 3. Sarsen joined ANA after posts at General Foods, PepsiCo, Canada Dry Corp., Grand Union Corp. and Chase Manhattan Bank.
Youthstream Media Networks Inc. announced this week that JONATHAN DIAMOND resigned as Interim Chief Executive and a Director, as the company continues creditor talks. The on-campus marketing and media company said in a press release that a bankruptcy filing is probable if it fails to conclude an arrangement with its creditors. Diamond's departure follows the resignation of Sidney I. Lirtzman and G. Kelly O'Dea from the board.
D. SCOTT KARNEDY has been named Senior Vice President/ Director of National Sales, Infinity Broadcasting. Karnedy recently served as Vice President of AMFM, Inc., where he worked as Director of Sales for six of their New York City stations. Prior to that, he was Vice President, National Sales for 13 Knight Communications-owned stations in Boston. Karnedy was most recently Vice President of Sales for AOL Time Warner, overseeing two sales divisions out of New York.
Horizon Media announced that DENNIS CAMLEK joined the firm as Account Supervisor. Camlek, who will be managing The History Channel, A&E International and Florida’s Natural accounts, joins Horizon from Independent Media Services where he handled all of the account management, media buying and media planning activity for the VH1 account.
DAVID HESSEKIEL has been named President of Cause Marketing Forum, Inc., a new company producing events, an awards program and causemarketingforum.com, an online service for the growing field of business-nonprofit marketing alliances. Hessekiel honed his integrated marketing expertise at Rodale, Ryan Partnership and Matchmaker Marketing.
KATIE COUNTS has also joined Horizon Media as a media planner. She joins from Universal McCann where she was most recently a media planner. Her responsibilities, for clients such as Kohl’s Department Stores and Lowe’s Home Improvement, ranged from creating local television, radio and national magazine plans to plans for store grand openings and sponsorship opportunities.
Also at Horizon: CINDY DUBOSQ joins as a media planner. She comes to Horizon from Bozell where she was most recently a media planner creating national television, radio, print and out-of-home plans for clients such as Bank of America and Lorillard’s Youth Smoking Prevention Program. Prior to Bozell, DuBosq held an assistant media planner position at Bates Worldwide, working on the Brown & Williamson Tobacco Co. account.
ValueClick, Inc., a leading provider of multi-channel media and technology solutions, announced the appointment of SCOTT H. RAY to the post of General Manager for two business units within its Technology Division. In this new role, Ray will be responsible for the overall management and growth of these two units, as well as playing a key role in ensuring their overall fit within the integrated offerings of the ValueClick, Inc. enterprise. Ray comes to ValueClick from OpenTV, one of the world's leading interactive television companies, where he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.
DAVE KAUFMAN has been appointed to Vice President of Affiliate Relations of ABC Radio Networks. He will oversee ABC Radio’s affiliation of news, talk, production library and syndicated shows nationwide. Prior to joining ABC Radio Networks, Kaufman was President and General Manager of Westwood One’s New York Shadow/Metro traffic service.
Also, MARY MCCARTHY has been named Director of Affiliate Relations at ABC Radio Networks. Most recently, McCarthy was with United Stations, and previously she served as Senior Director at Westwood One and CBS Radio, where she was in charge of news, sports, and other programs.
The Content Project announced the addition of advertising industry veteran JEANNINE CHANIN as Vice President of Business Development. Chanin has experience in management posts with agencies including TBWA Chiat/Day and Grey Entertainment to spearhead business development efforts at TCP.
Also at Smithsonian, CARYL PATRICE HEARD has been named Sales Development Manager. Heard was previously a Senior Account Manager for Fast Company.
Smithsonian magazine has named THOMAS F. MADDEN as New York Manager. He joins Smithsonian from Harvard Business Review, where he was a Category Manager.
General Electric Co's NBC unit completed its $1.25 billion acquisition of the Bravo entertainment channel from Cablevision Systems Corp. NBC Entertainment President JEFF ZUCKER will oversee Bravo. NBC gains its first cable outlet for entertainment programming in Bravo, which is the network's third national cable property.
Sun Media Group Holdings Ltd. said Monday it has appointed XU ZHONGMIN, an executive director of the company, as Chief Operating Officer. He replaces Chen Xiaotao, former President and Chief Operating Officer, who resigned Nov. 26. Chen remains an executive director.
