Following a period of sustained new business growth, VMLY&R Sydney has announced the appointment of internationally acclaimed creative Ross Weythman as creative director.
Weythman will work alongside ANZ CCO Paul Nagy, responsible for
guiding Sydney’s creative vision ensuring it is a clear expression of
the agency’s creative ambition to produce inventive and ground-breaking
work for its clients.
Nagy said he was thrilled Ross had decided to make the move to
Australia and join the team at such an exciting time of positive change
for the agency: “We needed a creative leader that really fits the unique
position VMLY&R now occupies in the region. We searched far and
wide to find someone who is brilliant at creating brand fame, brilliant
at customer experience across every touchpoint, highly digital, and
excited about everything in between. Ross ticked every box and then
some.
“His work at R/GA on Nike Fuelband marked a genuine global shift in
modern advertising – and won, among a million other gongs, a titanium
gold lion no less – Russians had to get involved to combat his amazing
work on Hillary Clinton’s social-led presidential campaign, and he’s got
a head of hair that can really only be described as lustrous… So
basically we’ve now got someone hanging around who will make me feel
inadequate every day… winning.”
Says Ross: “I really feel lucky to join the VMLY&R team at
such an exciting time for the new agency. Paul is focused on creating a
fun-loving culture full of good people who want to do big things, and
I’m thrilled to be a part of it. Also, I had no idea that chicken
schnitzel was so readily available in Sydney, so I’m excited about that,
too.”
Ross brings a truly unique mix of skills to VMLY&R spanning
12 years of industry experience in NYC, specializing in medium-blurring
content creation, social media instigation and overall brand evolution
into the digital space, added to the fact he is a multi-award winning
Creative and a supportive, collaborative leader.
Prior to moving to Australia, Weythman worked with some of the
world’s most innovative companies and brands, having helped create apps
and digital products for Nike, launch videos for Google, and political
content in partnership with Facebook. In 2016 he was recruited to be the
creative lead for Hillary Clinton’s digital video team during her 2016
presidential campaign, during which time he had the opportunity to
direct talent such as Will Ferrell, Amy Schumer and 2 Dope Queens.
He has also worked as a freelance creative director/writer for
agencies including 72andSunny, Mother, R/GA, McCann, and Untitled
Worldwide, via ThunderBell, a creative consultancy he started with his
wife, an executive producer. When he’s not working, Ross is hanging out with his wife and
daughter, animating stupid GIFs in Photoshop, and practicing
macro-photography on bugs.
Ross's appointment is effective immediately.