Solely three months after Unusual offered a majority stake to Havas, Nils Leonard’s company has opened up a New York workplace and bagged a prime US artistic to paved the way.
Sam Shepherd joins from Leo Burnett Chicago, the place he spent three years as EVP and international government artistic director. His most well-known work contains “Misplaced Class” which raised consciousness of gun violence and received a Cannes Titanium Lion and two D&AD Black Pencils within the course of. At Leo Burnett, he additionally had an in depth relationship with purchasers together with Kellogg’s and Powerade.
Shepherd, who will report back to Leonard, mentioned: “True creativity just isn’t for the faint of coronary heart. After assembly Nils, Natalie and Lucy you instantly perceive why they have been in a position to construct the very best store on the planet — they lack the worry gene. We share the identical audacious spirit to exit and construct the manufacturers that folks in the true world want existed.”
Nils Leonard mentioned: “Sam is such a uncommon expertise. There’s a depth, a mischief, a spirit of heist and a magic trick to Sam’s finest pondering. He’s at dwelling making additive, essential work and has a radar for emotion, fame and the brand new. We constructed Unusual to reply essentially the most influential and essential briefs of our time, Sam is the chief to take advantage of this unimaginable alternative we now have within the US.”
Earlier than Leo Burnett, Shepherd labored at 360i, Kirshenbaum Bond, Deutsch, and DDB New York, Mom New York, Early on, he labored outdoors the US at Saatchis in Moscow and Ogilvy in São Paulo. All that and he’s solely been within the enterprise for 13 years.
Unusual, which was launched by Leonard with co-founders Lucy Jameson and Natalie Graeme in 2017, has been closing in on the US for the final 12 months or two. Profitable a world consumer like BA in 2021 (and profitable a Grand Prix at Cannes for its first marketing campaign for the airline) may need kick began the method, helped by different worldwide consumer wins like H&M, Digital Arts and Nike Jordan.
We’ve requested already this week whether or not artistic companies can journey within the gentle of Jung von Matt’s London opening. Mom and BBH have each finished OK in NYC with out reaching the extent of success they achieved in London, whereas extra just lately adam&eveNYC ended up being merged into mum or dad community DDB.
Unusual has made a sensible transfer by hiring a star US artistic to paved the way, and the company has already proved – with BA and EA – that it could actually deal with scale. It’s an enormous take a look at for Unusual and for Leonard’s unbridled ambition.
