Pollak Assumes Presidency of OneSource

ATLANTA OneSource Marketing has recruited ad vet Jim Pollak as president, the agency confirmed. Pollak, 62, replaces Jerry Brown, who left the Atlanta independent shop in March for medical reasons.

Pollak’s long resume includes early stints at J. Walter Thompson in Atlanta, where his clients included Orkin, BellSouth, Six Flags and Dunlop tires. At JWT in New York, he worked on Scott Paper and Standard Brands.

In 1988, Pollak founded Pollak, Levitt and Chiat. He sold the agency, then Pollak, Levitt & Partners, to Multi-Media Holding in 2000. When the holding company abandoned the shop following an ill-fated pitch for the $25 million account of the National Automotive Parts Association (NAPA), the agency closed, reopening again a day later under the ownership of Trone, an independent shop in Greensboro, N.C. Pollak served the Atlanta office for one year before retiring.

Since 2000, he has taught marketing in-agency courses, developing curriculum for account executives, and has acted as a consultant to agencies and clients.

Pollak described OneSource as a company that combines senior staffers with an outside network of category experts. “They needed a dad and I think I can make a contribution here,” he said. “I’m intrigued by the business model they’ve set up.”

For example, the agency formed a team of experienced executives in the grocery industry that will help pitch business in the category, said Pollak. “That would be applied across supermarket chains and all businesses that use grocery stores as a means of distribution,” he said.

At OneSource, Pollak will head up the 2-year-old agency’s new business development, account services and planning, and oversee day-to-day operations.