Phenomenon, a self-described “full-service strategic business consultancy and innovation agency,” announced today the addition of four new executives to its senior leadership team in Los Angeles.
Amy Panzarasa comes aboard as chief talent and culture officer from TBWA\Chiat\Day where she was director of creative talent and operations. Before that she was director of creative services at Saatchi & Saatchi and has helped run recruitment consultancies and creative and HR departments across New York and L.A. during her career.
Kat Friis, an established Emmy-award winning producer, has been appointed chief production officer. Her 20-year work history includes stints held at Tool of North America, BBDO, Goodby Silverstein & Partners, Google, Butler Shine Stern & Partners, now-defunct Victors & Spoils and R/GA, where she helped build a global production capability that landed the agency its first Film Craft Lion, Cannes’ Agency of the Year nod in 2015 and an Emmy for its “Love Has No Labels” campaign, done in collaboration with the Ad Council.
Andrew Vranicar has been named head of innovation and hails from TBWA\Media Arts Lab where he led global advertising for the iPhone, “Shot on iPhone” series (winner of the 2015 Cannes Grand Prix), Apple Watch and Apple TV. Before that Vranicar was brand manager at Mattel where he oversaw brand and product strategy, pricing, promotion and distribution across several of the toymaker’s brands. At Phenomenon, he will be responsible for partnering with clients to drive new revenue streams, market places and other unspecified opportunities past advertising.
Kyla Elliott joins Phenomenon as group creative director. She’s previously held agency roles at 72andSunny, Wieden + Kennedy, Fallon London and most recently TBWA\Chiat\Day L.A., while also serving in a diverse series of other positions including scriptwriter and prop maker at Children’s BBC television and tour guide in North Korea. Elliott’s work spans accounts such as Airbnb, Google and Sony.
“As a business transformation agency, we partner with clients to solve a diverse range of challenges,” Erica Hoholick, president of Phenomenon, said in a statement. “And this requires that we only hire talent who are creatively driven, collaborative and focused on first-of-their-kind solutions that adds value to our clients’ businesses. We are growing rapidly and I am very excited by the calibre and diversity of talent we are hiring.”
To accommodate the new hires and services, Phenomenon said it acquired another floor at its Wilshire Boulevard, L.A., headquarters, which is situated just “a stone’s throw away from where film and culture meet in Hollywood,” according to the agency.