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.

Paul 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.

Nagy said: “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,” Nagy concluded.

On his new appointment Weythman said: “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.”

Weythman 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.

Weythman’s appointment is effective immediately.