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Just a week after we reported about some buzz that Matt Bonin was leaving the West Coast and TBWA\Chiat\Day LA for a job on the East with Ogilvy, the latter agency has confirmed his move. O&M has officially announced that Bonin is joining the New York office in the newly created role of chief production officer.

In a statement, Ogilvy North America CCO Steve Simpson says, “Matt has done in practice—and to wonderful effect—what many agencies are still attempting notionally. He knows how to pull all the levers of production, at all the right times, in the service of the idea. Matt’s arrival accelerates the work we have done at Ogilvy in working in a more fully, deeply integrated way and—beyond process–he will be central to our efforts to develop new kinds of content.”

We’ve been through Bonin’s resume before, but in case you need a refresher, he spent around five years at CP+B, working on integrated production models for BK, VW and Microsoft. Following his stay in Boulder, Bonin moved on to Trailer Park, Tool and finally Chiat LA before heading out to our neck of the woods.

O&M tells us that he will start at the end of the month.

Create a social media strategy, launch your campaign, and track the results in our Social Media Marketing Boot Camp starting February 16. The online event and workshop will feature speakers including The Onion‘s Baratunde Thurston (left), Facebook’s Morin Oluwole, and bitly’s Tim Devane. Register now.

Crispin Porter + Bogusky has promoted Steve Erich to managing director. You might remember Erich from four years ago when he was named a partner/group account director at the agency.  Anyhow, during his eight year stint at CP+B,which saw him crisscross the Atlantic to establish the agency’s European client services, Erich helped oversee accounts including American Express, Old Navy, MetLife and Kraft and also aided in the re-launch Burger King in the US.

Prior to Crispin, Erich worked on the account side at the likes of TBWA\Chiat\Day, what was then VitroRobertson as well as the Martin Agency. From what we’ve been told, the managing director post at CP+B’s HQ is “basically a new position.”

 

You work at an agency, and for some reason you have the word ‘executive’ in your title. This causes you alarm because you’re only 23, but let’s not get mired in details. You need to impress the boss, a goal that is only hampered by the fact that you have no idea what the fuck you’re doing (don’t worry, neither does anyone else), and that every time you talk someone threatens to fire you. You better get some tools, fast. Luckily, you have a smartphone. Here’s the quintessential app list for you, Mr./Ms./Mrs./pansexual advertising account executive.

1. CNBC Real Time

As an advertising person, you make decisions (haha, no you don’t) based on real time info. Strategy, research, data; these are more than just words you remember from high school and sometimes hear in meetings, they’re actual things people create/do/collect as part of their jobs. But not you, because you’ve got CNBC Real Time.

Fire up this app when you need to impress that client with your counting skills (standing record for an account exec: 147) or when the boss lady walks by. Read the words you find in this app, and literally repeat them verbatim during meetings for an extra dose of savvitude. Whip out CNBC-RT in the elevator when you want to make that girl from strategy think twice about letting you have her digits, because nothing says “Do Me” like quarterly earnings reports and IPO valuations, am I right? I’m right.
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Near the bottom of the world lie the Falkland Islands, a South Atlantic archipelago made up of over 700 individual islands.

Two of the Falklands’ major resources are landmines and wool, the former due to a 150-year ownership conflict between Argentina and Britain and the latter due to a surfeit of sheep. In fact, very few informational materials about the Falkland Islands exist outside of those focusing on either the war or on the islands’ diverse wildlife. That’s why two American documentary filmmakers, Vern Cummins and DDB Chicago associate producer Jamie Gallant, are attempting to be the first to make a film that focuses on the over 3,000 people that call the Falklands home.

Their project, titled 51º South, is currently looking for some financial support. For the pair to fly Chicago to New York to Santiago to Punta Arena, Chile to the island chain, as well as pay for the cost of insurance and transportation around the island, Vern and Jamie estimate they need about $10,000 to make their project to come to life this summer. So, what’s the hip way to ask for a handout in the 21st century? Kickstarter, of course! On Kickstarter, Vern and Jamie are already over half way to their goal with 71 backers pledging more than $6,000. With 18 days left to finance their exploration, you can help kick-start the pair’s dream by pledging your donation here and visiting the film’s official website here.

While we’re on the Minneapolis tip today, we should let you know that less than a year after leaving Fallon for fellow Twin Cities operation Carmichael Lynch, Dave Damman has been promoted to chief creative officer at the latter agency (the post was vacant for months and was last held by Jim Nelson).  Damman rejoined CL last March as ECD on Rubbermaid and First Energy accounts as well as new business pitches.

