DDB San Francisco Expands Leadership Team with Unique Hires of Ulrich and Esterkyn

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- DDB San Francisco, part of Omnicom Group Inc. OMC, announced today the appointment of Marla Ulrich as Head of Production effective immediately. Ulrich brings 16 years of varied, creative-focused production experience and expertise. In her role, Ulrich will be responsible for transforming and accelerating DDB San Francisco's production model. Additionally, experienced Bay Area recruiter Denise Esterkyn joins as Head of Talent and will lead the agency's talent operations. Both Ulrich and Esterkyn will be part of DDB San Francisco's leadership team.

These leadership appointments follow DDB's recent business momentum on the West Coast and advance President and Chief Executive Officer Todd Grantham's plan to expand DDB San Francisco's capabilities and talent. In July 2016, Grantham named Kevin Drew Davis Chief Creative Officer of DDB San Francisco. Ulrich and Davis will work closely to design a production process that capitalizes on efficiency and maximizes creativity. Most recently, Energy Upgrade California selected the agency to be its lead marketing partner.

"We're focused on making DDB San Francisco a place where creative innovation thrives," said Grantham. "This requires the right leadership, talent and agency structure working in sync to challenge the conventions of creativity. Marla and Denise bring the expertise we need to continue to transform and build for the future."

Internationally known for encouraging talent to explore beyond their limits, Ulrich is able to develop creatively driven strategic content in multiple media, including film, photography, digital and exhibitions. As Head of Production, she will oversee DDB San Francisco's integrated production team and manage the agency's in-house production studio.

Davis said, "We're very excited to have Marla join us because of the depth and breadth of her experience. She's worked in a variety of environments, from large-scale global productions to lean digital projects. Marla brings knowledge and a skill set to DDB that will integrate our production and creative capabilities even further."

Ulrich taps into a worldwide network of talent and artistic inspiration to create truly integrated, cross-disciplinary content. Shunning silos and traditional divisions of labor, she views each project holistically, integrating platforms, departments, continents and media.

Throughout her career, Ulrich has applied her tenacity and unconventional methodology to a range of creative projects. Most recently, Ulrich was a Creative Producer for Anomaly on campaigns for Google and Budweiser, among others. In connection with DAVID The Agency, she produced Coca-Cola's global broadcast campaign for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, as well as a holiday spot for the brand.

"In my experience, creative is only ever as good as the production," Ulrich says of her intuitive approach. "I think it's notable that a traditional agency is giving me the chance to lead their production department with a modern approach."

As DDB San Francisco's Head of Talent, Esterkyn will be a champion for the agency's culture. She'll lead recruitment and oversee talent development for the agency. Throughout her 20-year career in human resources and recruiting, Esterkyn's passion for talent development has always been evident. Having worked in San Francisco's ad industry for the last 15 years (five of which were spent as an HR consultant for Bay Area agencies), Esterkyn is well known in the local creative community. Prior to that, she was the San Francisco Director of the Miami Ad School, where she managed and grew the school's reputation on the West Coast.

ABOUT DDB U.S.
DDB U.S., part of the Omnicom Group (NYSE), is one of the country's leading and most influential advertising agencies, with offices in New York, Chicago and San Francisco. DDB has been named Agency of the Year numerous times by the industry's leading advertising publications and has been recognized by top awards shows including Effie, Cannes, CLIOs, The One Show, New York Festival and more. The agency's U.S. clients include Mars, Johnson & Johnson, Capital One and State Farm, among others.

Founded in 1949, the agency is part of DDB Worldwide and consists of more than 200 offices in over 90 countries, with its flagship office in New York, NY.

ABOUT OMNICOM GROUP INC.
Omnicom Group Inc. OMC is a leading global marketing and corporate communications company. Omnicom's branded networks and numerous specialty firms provide advertising, strategic media planning and buying, digital and interactive marketing, direct and promotional marketing, public relations and other specialty communications services to over 5,000 clients in more than 100 countries.

For further information on Omnicom and its brands, please visit www.omnicomgroup.com.

Press Contact:
Name: Christie Griesmaier
Title: Associate Director, Agency Communications
Email: christie.griesmaier@ddb.com
Phone: 312-552-6411

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SOURCE DDB San Francisco