Amplify strengthens US creative team with three hires

Heather McTavish Perez has been appointed Executive Creative Director reporting to Global Chief Creative Officer, Jeavon Smith. McTavish Perez joins Amplify after several years at VIRTUE Worldwide, the agency powered by VICE Media Group. After joining as Associate Creative Director in 2017 McTavish Perez rose through the ranks going on to become Creative Director, Group Creative Director and Executive Creative Director. Her latest campaign for toy company MGA Entertainment “The Rizzler - DISS-MAS” struck viral gold with a song that will live in your head rent free. In her new position at Amplify, McTavish Perez will be overseeing creative output from North America.

Commenting on her new position, Heather McTavish Perez said: “It’s always been about the people. Everyone I met with was incredibly smart, and kind, and driven to create the type of work that adds to people’s lives instead of robbing them of their time. But, more importantly when it comes to the actual work, what drew me in was the stance that every brand can offer an experience regardless of medium.”

Michi Ohira joined in November as Senior Creative Director from ​​Invisible North where she was also a Senior Creative Director. At Amplify Ohira will be working across clients including Meta and Yahoo. Her focus will be on leading culture-forward experiential campaigns that break category norms as well as supporting creative development alongside McTavish Perez and the US leadership team. Ohira started her creative career in design, and in her own time can often be found creating record cover designs for indie musicians fuelled by her love for emerging artists and their work.

Commenting on her new role, Michi said: “Besides the incredible creative work, what drew me to Amplify was the agency’s commitment to leading with an unwavering value system. The B corp certification was a big initial draw as the experiential landscape isn’t always the most sustainable, I was excited by the prospects of innovation that would come from it.”

Robert Panossian, who joined in September as Design Director, is working closely with Amplify’s clients and the creative team on interdisciplinary design across architecture, experiential design, graphic design, and product design. Panossian was most recently Senior Experiential Designer at Optimist Inc, where he worked with clients including Google, Red Bull and LVMH.

Zoe Lewis, Partner US said: “Our goal at Amplify is to craft experiences and campaigns that truly connect with audiences and culture. With upcoming work for The LEGO® Group, The Recording Academy, Tubi and Yahoo amongst others, these new team hires bring exceptional talent and fresh perspectives to our team, allowing us to elevate our creative work and deliver even greater impact for our clients.”

Jeavon Smith, Global Chief Creative Officer added: “This trio of new recruits is a continuation of Amplify’s ambition and commitment to once again raise the creative bar on the work and shape the culture of our US Studio. We believe that a diverse spectrum of creative skills and talent is fundamental in shaping original ideas through the lens of culture. Heather’s inspiring leadership and passion for undeniable work signals our intention to pioneer where experience goes next.”

Read the news here on The Drum.

Image Left to right: Michi Ohira, Heather McTavish Perez and Robert Panossian