The new Carmichael Lynch CCO, who kickstarted his career at Saatchi & Saatchi New York as an art director and assumed the same title at TracyLocke among other agencies, will oversee a client roster that includes the aforementioned Rubbermaid (make that Newell Rubbermaid) as well as Subaru of America and Jack Link’s. Damman first joined Carmichael Lynch in 1996 and worked on Harley-Davidson and Brown Foreman.

We’ll offer a quick breather from the post-Super Bowl deluge and let you know that former Saatchi + Saatchi worldwide creative director Bob Isherwood, who left said agency at the end of 2008, will take on the role of dean of the Cannes fest’s new Young Lions Creative Academy. The “school” will host 35 creatives age 28 and under in a week-long program during this year’s Cannes Lions event where they will play audience to presentations from creative “thinkers,” get guided access to jury rooms to learn about the judging process and have full access to the Young Lions party among other things.

In a statement regarding the Academy, Isherwood, who we haven’t heard much from since he departed from Saatchi after a 12-year stint, says, “It’s such a unique opportunity to help young upcoming stars to further develop their creativity, as well as opening them up to some of the skill sets they will need as they continue to grow. I don’t think anything quite like this Creative Academy exists in the industry today on an annual basis. At least not the special experience we have planned in our heads anyway.”

When was the last time we heard from MRM? Oh yeah, that’s right. Anyhow, the McCann Worldgroup digital/direct agency has a new global business leader in tow by the name of Jim Wayand, who will oversee, *sigh*, Team Intel. A six-year Microsoft vet, Wayand last helped lead global digital marketing efforts at the Redmond, WA institution. With the move to MRM, which will see him take a seat in the agency’s San Francisco office, Wayand will report to Dave Boede, president, Americas Region as the global “Team Intel” Executive Sponsor.

Yes folks, the Matt Bonin agency tour continues. After barely a year spent at TBWA\Chiat\Day LA as executive director of integration, word on the street is that the CP+B alum is making a move to the East Coast and taking a gig at Ogilvy. After spending the last few years in the West Coast with the likes of Tool, Goodness Mfg. and more, we figure that Bonin is savoring some winter flavor, though at this point, we don’t know why. No word on start date or title just yet, but stay tuned.

Don’t sound the death knell for Possible Worldwide just yet. Though the Austin office might have disappeared and some of its top execs have defected in recent months, the WPP interactive operation is still thriving according to a memo penned by Tor Myhren and Michael Houston, president/CCO and managing director, respectively, of sister agency Grey New York. It appears that a “strategic partnership” has been formed between the sibling shops and as part of Grey NY’s increased focus on digital, the agency promoted five-year vet Doug Livingston (pictured) to EVP, director of digital integration while also solidifying its digital leadership. But why spoil the rest, read on in full after the jump.

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We received word straight from Kristi VandenBosch herself that the exec is leaving Publicis & Hal Riney/Publicis Modem.  VandenBosch as you may know served as CEO of the agency and spent nearly a year working in the leadership realm alongside Kevin Roddy, the former BBH creative boss who joined Riney last year as CCO. VandenBosch originally joined Riney in 2009 from Tequila and led the agency alongside Roger Camp.

Here’s her full note below:

“I’m planning on leaving Riney in mid-February. I actually decided to leave back in September, but agreed to stay through the end of the year. We were very fortunate that [chairman] Harold Sogard was willing to come out of what was surely a glorious sabbatical to join Riney at that point, which gave us a significant transition period in which to migrate my responsibilities to him. He’s a fantastic leader for Riney, and I’m delighted I got to spend four months working closely with him.

Now that everything’s pretty much off my plate, I can move on my plan to return to Los Angeles. While I’ve had some initial conversations with agencies in the market there, one of the main reasons I’m excited about returning is to help one of my closest friends launch her magazine, Dame. Dame has been her mission and passion for the past five years, and it’s going to be a fantastic adventure that I’m thrilled to be a part of.

I’m sure I’ll find my way back into the agency world at some point; I love this business and the people in it, and I’ll always jump at the opportunity to helm a great shop. It’s been such a privilege to work at Riney – the people are truly amazing, and the culture is one of the most special I’ve ever been a part of. I wish them enormous success in the future, and will always be proud to be a Riney alum.”