Weiss Joins Chris Weil and Pat Kingsley in High Profile Global Marketing/Hollywood PR Firm
Thursday, 01 December 2005
Momentum, a top-ranked global marketing agency, which owns PMK/HBH, one of Hollywood's most celebrated publicity firms, is creating a unique new communications offering with the addition of Jeff Weiss, along with his partner Paul Opperman and their staff. The news was announced today by Chris Weil, CEO of Momentum. Weiss, the founder of Amster Yard, an international creative shop aligned with McCann Erickson, has most recently headed McCann's World Creative Group (WCG), based in New York.
Said Weil, "The marriage of high profile experience in advertising, celebrity PR, sponsorship and event marketing gives us unparalleled capabilities. Pat Kingsley [President of PMK/HBH], and I have worked with Jeff on projects and loved his ability to create amazing brand worlds on behalf of clients. This is another step in our evolution to create a truly unique agency that includes and goes beyond Madison and Vine." In addition to working on Momentum's clients, including Coca-Cola and American Express, Weiss's Bacardi/Martini and other clients will move with him to Momentum.
Said Weiss, "We will finally be able to unleash creative firepower that transcends all media to actually influence lifestyle. No one has offered anything like this in the past. The potential is enormous, as is my enthusiasm about working with Chris, Pat and their people." Weiss will become Executive Creative Director of Momentum Worldwide and Opperman will become Executive Creative Director of Momentum's New York agency.
Arriving with them, in addition to a dozen creative staffers, will be Weiss's WCG General Manager, Matthew Stern. Stern, previously General Manager of McCann Erickson's Russia and Czech Republic agencies, becomes Co-Managing Director with Greg Luckman. Greg runs the American Express account worldwide and has been with Momentum for 8 years.
Weiss began his career in Los Angeles at his own shop, WEISS 2, doing fashion and music then moved to New York, joining JWT. In 1987 he joined and became a partner at one of the industry's most respected creative agencies, Margeotes, Fertitta and Weiss. In 1994, wishing a less structured, more conceptual creative environment, Weiss took a collection of iconoclastic and proven creative talent with him to open McCann Amster Yard.
A decade later, after producing high impact creative ideas and strategic concepts for a range of both global and domestic clients, Weiss's Amster Yard group moved to McCann Erickson's New York offices as a stand-alone unit with direct access to McCann's worldwide resources and was rebranded as World Creative Group (WCG).
The move to Momentum brings Weiss and his group "home" to space that Amster Yard earlier had occupied in Soho (161 Avenue of the Americas). PMK/HBH also has moved into Momentum's space in New York, Los Angeles and London.