People on the Move
Tuesday, October 19, 2004

  • SEAN FINNEGAN, formerly Midwest director of OMD Digital, has been named director of OMD Digital in the United States. In this role, Finnegan will oversee OMD’s U.S. digital media efforts in providing strategic services ranging from search engine marketing and cross-platform promotions to interactive television and gaming for its clients’ brands. Finnegan joined OMD in 2002 from Tribal DDB where he was media director of the Chicago office.

  • FRANCESCO LEBOFFE has been named senior vice president of events and professional development and EDWARD BYRNES was tapped as vice president of sales for The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB). Most recently, Leboffe was at the Center for Association Leadership in Washington, D.C., and also served as a senior vice president for the Direct Marketing Association for nearly 10 years. At the IAB, Leboffe will lead the organization's special events department, and will also create a Professional Development Division. Byrnes will lead IAB’s overall sales efforts, including membership and event sponsorships.

  • G2 Worldwide, partner company of Grey Global Group, announced the appointment of MICHAEL MILLER, as partner, business development. Miller will work with G2's senior management team to drive the firm's new business efforts and expand the agency's portfolio. Miller was most recently director of business development at Starpoint Solutions, a technology-consulting and communications firm. Prior to that, he was an account supervisor at Grey Advertising.

  • Draft New York has tapped two new vice presidents at the agency. LAURA GUERRA has joined as vice president, account director, while MELISSA SIEGEL has joined as vice president, group production director. Most recently, Guerra was vice president, account director at Grey E Marketing (recently merged into Grey Direct), where she managed accounts for Chase Manhattan, CheapTickets, and Bell South. Siegel arrives after more than nine years at OgilvyOne, where she most recently served as vice president, executive print producer.

  • Real Branding has hired MARIAN THOMAS as its account director. Thomas, who previously handled interactive advertising for New Line Cinema, will continue to work on Real Branding's New Line Cinema account as well as their Warner Home Video account. Before joining Real Branding, Thomas created and negotiated media plans for films including “The Lord of the Rings Trilogy” and “Austin Powers.”

  • Global interactive marketing agency AKQA has opened a New York office and named LARS BASTHOLM as executive creative director, running New York’s creative department. Most recently, he was creative director at European agency Framfab.

  • MSNBC.com has promoted KYOO KIM to vice president, sales, and added MORITZ LOEW as East Coast sales manager. Kim previously served as director of ad sales for MSNBC.com and has been with the company for more than three years. Kim will lead advertising sales efforts, and Loew is responsible for generating new business opportunities on the East Coast.

  • STEFI ZEITZMAN has left Deutsch LA to join Kovel/Fuller as media supervisor. Prior to Deutsch, she worked on Electronic Arts at Odiorne, Wilde, Narraway & Partners in San Francisco (now See Advertising).

  • BILLY HALL has joined Turner Network Television (TNT) as vice president of programming. He is responsible for all scheduling for the network, as well as managing the programming department and budget. Hall comes to TNT from Fox Movie Channel, where he served as vice president of programming and production.

  • THOMAS FURLONG has been named associate media director at Cossette Post. Most recently, Furlong was responsible for strategy development and buying for The Silverman Group in New Haven, Conn. and the PGA Tour’s Buick Championship.

  • PAUL ROTHKOPF has been named vice president of advertising-sales for WhenU. Prior to joining WhenU, Rothkopf was vice president, associate publisher for The Sporting News Online where he worked for eight years and helped launch its online presence.

  • Home & Garden Television has promoted CHAD YOUNGBLOOD to vice president of on-air promotion, while SHARON FLEISCHHACKER will assume the role of vice president of special projects. Youngblood will oversee the production of on-air creative for HGTV and contribute new strategies to the continued, creative evolution of the HGTV brand. Youngblood joined the network as a writer/producer of special projects in 2000. Fleischhacker joined the network as a producer in 1994 and will continue to support off-air creative endeavors, including the production of corporate video presentations for the network’s affiliate and advertising sales teams.

