DDB Enlists Production Exec

CHICAGO Omnicom Group’s DDB here has hired Diane Jackson as executive director of production, marking her second stint at the shop, the agency confirmed.

For the past four years, Jackson held a similar post at Omnicom’s Energy BBDO, where she restructured and developed the shop’s print, television and branded content capabilities.

“It’s kind of bittersweet because the past four years at Energy were so rewarding,” Jackson said. “But I felt those years set me up for something bigger and on a global scale.”

Jackson previously worked at DDB from 2000-03, when she led an international campaign for Exxon Mobil, which at the time was the largest production in the agency’s history. She cited her familiarity with the agency and its resources as an asset as she helps the shop “navigate the changing landscape of advertising” and production’s role in it.

“I think TV is here to stay, but I think there are a lot of multi-channels to live in different ways,” she said. “Consumers have a choice, and a lot of them are asking, ‘What’s in it for me?'”

A native of Britain, Jackson began her advertising career at DMB&B in London. Her resume includes stints at McCann Erickson and production company Berry & Coutts, and she has produced work for the BBC’s Channel 4.

Jackson succeeds David Rolfe in the post, who left in June to rejoin MDC Partners’ Crispin Porter + Bogusky in Boulder, Colo., as director of integrated production. He was director of content production at DDB for two years.