Wieden Selects Media Director

Eager to return to his hometown, Lawrence Teher ani-Ami has left his post as managing director of Wieden + Kennedy's Tokyo office to become media director at the shop's Portland, Ore., headquarters. While Teherani-Ami admitted it's hardly a promotion, he said, "I did choose this route. I really wanted to live in Amer ica again. I wanted to be part of this creatively led agency and make sure media buying and planning are part of the mix." Teherani-Ami, 37, oversees a 22-person department and reports to Wieden managing director Ben Kline. He replaces Knox Duncan, who left in January to run the media department at Barkley Evergreen & Partners in Kansas City, Mo. The Tokyo office will now be led by Arto Hampartsoumian and creative directors John Jay and Sumiko Sato. Hampartsoumian, 39, was previously regional client services director for BBDO in Hong Kong. Teherani-Ami has spent 10 years at Wieden. He joined the shop in 1992 as a media supervisor on Nike and Micro soft, then transferred to Tokyo in 1997 to handle media there. In 1999, he was promoted to managing director in Tokyo. Under his leadership, the shop landed such clients as Sapporo, Mori Building, Amazon.co.jp, Kumon and Toyota. "Being the managing director, I was caught up in a lot of things that had nothing to do with advertising," including staffing and financial issues, Teherani-Ami said. "This job brings me back to what I love—being part of the advertising process." Wieden COO Dave Luhr said Teherani-Ami will be instrumental in "adding value" to the shop's media offering. "He has a very broad strategic mind," Luhr said. "He will help the agency now and properly position us as we move forward so that we have the most competitive product out there and offer clients the best rates, as well as strategic and intellectual value." According to Teherani-Ami, the challenge for Wieden's media department is "staying relevant and viable in this world of consolidation." Its strength, he said, comes from the relationships the shop has with media outlets, as well as the "clout" of its clients. Prior to joining Wieden, Tehe rani-Ami served as media planner/supervisor at the former Goodby, Berlin & Silverstein in San Fran cisco, working on Royal Viking Lines, Specialized Bicycles and Clark's Shoes. He started his career at Ketchum Advertising in San Francisco.

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Wieden Selects Media Director

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Rebecca Flass