VML welcomed three senior level hires across its Chicago and Atlanta offices.
Roy Torres joins VML Atlanta as group creative director and will help oversee creative work for VML’s Atlanta, Memphis and Bogota offices. He joins VML following around two years as a creative director with 22squared. Prior to that he spent a year as an associate creative director with Grey New York and eight months as a freelance creative director with Y&R New York. Torres previously served as an art director with Y&R New York and Droga5. Over the course of his career he has worked with clients including Bacardi, Converse, LG and MTV. He was also one of the first instructors for the New York branch of Miami Ad School.
VML Chicago hired Melissa Barany as executive producer, tasked with managing production for the Chicago office while reporting to Tyler Smith, head of production, North America. Barany joins the agency from EnergyBBDO, where she has served as executive producer for six years, overseeing integrated global production for multiple SC Johnson brands. Prior to that she held freelance production roles for agencies including DDB, JWT and Cramer-Krasselt.
Hilary Burns joins VML Chicago as group director, client engagement and will report to chief client officer Chuck Searle. Burns arrives at VML following three years at SapientRazorfish, where she served as director of client services and was responsible for the agency’s Wrigley, Kraft Heinz, Mondelez, Bayer Healthcare and Panera Bread accounts. Prior to that she spent nine years with Cramer-Krasselt, where she served as vice president, group account director and also worked on Panera Bread, as well as Heinz, Bristol Myers Squibb and the Ad Council.