  • ED DWYER, features editor of AARP The Magazine, has been named travel editor. Dwyer will continue as features editor while assuming responsibility for the travel category.

  • Unicast has hired ROB SPRUNGMAN as director, Midwest sales. Sprungman is responsible for expanding Unicast’s market reach in the region, and introducing new advertisers to Unicast’s rich media ad units. Prior to joining Unicast, Sprungman served as director of media sales for Fastclick.

  • Bridges Media Group has added DANIELLE OSTROWSKI as the director of new business. She was formerly with R.H. Donnelley in a sales and marketing capacity.

  • Moxie Interactive has named CHRIS ADAIR president and chief financial officer. Adair was most recently senior vice president of investments of Citigroup Global Markets.

  • BusinessWeek Online has promoted GAVIN WOODWARD to general sales manager, based in New York. Woodward was the Midwest account manager for BusinessWeek Online since August 2000. He will be responsible for spearheading the continued growth of advertising sales and managing the sales team.

  • Fry Hammond Barr has opened an office in St. Petersburg, Fla. to serve the Tampa Bay operations of Bright House Networks as well as new client opportunities. SHARON O’KEEFE was hired to serve as the vice president in charge of Tampa operations.

  • The Advertising Council announced that BARBARA LESHINSKY has joined the organization as executive vice president, development. Leshinsky will oversee the strategic planning and implementation of all organizational fundraising activities as well as the management of the organization’s 94-member board of directors. Prior to joining the Ad Council, she served as associate dean for institutional advancement at New York Law School.

  • City Business Journals Network has hired MICHELLE GAMMON and MICHAEL DURANKO as national sales representatives. Gammon will manage accounts throughout the Western region of the United States, and was most recently with Abbott Laboratories where she held numerous sales and management positions. Duranko will manage several sales categories, including computer hardware/software, office equipment, consumer electronics, and law firms. He was previously a sales manager with CMP Media.

  • Intermix Media has promoted JOHN BECK to vice president, sales development, up from director, business development. Beck is tasked with building programs to grow Intermix's branded advertising revenue.

  • CMD has added DAN SWANSON as creative director to help lead the advertising creative team. Swanson was most recently a creative director for H, an agency in San Jose, Calif.

  • Budget Living has added three new hires to its staff. EVE BERCOVICI has been named beauty and fashion director, AMANDA CASGAR as marketing director, and IDALIE FERNANDEZ as account manager.

  • JIM DIAZ has been named senior vice president of AJinteractive, a new U.S. advertising products and sales division of Ask Jeeves. Diaz previously served as the senior vice president of sales and business development at Ask Jeeves. Diaz is charged with all direct revenue and client service-associated activities across the Ask Jeeves Inc. network of Web properties.

  • Resolution Media, a Chicago-based direct marketing search services firm, has named DARREN KUHN to the new position of director, strategic account management and AARON GOLDMAN to director, strategic partnerships. Kuhn will focus his efforts on managing and growing key accounts, while Goldman will be responsible for developing and managing relationships amongst the media community in Chicago and beyond.

  • UnREAL Marketing Solutions has added HELEN CHEBRUCHER and VAL PALMER to its account services team. Prior to becoming an account coordinator at UnREAL, Chebrucher interned at fabGORGON and freelanced as an account coordinator for Kanter International. Palmer joins UnREAL Marketing Solutions as an associate account manager working with clients such as: SmartServ, Auntie's Beads, Art Beads, and CheapAir.com. Prior to UnREAL Palmer worked as an applications developer for Catalyst IT Services.

  • CAROL POLACEK has joined Bader Rutter & Associates as a brand strategist. Prior to joining that, she was a brand strategist and account supervisor at Hanson Dodge and as a senior copywriter at Kohler Co.

  • People’s insider columnist ZORIANNA KIT has agreed to a new position as the entertainment reporter for the KTLA (Channel 5) nightly newscast in Los Angeles.