JACK M. GREENBERG, Chairman-CEO of the McDonald's Corp., ended 21 years of service with the fast-food giant when he announced his retirement this week. Jim Cantalupo, formerly Vice Chairman and President, will succeed Greenberg as CEO and Chairman of the boards. The board also elected Charles Bell, President of McDonald's Europe, as President and Chief Operating Officer for the company, and Jim Skinner as the new Vice Chairman. Greenberg's retirement is effective Dec. 31, and Cantalupo officially takes over the next day.
The director who will be most affected by current changes taking place at The Disney Company is STANLEY P. GOLD, the Financial Adviser to Roy E. Disney, also a board member and the nephew of Walt Disney. The board agreed that under its new guidelines, Gold would no longer be considered an independent director because of his business relationship with Disney.
The new Independent Director for the Walt Disney Company is former Wall Street banker and top media company executive, ROBERT MATSCHULLAT.
Hearst Magazines hired former Time Inc. executive JOHN HARTIG as Senior Executive, Magazine and Business Development. Hartig was formerly President of Time Inc.'s Parenting Group but left that post in mid-2001. Most recently, he was been scouting the magazine landscape for potential deals for private equity players.
The New York Times Advertising Department announced this week that JOHN BRITTON has been named West Coast Automotive Advertising Managing Director. In this role he is responsible for advertising sales for The New York Times Sunday Magazine's automotive business on the West Coast, including all Asian imports and Ford, Premier Auto Group, as well as the newspaper's automotive business. Previously he was Account Manager on the West Coast at The New York Times since October 2001. Prior to joining The Times, Britton worked in Los Angeles with Men's Journal magazine and USA Today, and began his career in advertising at TBWA Chiat/Day.
Speaking of AOL, job cuts in areas not key to the company's turnaround strategy are expected over the next couple months, some possibly before year-end. Potential job cuts could match the layoffs seen at AOL after the merger, when close to 2,000 jobs were cut at the online division. Cuts will not all be made at once.
DAVID MURGA has been named the Midwest Advertising Director at Latina magazine. The former Director of Marketing at iHispano.com will be based in Chicago.
Correction: RANDY BIXLER has been promoted to President of Initiative Partners. Initiative Partners is Initiative Media's division that works exclusively with creative advertising agencies. Bixler's previous position was Director, Western Region Client Services.
DR. WILLIAM F. BAKER, President and CEO of Thirteen/WNET New York, has been appointed to its Board of Directors at Rodale, Inc. With more than 40 years experience in broadcasting, Baker has served as President and CEO of Thirteen/WNET since 1987. Prior to assuming his position at Thirteen, he was President of Westinghouse Television and Chairman of its cable and programming companies for 10 years.
RICH SIMMS, currently Initiative Media's Executive Vice President, General Manager, Southeast region has been promoted to the expanded role of Executive Vice President, General Manager, Western Region. Rich will be based in Los Angeles.
Rainbow Advertising Sales Corporation (RASCO) announced the promotion of COREY SILVERMAN to Senior Vice President of Advertising Sales for muchmusic.usa. Silverman, who had previously held the position of Vice President, Advertising Sales for Bravo and IFC, will oversee all advertising sales and sponsorship initiatives and manage the day-to-day operation of all ad sales related functions, including setting and implementing sales strategies and creating revenue goals for muchmusic usa.
ROB CLAXTON, currently Initiative Media's Senior Vice President, Group Account Director has been promoted to General Manager, Southeast region, based in Atlanta.
Interpublic Group of Cos.' Foote, Cone & Belding Worldwide, San Francisco, said it has hired a former Wieden & Kennedy Creative Director as its new Executive Creative Director. MICHAEL PRIEVE worked at four Wieden offices, beginning in the agency's Portland, Ore. headquarters while working on advertising for Nike. Prieve succeeds Tom O'Keefe, who moved to FCB's Chicago office as Executive Creative Director in October.
Henninger Richmond has created the new position of Client Relations Liaison to be filled by industry and facility veteran CHERYL LAGE. Henninger Richmond’s Operations Manager from its launch in 1991 through 1993 and again from 1998- 2001, Lage has also worked in Henninger Media Service’s Arlington facilities.
